Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Toronto, ON

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Toronto, Ontario, Canada celebrated its 86th season in 2007/2008. More than 400,000 patrons visit the Orchestra every year. An additional five million Canadians tune into concert broadcasts on CBC Radio. The orchestra is located at 12 King Street West, on the six floor.

Viennese-born conductor Luigi von Kunits and a group of Toronto musicians founded the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in 1922. At that time the orchestra was called The New Symphony Orchestra. It gave its first performance in April 1923.

In 1927 the name was changed to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Throughout its near century long existence, the orchestra has welcomed many different great international artists. Some artists who have played at and with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra are: R. Murray Schafer, Maxim Vengerov, Yo-Yo Ma, Evgeny Kissin, Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman, actor Christopher Plummer, Argerich, and Maxim Vengerov.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has played at Musikverein in Vienna, New York's Carnegie Hall and other prestigious locations throughout the world. In 2001, the orchestra's recorded of Sibelius' Lemminkäinen Suite won a Juno Award in 2001 in the Best Classical Album: Large Ensemble category.

The orchestra offers a variety of music education programs for young people. School programs include Adopt-a-Player, TSO Preludes, TSO Student Concerts and Student Reviews, Group Masterclass, and Morning with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Community programs for youth include the Young People's Concerts, Inspiring Youth, and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.

A large board of directors runs the orchestra. Andrew R. Shaw is the orchestra's president and CEO. The music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is Peter Oundjian.