Giving

The Baders

Alfred Bader (BSc’45, BA’46, MSc’47, LLD’86) arrived at Queen’s in the autumn of 1941. What he experienced had a profound and lasting effect on his life and work. As a measure of his gratitude, Dr. Bader, together with his beloved wife, Isabel (LLD’07), has given back to Queen’s in countless ways, transforming student life and learning, enriching culture and the arts, and nurturing the spirit of initiative that is at the heart of the Queen’s experience, and so fully embodied by the Baders.

Alfred and Isabel Bader made a transformational gift to assist in the development of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts. The Isabel was inspired by the Baders’ love – of the arts, of Queen’s, and of each other – and is named in Isabel’s honour.

Name a Seat

Become a permanent part of our performance hall by naming a seat

I am so excited by what Queen's has done with The Isabel. Standing in the performance hall I was overwhelmed by the beauty and attention to detail. This is such an important project for Queen's and Kingston. A truly magnificent addition to the Kingston arts community and our waterfront.
Rob Baker, BFA’86
The Tragically Hip

With your gift of $3,000, we will recognize your generosity by “naming” a seat in the magnificent performance hall. Your name – or that of someone you wish to honour – will be engraved on a small plate on the armrest of a chair. This is a rare opportunity to have a lasting impact on a breathtaking performance hall.

What a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge your own support of the arts or to honour a friend, colleague or loved one. This gift will extend for the lifespan of the seat – projected to be at least 25 years – and will help ensure that what is now a cutting-edge facility remains a cutting-edge facility.

The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts is the realization of a long time dream – a proper performance hall for the City of Kingston coupled with first-class facilities for Queen’s students. Your support will ensure that the dream is lived for a long time to come.

Please note that seat naming does not include ticket discounts, priority purchase or seating preference, as all seats are randomly assigned.

 

Concert Series Fund

Make extraordinary concert experiences happen. Support the Concert Series Fund to help attract the best artists in the world to perform at The Isabel.

Engaging exceptional artists from Canada and around the globe – from Angela Hewitt, Midori and Emanuel Ax to Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Wen Zhao and Zukerman Trio – the Isabel is rapidly becoming renowned as a presenter of excellent and diverse artistic programs with performances spanning classical music, world music, jazz and multi-disciplinary initiatives.

In order for the Isabel to continue to engage artists of exceptional calibre we require philanthropic help from our benefactors.

Proceeds from the Isabel Concert Series Fund are used to help attract the best artists in the world to engage and inspire audiences of all ages from Queen’s students to members of the wider Kingston community and beyond.

 

Community Cultural Fund

The arts strengthen communities. The arts offer hope, inspiration and imagination to make us even better, individually and collectively.

The Community Cultural Fund will help integrate the work of local artists and cultural institutions into the Isabel, strengthening the exchange between Queen’s and the Kingston community.

This endowment fund will build a cultural exchange between Queen’s and the arts community. Artists/artisans, arts organizations, music groups and film festivals will be eligible for funds. Examples may include artist residencies from the Spoken Word Festival and film festivals such as the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Reelout and Focus Film Festival.

Free-flowing talent and learning skills shared between the artists and artisans in the nearby Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning and those at the Isabel will help build a stronger artistic community.

 

Integrated Learning Fund

The Integrated Learning Fund will support exciting academic projects, enhance the interdisciplinary activities between the four creative arts departments, and provide innovative programming for exceptional student learning.

Academically, the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts is intended to become a hub of interdisciplinary exchange, enabling students and faculty to utilize its state-of-the-art facilities to present a wide range of innovative and high-quality creative pieces. Accommodating and accessible, the Isabel’s success positions the arts as essential to the university and to the lives of its students.

The Integrated Learning Fund will support curriculum, programming and creative collaborations between fine art, music, film and media, and drama. Examples of projects may include multi-media stage work, environmental art installations, and outdoor concerts as part of courses such as these:

• Arts and Society (IDIS 210) and Contemporary Cultural Performance (IDIS 410) offer students in film, visual art, drama and music the opportunity to explore new modes of interdisciplinary performance practice through the creation of a collective work performed for the public.
• Sound Production (IDIS 311) offers students from the four creative arts departments the opportunity to develop sound productions and installations.
• Stage and Screen (STSC 300) allows students the opportunity to compare the production process of live theatre with that of film and television.

The Isabel will build  an international reputation as a centre of artistic exploration and  become a destination for student and faculty. 

 

State-Of-The-Art Fund

The State-of-the-Art Fund will ensure that the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts has the highest quality equipment and technology for learning, presentations, and performances.

The mission of the Isabel is to be an inclusive, innovative and interdisciplinary environment for artistic and educational arts experiences, serving the students and faculty of Queen’s University and the greater Kingston community with a distinctive, world-class and landmark facility.

The equipment and software required for such operations are continually evolving and require updates every three to five years. A premier venue must have a long-term sustainable source of income to ensure that facilities and equipment are  renewed and maintained to the very highest standard.

Proceeds from this endowment fund will be used to support equipment and other capital and operation maintenance requirements for optimum use.