A century-old orchestra shaped by one conductor's 25-year tenure
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1922 and long anchored by conductor Sir Ernest MacMillan, the TSO moved from Massey Hall to become the founding resident company of Roy Thomson Hall in 1982.
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The Toronto Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1922, growing out of an earlier New Symphony Orchestra established a few years before, and performed for decades at Massey Hall, the venue that served as its home before a purpose-built concert hall existed downtown. Conductor Sir Ernest MacMillan led the orchestra as musical director from 1931 to 1956, a tenure long enough to define the TSO's identity for a generation and to make MacMillan one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century Canadian classical music.
A new hall, a new era
The orchestra became the founding resident company of Roy Thomson Hall when the distinctive glass-walled venue opened in 1982, giving Toronto a concert hall purpose-built for orchestral acoustics for the first time. Music directors since MacMillan have included Andrew Davis and Peter Oundjian, each overseeing the orchestra through recording projects, touring, and the ordinary work of keeping a century-old institution playing to modern audiences. The TSO remains Canada's largest orchestra and one of its main classical music institutions.
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