Join us in reflecting on a year of transformative performances and deepened bonds with our community. Read heartfelt letters from our CEO, Board Chair, and Music Director, reminiscing on a season filled with harmonious connections.

Message from Gustavo Gimeno, Music Director

Following our glorious Centennial in 2022/23, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra started on an unprecedented artistic trajectory in 2023/24 that, more than ever, runs in parallel with the pulse of this city and its many vibrant communities. If our 100th year was a graduation, then Year 101 was an inauguration, heralding an audacious new era for the TSO.

Our season-opening performances of The Rite of Spring underscored this idea in dramatic fashion. Stravinsky’s creation was radical in its time—a new kind of music that represented a pivotal cultural moment—which is why we selected it to mark a pivotal moment of our own. Fittingly, it was also the subject of Symphony Exploder, our innovative and accessible collaboration with Song Exploder and its creator and host, Hrishikesh Hirway. This concert embodied my belief that our programming should live at the intersection of who, where, and when we are, reflecting the TSO of this particular time and place. The World Première of Ikiru, the result of our Art of Healing program, was another prime example. Written by Métis composer Ian Cusson in collaboration with TSO musicians and clients of Shkaabe Makwa at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, it was the direct result of a meaningful partnership between Toronto institutions. It was also a reminder of who we make music for—namely, our communities. In this same spirit, we celebrated Toronto’s Chinese diaspora and its broader East Asian communities at Year of the Dragon, our first Lunar New Year concert in six seasons.

These artistic achievements are but a few of the many we realized in 2023/24: For the first time in our history, each Masterworks program included at least one piece never before performed by the orchestra, including premières of works by such renowned creators as John Adams, Francisco Coll, and Olga Neuwirth. These were complemented by canonical gems like Pines of Rome, Fauré’s Requiem, and two Mahler symphonies—his transcendent Third being a personal highlight. We were reunited with internationally acclaimed guest artists like Daniil Trifonov, Dame Jane Glover, Seong-Jin Cho, and Frank Peter Zimmermann. And many stellar performers made their TSO débuts, including Isata Kanneh-Mason, Randall Goosby, and Gerhild Romberger.

Further, two Canadian Spotlight Artists joined us for multiple programs designed to showcase their virtuosity. Mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo harnessed her astounding voice in enargeia, a suite of works by women composers that we presented in Toronto and on tour to Ottawa and Montreal. And violinist and long-time friend of the TSO James Ehnes brought his signature flair to works by Barber, Bernstein, and French-Cuban composer José White Lafitte.

In February, we made our second live recording for Harmonia Mundi—Stravinsky’s Pulcinella—and our first disc was released. I could not be prouder of Turangalîla-Symphonie, so it felt most fitting that we should dedicate this epic love story to the memory of Susan and Hans Brenninkmeyer. Suzy was a dear friend to me, and she and her husband, Hans, were two of the Orchestra’s most fervent supporters.

Beyond our performances, a vital aspect of our role as a driver of culture in this city is the fostering of emerging and ascending musical talent, and in 2023/24 our artistic-mentorship programs allowed us to do precisely this. During the landmark 50th anniversary of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the young musicians joined me and the TSO on stage for a first-ever side-by-side performance of a full symphony. The TSO was once again the Lead Orchestral Partner and I was the Conducting Advisor for the Women in Musical Leadership national conducting fellowship led by Tapestry Opera. In collaboration with the Canadian Music Centre, our Explore the Score sessions allowed four composers to hear their pieces rehearsed by a professional orchestra. And through our NextGen Composer program, three creators—Katerina Gimon, Julia Mermelstein, and Christina Volpini—were mentored as they wrote new works, which were premièred during the season.

All members of the TSO’s wonderful Artistic Leadership team shared in these successes. My sincere thanks to Conductor Emeritus Peter Oundjian, Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke, Barrett Principal Education Conductor & Community Ambassador Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Composer Advisor Emilie LeBel, outgoing TSYO Conductor Simon Rivard, RBC Resident Conductor (and our new TSYO Conductor) Trevor Wilson, and outgoing RBC Affiliate Composer Alison Yun-Fei Jiang. And, of course, I would like to pay tribute to two esteemed and adored former TSO Music Directors who passed away last season—Seiji Ozawa and Sir Andrew Davis, who remains our Conductor Laureate in memoriam. Their tremendous contributions to classical music in Toronto, and around the world, simply cannot be overstated, and they are greatly missed.

