Orchestras Canada

The Hamilton Philharmonic and Music Director James Sommerville have announced the orchestra’s 2011-12 season with a program that features five Masterworks and five Pops concerts, along with free lunch time programs presented in partnership with the Hamilton Public Library. The Masterworks series includes such well-known soloists as James Ehnes and Stewart Goodyear, and also features the Masterworks’ series debut of the world renowned Hamilton Children’s Choir. New this season are post-concert Q&A sessions with the artists following three of the programs. Pops artists include Chantal Kreviazuk; Celtic supergroup Cherish The Ladies, blues/roots/rock singer Matt Andersen; and A Gospel Christmas, featuring the Toronto Mass Choir.

The Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil has announced its 2011-12 season, its 26th. The program, designed by music director Marc David, boasts an expansion of both the orchestra’s main and chamber orchestra series (with the latter now featuring a total of three performances at the acoustically sumptuous église Sainte-Famille in Boucherville), well-known guest soloists, and a season-closing performance of Berlioz’s Symphonique Fantastique.

The Toronto Summer Music Festival has launched its 2011 season, its first under the artistic direction of Douglas McNabney. The 4-week festival will run from July 19 to August 13, and events will take place at Koerner Hall and Walter Hall in downtown Toronto. The program includes 13 mainstage concerts plus an array of masterclasses and other educational programs, and will run the gamut from solo piano recitals by such luminaries as Kirill Gerstein and Andre Laplante to a Mahler program by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada led by session conductor Jonathan Darlington.

The torrent continues!  This week, we salute the 2010-11 season launches of the following groups:

Orchestra London has announced its 2010-11 season, a year of transition as the orchestra quietly continues its search for a successor to Music Director Timothy Vernon.  The season includes orchestral classics, chamber orchestra repertoire and a healthy dose of pops as well.  To learn more, you can visit their website here.

The Toronto Summer Music Festival has announced its fifth season under the artistic direction of Agnes Grossmann.  The festival – devoted to the theme “Songs of the Earth” – runs from July 20 to August 13, and features an array of Canadian and international soloists and ensembles, along with dance, puppets and visual art.  As well, the festival will include the world-premiere of a new Mahler-inspired work by Glenn Buhr.  For more information, please visit  here.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has announced its season – a dizzying array of (as the website blurb says) “classical treasures, stunning VSO Pops concerts, the very best in fun and educational entertainment for children and families, and some of the world’s greatest classical musicians” – under the leadership of VSO Music Director Bramwell Tovey.  For more information, please visit the VSO’s website here.

The Georgian Bay Symphony of Owen Sound, ON has launched its 2010-11 season – its 38th.  Music Director John Barnum has assembled a season consisting of 5 Main Series concerts and a pair of Music in the Afternoon concerts, beginning in October 2010 and ending in April 2011. The season will focus on young guest artist from the area who have or are about to launch their musical careers. Soloists include cellist Sebastian Ostertag, pianist Renee Kruisslbrink and violinist Katya Poplyansky.  For more information, please visit the GBS website here.

The Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil, led by Music Director Marc David, has announced festive plans for its 25th anniversary season. Programming highlights include a free open-air performance to launch the season, a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, and such soloists as pianist André Laplante, tenor Marc Hervieux, and violinist Jonathan Crow.  For more information, please visit the OSDL’s website here.