The Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) was founded by Frank Laubach, in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city populatio ...

, as the ''Regina Orchestral Society'' in 1908, giving its inaugural concert December 3 of that same year. Becoming the ''Regina Choral and Orchestral Society'' in 1919, and merging briefly with the

Regina Male Voice Choir Regina (Latin for "queen") may refer to: Places Canada * Regina, Saskatchewan, the capital city of the province ** Regina (electoral district) ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Regina France * Régina, French Guiana, a commune United States * R ...

as the ''Regina Philharmonic Association'' in 1924, it returned to independent status as the ''Regina Symphony'' in 1926, presenting its first regular season (1927–1928) under W. Knight Wilson. For many years an orchestra of 50 players, it grew to 70 in the 1960s. From 1929, its home was Darke Hall on College Avenue until it moved to the

Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts The Conexus Arts Centre, known from 1970 till 2006 (and still largely known) as the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts, is a theatre complex located within Wascana Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, which largely replaces former theatres downt ...

in 1970. The orchestra performs over 30 concerts every season to over 30,000 people over a 37-week season.

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

, granted his

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

to the orchestra in September, 2008, making the RSO the fourth orchestra in the world to be granted this honour by the heir to the

Canadian throne The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional Canadian federalism, federal structure and Westminster system, Westminster-style Parliamentar ...

.Regina Symphony Orchestra: The Prince of Wales to be Royal Patron of the RSO; September 4, 2008
/ref> The orchestra has performed with the South Saskatchewan Youth Orchestra (begun in 1977 under the RSO's sponsorship), the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet, the Regina Symphony Philharmonic Chorus (established in 1973) and Alberta Opera. The orchestra has also been broadcast regularly by

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined belo ...

Conductors

Regina Symphony conductors have been: * Frank Laubach 1908-1922 * W(illiam) Knight Wilson 1923-1941 and 1945–1955 * Arthur Collingwood 1941-42 (Conservatory) * John Thornicroft 1942-45 (Conservatory), 1955-1958 * Paul McIntyre 1959-1960 * Howard Leyton-Brown 1960-1971 *

Boris Brott Boris Brott, (March 14, 1944 – April 5, 2022) was a Canadian conductor and motivational speaker. He was one of the most internationally recognized Canadian conductors, having conducted on stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall and ...

1971-1973 * Ted Kardash 1973-1974 * Timothy Vernon 1975-1976 * Guest conductors 1976-1978 * Gregory Millar 1978-1981 * Simon Streatfeild 1981-1984 * Derrick Inouye 1984-1989 *

Vladimir Conta Vladimir (Vlad) Conta (born 20 January 1954) is a Romanian conductor and pianist with an international career spanning 30 years. He was the Principal Conductor of the Regina Symphony Orchestra in Canada.Brandhagen, William L. (2006)"Regina Sympho ...

1989-1997 * Victor Sawa 1997-2016 * Gordon Gerrard 2016-

Concertmasters

Concertmasters have been: * Marion B. Kinnee 1926-1932, 1933–35 * Jean Eilers 1932-33, 1935–36 * John Thornicroft 1936-1955 *

Lloyd Blackman Lloyd Jason Blackman (born 24 September 1983) is an English retired semi-professional footballer who is assistant manager of Tonbridge Angels. As a player, he played as a forward in the Football League for Brentford and after his release in 2 ...

1955-1959 and 1960–1975 * Elizabeth Boychuk 1959-1960 * Malcolm Lowe 1975-1977 * Brian Boychuk 1974-75 (Acting/Assistant) 1977-1978 * Howard Leyton-Brown 1978-1989 * Brian Johnson 1989-1990 * Guests 1990-1991 * Carmen Constantinescu 1991-1992 * Noel Laporte 1992-1998 * Moshe Hammer 1998-1999 * Eduard Minevich 1999-2012 * Karen Constant 2012-2014 (acting CM) * Simon MacDonald 2014-2017 * Christian Robinson 2017-2018 (acting CM) * Christian Robinson 2018-

Notes

External links

* {{authority control Musical groups established in 1908 Canadian orchestras Culture of Regina, Saskatchewan Musical groups from Regina, Saskatchewan Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage 1908 establishments in Saskatchewan

Conductors

Concertmasters

See also

Notes

External links