Both of these incredible leaders helped to shape the orchestra into the extraordinary ensemble it is today. I am consistently impressed by our musicians—not only because of their superb artistry, but also because of their unflagging dedication to their craft and their infectious passion for our art form. We were proud to feature some of them individually in 2023/24 as well. Principal Clarinet Eric Abramovitz, Principal Bassoon Michael Sweeney—who retired at the end of last season—and Concertmaster Jonathan Crow all performed with the orchestra as soloists. Jonathan also curated another marvellous series of pre-concert performances by The TSO Chamber Soloists.

The indescribable feeling of making music with others is matched only by the joy of making music for others. I have greatly enjoyed connecting with our loyal patrons, donors, and volunteers throughout the year, both onstage and off. Your curiosity, enthusiasm, and overwhelming support inspire us to perform at the highest level, night after night, year after year. And for that, we are profoundly grateful.

Gustavo Gimeno
Music Director

Message from Mark Williams, Beck Family Chief Executive Officer

At the beginning of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s 101st year, I called it an “open arms, open heart” season, and issued an invitation for all of Toronto to Symphony With Us. As we reflect on the year, I am immensely proud of how the community responded to that call, and to the work we did to deepen our connection to our audiences, our art form, and the city that is our home.

The TSO welcomed more than 230,000 audience members last season, plus an additional 33,000 students from across the GTA who participated in our education concerts and programming. We cultivated new audiences through innovative performances and partnerships such as Symphony Exploder, our performance at Scotiabank Arena with Andrea Bocelli, and our returning to Brampton for Bhangra & Beyond, and continued to showcase the extraordinary artistry of the orchestra at our classical, pops, and film concerts at Roy Thomson Hall and George Weston Recital Hall, just as we have done for 101 years. 

Last season we released our first album with the prestigious Harmonia Mundi label, Messiaen’s epic Turangalîla-Symphonie, and we recorded what will be our second, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella. The audience leapt to their feet at our all-orchestral Pines of Rome concert, danced in the aisles at FREEDOM!: A Tribute to Aretha Franklin, and packed the house (again and again) for Studio Ghibli’s extraordinary composer/conductor, Joe Hisaishi. Your Toronto Symphony Orchestra toured to Montreal’s Maison symphonique and Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, and went global by collaborating with Drake on a teaser for his Scary Hours 3 album. 

As Toronto’s Symphony Orchestra, we work to ensure that everyone has a place at the TSO. Last year we welcomed thousands of people from every corner of the city to our second annual Open House & Free Community Concert, shared the power of music with CAMH patients through the Art of Healing program, and presented Relaxed Performances for the Neurodiverse and Disability Communities. 

At the same time as we were celebrating our future, we were reminded of the orchestra’s storied past. Last year we lost two titans of the music world who once led the TSO: former Music Director Seiji Ozawa and Conductor Laureate Sir Andrew Davis. Both gave this institution, our audiences, and the city so much for so long. The expressions of sadness and appreciation for the legacies of these great musicians is a reminder of how the effects of our music and our institution span generations.

We at the TSO are proud of connecting Torontonians from all parts of our city through music. A critical dimension of this is sound fiscal management, so we are pleased to report that we ended the year with a surplus of close to $54,000, bringing our accumulated surplus to more than $865,000. This positive result can be attributed to judicious financial oversight, strong ticket sales, and generous philanthropy. I am deeply grateful to every one of the thousands of donors who choose to invest in our orchestra and our mission. I am also pleased to report that we successfully established a new three-year agreement with the Toronto Musicians’ Association that will ensure we continue our trajectory of stability and artistic growth.

I am grateful to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s Board of Directors for their expert guidance, and their work as our biggest champions. I want to particularly acknowledge Sharon Groom, who is stepping down from the Board after nine years at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting; and the late Councillor Jaye Robinson, who generously served on the TSO’s Board for six years prior to her untimely death in May 2024.

