The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has announced a major milestone in its history as it celebrates 100 years of music-making in the 2022-2023 season.
The Orchestra inaugurated its centennial year on April 9, 2022 with a special concert led by Music Director Gustavo Gimeno and four of his predecessors, which kicked off the 15-month-long celebration.
One important component of the centennial year’s festivities will be the Orchestra’s first tour with their dynamic conductor, which will take them to New York, in a return appearance at Carnegie Hall; to the National Arts Centre in Canada’s capital, Ottawa; and to Toronto’s sister city Chicago, for TSO’s debut at Symphony Hall.
The Carnegie Hall concert will feature a program that tells the story of the 21st century Toronto Symphony—a blend of new music, dazzling young soloists, and much beloved favorites of the standard orchestral repertoire—in the latter case, a composition chosen for its proximity to Valentine’s Day, Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo & Juliet, in a special suite compiled by Maestro Gimeno.
The performance opens with a TSO commission, the second symphony of Canadian composer Samy Moussa. The soloist on the program is the extraordinary 19-year-old Menuhin Competition winner, violinist Maria Dueñas.
Here is the program:
- MOUSSA: Symphony No. 2 (TSO Commission/U.S. premiere)
- LALO: Symphonie espagnole for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 21 Maria Dueñas, violin
- – Intermission –
- PROKOFIEV: Suite from Romeo & Juliet (Compiled by G. Gimeno)
"The 100th Anniversary of any arts organization is truly a singular milestone, and surely an invitation to assess the present and past, then plan the future [...] It's very exciting to contemplate what we will achieve in seasons to come, but for now we will be spending the 2022-2023 season showing our audiences and critics alike why we have prevailed for over a century."
Mark Williams, CEO, Toronto Symphony
Mark Williams, the new CEO of the Toronto Symphony, says “The 100th Anniversary of any arts organization is truly a singular milestone, and surely an invitation to assess the present and past, then plan the future.
This orchestra has over time come to epitomize all that is best about the city of Toronto itself. It is a cosmopolitan enterprise, welcoming diverse ideas and influences from every direction; it embraces innovation while respecting tradition; it fosters creativity, both musically and in terms of engaging with our community.
It’s very exciting to contemplate what we will achieve in seasons to come, but for now we will be spending the 2022-2023 season showing our audiences and critics alike why we have prevailed for over a century.”
As the season begins in September, TSO conductor Gustavo Gimeno marks his third full year as Music Director: “The Orchestra and I are perfectly aligned in our goals for the future. Luckily, these days we are able to juxtapose the work of living composers and modern creations with well-known and familiar repertoire: known and unknown.
Our programming will present contrasts and dialogues within a single evening, inviting challenging and refreshing combinations of style and ideas. We’ll continue to seek out and present the work of new artists and composers, which greatly enriches the musical palette available to our audiences.
For so many reasons I feel that TSO is the ideal ensemble for the 21st century, and I couldn’t be more pleased to be forging ahead into the future with this wonderful orchestra.”
For more information about the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, visit tso.ca, kathrynkingmedia.com, and call 917-751-8228.
Photo of TSO/Gustavo Gimeno by Jag Gundu.
Photo of Mark Williams by Russell Lee.
Photo of Gustavo Gimeno by Jag Gundu.
