Place Oscar Peterson: Montreal opposition tables motion to rename Place des Festivals

Place Oscar Peterson? After petitions to change a metro station failed, a movement hopes to swap Place des Arts to honour Oscar Peterson.

MONTREAL — The Ensemble Montréal party, the City of Montreal's official opposition, will table a motion on Monday asking that the Place des Festivals, in the city centre, be renamed Oscar Peterson in homage to the world-renowned Montreal pianist and composer.

Party leader Lionel Perez believes Peterson deserves his place in Montreal toponymy as a thank-you for all the prestige he's brought to the city and to the Black community of Montreal.

The famous pianist was born in the district of Little Burgundy, in the southwest of the city, in 1925. He died in the Toronto area in 2007.

Peterson made over 200 recordings during his career and won a number of awards, including eight Grammys.

Ensemble Montréal points out that Place des Festivals, inaugurated in 2009 in the Quartier des Spectacles, is closely linked to the Montreal International Jazz Festival, where Peterson performed many times.

In 1990, the festival created the annual Oscar Peterson Award to recognize his art and his exceptional contribution to the development of Canadian jazz.

The official opposition says the artist's widow, Kelly Peterson, finds the idea of ​​linking her husband's name to this mythical jazz venue in Montreal fantastic and that the musician himself would have been very touched by this gesture.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2020.