I would also like to recognize Cathy Beck, whose term as Chair of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Board concludes after eight years. I cannot overstate Cathy’s contributions to the TSO. During the course of her term, the TSO appointed Gustavo Gimeno as the orchestra’s tenth Music Director, successfully navigated the pandemic, eliminated a 40-year-old accumulated deficit, and secured the largest gifts in the organization’s history. Personally, I am in awe of Cathy’s generosity of spirit, her wisdom, and her determination, and appreciate her steadfast confidence in the TSO, our musicians, staff, and mission. The TSO is fortunate to have a champion who continues a family legacy of loving, nurturing, and caring for this institution.  

As the Board continues to evolve and support the TSO’s growth, I am pleased to welcome Tom Smee, who has served on the Board since 2016, as our new Chair. Tom, a lawyer and former professional musician himself, has been an enthusiastic supporter of the orchestra for years, and his ongoing support will help take this institution to even greater heights. The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; John Gerhardt, Global Creative Director for Moët Hennessy; and Colleen Sexsmith, Principal, CAS Accounting for Insurance Inc. are joining the Board, and we look forward to their guidance, acuity, and willingness to extend our connections within and beyond our community.

I am privileged to work alongside the TSO’s staff. They are a dedicated group of people working each day to honour the past, seize the present, and grow the future of this orchestra, and their work has been exceptional.

At the centre of it all are the musicians of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, to whom I extend my heartfelt thanks. We all stand astonished by you: your musicianship, your artistry, and the sheer joy you bring to us all season long. I am so pleased to guide this organization with Gustavo, and I eagerly await the delights of the coming season.

Finally: thanks to all of you—our audiences, donors, and volunteers—who accepted our invitation to Symphony With Us. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is your orchestra, and we look forward to another season of music with each of you.

Mark Williams
Beck Family Chief Executive Officer

Message from Catherine Beck, Board Chair

The first year of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s new century showed the best of our institution: artistic excellence, innovation, and the capacity to bring our music and musicians far beyond the bounds of the concert hall. 

To celebrate Canadian premières and artistry, the TSO toured to Ottawa and Montreal. We engaged with students through our new partnership with Sistema Toronto, featuring workshops, rehearsals and master classes. The Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, in its 50th season, represented our city and country at Ohio’s famed Blossom Music Center. And this is only a fraction of what the TSO created in 2023/24. 

Behind all of it are the great musicians of our Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Music Director Gustavo Gimeno, and CEO Mark Williams. 

The talent and devotion demonstrated by our orchestra members is inspiring, and I am grateful to them all. Another year of our ensemble under Gustavo has brought us greater creativity, inventiveness, and given us a wonderful run of outstanding, memorable performances. Mark, equally driven and with a gift for collaboration, continues to extend the institution’s relationship with its patrons and the city at large. Under his skillful leadership, the TSO has become a cultural force in Toronto, and the breadth of our impact continues to expand.

I thank my fellow members of the Board of Directors for their hard work, dedication, and abiding belief in the importance of this institution and its ability to make a significant difference in the lives of Torontonians. I am likewise grateful to the Trustees of the Toronto Symphony Foundation and its Chair, Jeannine LiChong, for their continued, responsible oversight of a vital source of funding.

I thank the members of the Toronto Symphony Volunteer Committee, who promote and fundraise for the orchestra throughout the year. The contributions of our government partners—the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, the Government of Canada, and the Government of Ontario—and our Season Presenting Sponsor for 11 years, BMO Financial Group, have been essential to our operations.

The highly skilled, capable staff of the TSO deserve recognition. Day after day, they work tirelessly to ensure the organization runs smoothly and serves its mission.

To our donors and our patrons: your support and attendance sustain the TSO. This is an orchestra for everyone—you can see this in the variety of music we create and the audiences who come to hear and watch us perform. It has been one of my great privileges to work for the good of the TSO and all Torontonians who cherish it. I wish my successor, Tom Smee, all the very best as he takes the Board and the institution to many further destinations. 

Catherine Beck
Chair, Board of Directors