The ‘New’ Old Auditorium – Where memories (and legends) are made
When the Old Auditorium was slated to be demolished nearly a decade ago, a voice and opera student was compelled to take action. He called CBC to cover the story.
“I was adamant that this building shouldn’t be torn down,” says Hussein Janmohamed (BMus ‘96, MMus ‘98), a Vancouver-based community music educator, composer, and co-founder of the Vancouver and Canadian Ismaili Muslim Youth Choirs.
Janmohamed fondly recalls spending the majority of his student life in the Old Auditorium rehearsing, taking masterclasses, performing with the choir, and eating at Yum Yum’s. He has since performed with the Ismaili Muslim Youth Choirs for His Highness the Aga Khan and collaborated on a choral piece for the Dalai Lama.
“History has happened in this building. We often forget that buildings carry cultural memories which in turn can inform and shape our society.”
