Oakville Symphony Orchestra

Last updated
Oakville Symphony
Orchestra
Founded1967
LocationOakville, Ontario, Canada
Concert hall Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts
Principal conductorLorenzo Guggenheim
Website www.oakvillesymphony.com

The Oakville Symphony is a Canadian orchestra performing in Oakville, Ontario.

Contents

History

The Oakville Symphony was founded in 1967 by Kenneth Hollier, a local musician and educator with the original mission statement to “make music for the pleasure of its members and the enjoyment of its audience”. The Oakville Symphony currently performs at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts.

In 1968, a small group met for the first rehearsal in a music room at T. A. Blakelock High School, among which a few members still perform with the orchestra today. The newly formed orchestra's first performance was held at the YMCA on June 24, 1968.

The Oakville Symphony has a long history of presenting collaborations with local groups including the Oakville Symphony Youth Orchestra, White Oaks Choral Society, the Clarkson Opera Society, the Oakville School of Ballet, the Oakville Children's Choir and the Oakville Suzuki Association.

From 1998 to 2020, the Oakville Symphony has been under the direction of Roberto De Clara. Initiatives such as the Young Artist Awards, a Family Christmas Concert and a Young People's Concert plus a program of community outreach called Meet a Musician and the maestro's popular Not Just the Score talks have ensured that audiences of all ages are reached in the community.

The Oakville Symphony has a loyal base of subscribers for its main concert series which takes place on four weekends a season with two performances of each concert which are close to sold-out. The Orchestra attracts guest soloists of international renown who enjoy the warmth of the welcome from musicians and patrons alike. A review of pianist Christopher Goodpasture's performance of Grieg's Concerto for Piano in A minor with the OS stated, "The orchestra seemed to understand that this was a very special performance and rose to the challenge with its best work. The communication between soloist, orchestra and conductor was akin to that of a chamber ensemble." [1]

Over 80 musicians play regularly with the orchestra, eleven of them are paid professionals who lead sections and mentor the high school students in the Young Artist program.

For the 2025/2026 season, the orchestra performs the following repertoire:

ComposerRepertoire
Angélica Negrón Moriviví (Canadian Premiere)
Ludwig van Beethoven Triple Concerto
Modest Mussorgsky / Maurice Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition
Franz Schreker Symphonic Interlude from Der Schatzgräber (Canadian Premiere)
Franz Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1
Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2
Florence Price Suite of Dances (Canadian Premiere)
Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5
George Gershwin An American in Paris
Bohuslav Martinů Rhapsody Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
Nino Rota Bassoon Concerto (Ontario Premiere)
John Williams Star Wars Suite

For the 2024/2025 season, the orchestra performs the following repertoire:

ComposerRepertoire
Gabriela Ortiz Kauyumari (Canadian Premiere)
Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto
Amy Beach Gaelic Symphony
Johannes Brahms Intermezzo op. 118 No. 2 (Arranged for Orchestra)
Frédéric Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1
Sergei Prokofiev Selections from Romeo and Juliet
John Williams Music from Star Wars, Superman, Indiana Jones and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Samuel Barber Mutations from Bach
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23
Henri Tomasi Trumpet Concerto
Igor Stravinsky Suite from The Firebird
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 8
Giacomo Puccini "Quando me'n vo'" from La bohème
Giacomo Puccini "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi
Charles Gounod "Je veux vivre" from Roméo et Juliette
Howard Levy Diatonic Harmonica Concerto (Canadian Premiere)
Astor Piazzolla Oblivion
Dave Brubeck Blue Rondo à la Turk (Arranged for Orchestra)
Arturo Marquez Danzón No. 2

Premiere performances

Notable performances

PerformerDateRepertoireComposerConductorReference
Scott St. John (Violin) and Sharon Wei (Viola)April 8 - 9, 2017 Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Roberto De Clara [6]
Timothy Chooi November 4 - 5, 2017 Violin Concerto No. 1 Max Bruch Roberto De Clara [7]
Yehonatan Berick (Violin) and Rachel Mercer (Cello)May 12 - 13, 2018 Double Concerto Johannes Brahms Roberto De Clara [8]
N/ANov 6 - 7, 2021VariousVarious Martin MacDonald [9]
Jonathan Crow Feb 10 - 11, 2024 Violin Concerto No. 2 Béla Bartók Lorenzo Guggenheim [10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Toronto Concert Reviews in Toronto, Ontario". Toronto Concert Reviews. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  2. ↑ Rajeswaran, Anusha. "Haydn Symphony No. 104". Oakville Arts Council. Oakville Arts Council. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bliss (Oakville Symphony performs Overture)". Jessie Montgomery. Jessie Montgomery. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Performance Search Results". Boosey & Hawkes. Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  5. ↑ "Performance Search Results". Boosey & Hawkes. Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "Passionate Drama". Oakville Symphony. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  7. ↑ "50th Anniversary Opening Fireworks". Oakville Symphony. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  8. ↑ "Celebrating the Genius of Leonard Bernstein @ 100". Oakville Symphony. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  9. ↑ "Conductor Showcase". Oakville Symphony. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  10. ↑ "Maestro Lorenzo Guggenheim of the Oakville Symphony discusses "Vitality" on Classical Jukebox". The New Classical FM. ZoomerMedia Digital Network. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
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