This year marks the 100th anniversary UBC’s Point Grey Campus, including the Old Auditorium, which opened on October 14-15, 1925. To celebrate this milestone, the Music, Art & Architecture (MAA) Library in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre opened an exhibit highlighting the history of the Old Auditorium through archival materials. The exhibit was thoughtfully curated by David Haskins, Music Librarian, with the help of Candice Bjur, Archives Clerk at Rare Books & Special Collections and Anne Lama, Conservator. This exhibit will remain on display until the end of the year.

The significance of the Old Auditorium

The Old Auditorium was one of the original buildings constructed on UBC’s Point Grey campus in 1925, and features architectural characteristics that are distinct to that era. “I think the Old Auditorium has always, in a sense, represented community on campus – the first graduation ceremonies were held there, of course, as well as all sorts of performances, and the cafeteria in the basement was one of the first spaces on campus for students to gather,” says Haskins.

The Old Auditorium became more than a building – it was a cornerstone for creativity, community and expression on campus. Its legacy continues to remind us that the arts are at the heart of a thriving university.

Historic moments

The Old Auditorium has witnessed many defining moments in UBC’s history and hosted countless distinguished visitors. UBC’s first seven honorary degrees were conferred there in October 1925, just days after its opening. Over the years, it has been the site of graduations, rallies, memorials and performances by figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama, Dylan Thomas and Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Renowned for its acoustics, the venue has also hosted important musical artists including Paul Robeson, Ravi Shankar and Van Morrison.

Highlights from The Old Auditorium at 100

Shadow Catch

Shadow Catch is an opera that focuses on Vancouver’s Oppenheimer Park in the Downtown Eastside. A remarkable creative endeavour, the opera was produced by five notable Vancouver artists: poet Daphne Marlatt wrote the libretto, and composers Dorothy Chang, Jennifer Butler (who both teach at the School of Music), Benton Roark and Farshid Samandari, who each composed one of the four acts. It explores the dreams of a young runaway, who has newly arrived in Vancouver, touching on events and themes from the history of Oppenheimer Park.

“Shadow Catch is an example of the kind of innovative productions that take place at the Old Auditorium,” explains Haskins. “As a review in Opera Canada observed, Shadow Catch is ‘solidly rooted in Vancouver’ and carries ‘an important and timely message about how the past powerfully informs the present,’ which could just as easily be a comment on the Auditorium itself.”

The Musical Society (MUSSOC)

The Musical Society or MUSSOC, was a student society that focused on enriching the lives of students through music. As its Constitution of 1924 states, its purpose was “to give members of the society the opportunity of actual participation in the public performance of choral, orchestral and solo music” at a time when there were no musical studies at UBC. It produced large and small ensemble concerts, from chamber music to the student-run symphony orchestra. MUSSOC would continue to pursue this mission through 73 years of continuous performances and tours. Thanks to the dedication of its members and alumni, MUSSOC became a cultural attraction on campus and beyond. The first page of the March 1924 Constitution is included to recognize this labour of love, and is a testament to the power of the performing arts in building and sustaining community.

Through this exhibit, Haskins hopes that viewers learn that the Old Auditorium is more than just a theatre. “The Old Auditorium was truly at the centre of campus life from the very start. It was, and is, a cultural and social hub. While some of the social spaces, like the cafeteria, are now gone, it remains a place outside of the usual hurried pace of the day, to enjoy a live performance in a beautiful setting.”