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Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid Gala Concert Celebrates International Olympic
| Source: |
Canada NewsWire |
| Date: |
June 23, 2001 |
The Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid (TO-2008) celebrated International
Olympic Day in style tonight with the Expect the World Gala Concert at
Roy Thomson Hall, which saluted Olympics past, present and future.
Hosted by four-time world figure skating champion and Olympian
Kurt Browning and Sonia Rodriguez, principal dancer with the National
Ballet of Canada, the concert featured performances by the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra, world-renowned tenor Richard Margison, Canadian
and Russian pre-eminent rhythmic gymnasts Emilie Livingston and Alina
Kabayeva as well as a 340-person Artist and Athlete Choir.
"This concert on International Olympic Day is our way of
demonstrating that Toronto is ready to host the world in 2008," said
Mary Lou Fallis, Co-Chair of the TO-2008 Arts and Culture
Committee. "Toronto is blessed to have a world of artists and athletes
working together and placing the ideals of the Olympic Movement front
and centre."
"From my experience representing Canada at three Olympic Games, I
know that the Opening Ceremony is one of the most exhilarating
experiences of the Games," said Browning. "The fusion of sport and art
puts athletes and artists front and centre, and that is exactly what
this concert -- and the Toronto bid -- is all about."
The culmination of a month-long arts festival celebrating the
excellence and cultural diversity of Toronto's arts community, the
concert is a reminder that only 20 days remain before the selection of
the host city for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The concert also featured:
- A salute to athletes, including the 50 Team 2008 athletes in attendance.
- A parade of flags representing both the nations in the Olympic
Games and Toronto's diverse cultural groups.
- A variety of musical works performed at past Olympic Games,
including John Weinzwig's composition Divertimento for which he won a
silver medal for music composition in the London Games of 1948, the
last Games for which medals were awarded for artistic competition.
- A spectacular performance of Expect the World, the song composed
by Donald Quan and Ron Korb, specially commissioned for TO-2008, and
downloadable from the bid's Web site at www.to-2008.com.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the architect of the modern Olympic
Games, believed profoundly that sport and art come from the same
fundamental human impulses: to excel and to witness excellence. Since
inception, TO-2008 has gathered the creative and sporting energies of
our generation and presented them in an integrated way.
In the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the arts and culture proponents
provided a platform for reconciliation for Australia's indigenous
cultures. In addition, their international exchange programs exposed
Australia's culture to a world audience, and were the catalyst for
artists from around the world to create, perform, learn and teach in
Australia.
"Their four years of cultural festivals coupled with a spectacular
Opening Ceremony updated the world's understanding of Australian
culture and brought the nation into the new millennium," continued
Fallis. "Imagine the opportunity this would bring to Canadian artists
and athletes."
TO-2008 is a non-profit organization working to bring the 2008
Olympic and Paralympic Games and Cultural Festival to Toronto. Since
its inception, TO-2008 has involved athletes, youth, the community,
businesses and individuals eager to see Toronto host the Olympic
Games. TO-2008 is strongly supported by Torontonians, Ontarians and
Canadians, as well as all three levels of government. The 2008 Olympic
and Paralympic Games and Cultural Festival will provide a significant
legacy for youth, sport, culture and community renewal - a legacy of
which all Canadians can be proud.
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