The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO) is a Canadian professional
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
based in
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
History
Founded on 29 November 1960, the Lakehead Symphony Orchestra made its debut at the
Lakeview High School auditorium.
[Tronrud, Thorold J. & Nicholson, David (2005). ]
Thunder Bay Quiz Book: 101 Fascinating Questions about our History
''. Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, pps. 28 (question) and 58 (answer) . Its first conductor was Rene Charrier, who was on his way to
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
with Doug Dahlgren when they wrecked their car and became stranded in Port Arthur.
Saul Laskin
Saul Laskin (15 May 1918 – 4 October 2008) was a Canadian politician. He was the first mayor of the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Born in Fort William, Ontario, he was the younger brother of jurist Bora Laskin. He was educated in Fort Willia ...
, then mayor of Port Arthur, was impressed by their talent and convinced them to stay.
When Port Arthur and Fort William amalgamated in 1970, the orchestra changed its name to the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra.
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 ...
was the Music Director and conductor from 1967–1972,
Dwight Bennettfrom 1974 – 1989. (American child-prodigy conductor
James Touchi-Peters
James Touchi-Peters is an American composer, symphonic conductor, lyricist, pianist, jazz vocalist and record producer. A former child-prodigy orchestra conductor, he has been a frequent guest-conductor of symphony orchestras in the United States ...
served as Associate Music Director under Bennett for one season, 1977–78.) The Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus was formed in 1974 to enable the performance of major choral works and the orchestra became one of the foremost community orchestras in Ontario. Until 1985, the TBSO played in the Lakehead Exhibition Centre, local schools, and churches. The orchestra moved its larger concerts to the new
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
The Thunder Bay Community Auditorium is a 1,511 seat performance arts centre, located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It opened on October 16, 1985 and is home to the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. The Community Auditorium hosts 150,000 patrons annuall ...
when it opened in 1985.
Glen Mossoptook over as Music Director from 1989–1994, and Stephane Laforest from 1995–1999. During the 1995 season, the orchestra met with significant financial difficulties with the accumulated deficit rising to $140,000. By the summer of 1999, that deficit had increased to $450,000 due to a number of factors: a dispute over musician's pay led to a large retroactive tax bill and the orchestra lost its charitable lottery license. In July 1999 the TBSO laid off staff and claimed bankruptcy, but when Revenue Canada accepted its second proposed repayment plan, it was able to continue to operate.
With the appointment of
Geoffrey Moull as Music Director in 2000 the TBSO was able to proceed on more secure footing. In 2003 the Thunder Bay Regional Arts Council presented its ''Award to Education'' to Moull and the TBSO for innovative educational and outreach programs. By 2004 it offered 25 main concerts and the position of Conductor-in-Residence was added (Richard Lee 2003–2005, Jason Caslor 2005–2007, Stéphane Potvin 2008–2011). CBC Radio 2 recorded and annually broadcast the TBSO nationally starting in 2001. A self-produced CD recording titled ''Variations on a Memory'' became the best-selling album of the Canadian Music Centre in 2005. A second CD recording with blues artist Rita Chiarelli titled ''Uptown goes Downtown'' was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards. Moull completed his tenure as Music Director of the TBSO in 2009.
American conductor
Arthur Post
Arthur Post (born September 13, 1959) is an American conductor. He was music director of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (from 2010 to 2017) and the San Juan Symphony (from 2002 to 2015).
Biography
Arthur Post was raised in Norwalk, Connect ...
was appointed as Music Director in 2010. Post brought new vision and energy to programming and audience engagement. He led the commissioning of seven major works and recorded three CDs, including a 50th anniversary commemorative album designed to broaden the orchestra's presence in the community. His Analekta recording of the music of composer Jordan Pal, “Into the Wonder,” with the Gryphon Trio playing with the TBSO was nominated for Canada's JUNO award for Best Classical Album of 2019, alongside entries from the Toronto, Detroit, Seattle and BBC symphonies. Innovative and diverse programming, and collaborations with local musicians were hallmarks of his tenure.
In 2017
Paul Haaswas named Conductor, Music Director. Haas, who has previously served as the head of the New York Youth Symphony and leads the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, officially took over July 1 of that year. Haas has extended range of programming to include a focus on the orchestra's isolated Canadian location and its unique cultural dynamics. An annual Indigenous concert, Noondaagotoon ("Play it!" in Ojibwa) has been added to the regular season, as have Nordic, Outsider's, Women's and Earth Day concerts.
The TBSO presents two Mainstage series at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium: Masters and Pops, and three Second Stage series in smaller venues: House, Family and Northern Lights, performing 23 regular season concerts, and over 50 concerts in total annually. The orchestra annually reaches some 29,000 concert-goers including 10,000 students and tour audiences across Northwestern Ontario, which depending on the season, include Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances, Red Lake, Nipigon, Terrace Bay, Marathon, Manitouwadge, Wawa, Geraldton, Hearst, Timmins and Sioux Lookout.
The TBSO now employs 30 full-time musicians over a 29-week concert season and additionally hires up to 30 per-service musicians for many concerts. An administrative office staff of two full-time, four part-time people, and six part-time musician-staff people, supports the musical activities of the organization. As of 2020 its annual budget is just over $2 million, making the TBSO an important contributor to the Thunder Bay's arts economy. Over the past few seasons the orchestra has benefitted from careful management and donor largesse. Its current (2020) operating deficit is lower than it has been in over 25 years.
The TBSO is a member o
Orchestras Canada The TBSO is the only fully-professional symphony orchestra between Toronto and Winnipeg, and Thunder Bay is smallest city in Canada to have a fully-professional classical orchestra.
Nominations
In 2019, th
TBSO received a Juno nominationfor its albu
Into the Wonder a collection of compositions by Toronto-based Canadian composer, Jordan Pal.
[CBC News https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/tbso-juno-nod-1.4997640]
Music Directors
* Rene Charrier (1960)
* C.H. Bateman (1964)
*
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 ...
(1967)
* Manuel Suarez (1972)
* Dwight Bennett (1974)
* Glenn Mossop (1989)
* Stéphane Laforest (1995)
* David Bowser (1999)
*
Geoffrey Moull (2000)
*
Arthur Post
Arthur Post (born September 13, 1959) is an American conductor. He was music director of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (from 2010 to 2017) and the San Juan Symphony (from 2002 to 2015).
Biography
Arthur Post was raised in Norwalk, Connect ...
(2010)
Paul Haas(2017)
Directors
* Linda Penner, President
* Jeff Sampson, Vice President
* Catherine Jillings, Secretary
* Paul Inksetter, Past President
* Shy-Anne Hovorka, Director
* Bruce Hyer, Director
* Ryleigh Dupuis, Executive Director/General Manager (staff)
See also
*
List of symphony orchestras
This is a list of symphony orchestras that includes orchestras with established notability. A list of youth orchestras can be found at List of youth orchestras.
Africa
Democratic Republic of the Congo
*Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste
Egypt
*C ...
*
Canadian classical music
In Canada, classical music includes a range of musical styles rooted in the traditions of Western or European classical music that European settlers brought to the country from the 17th century and onwards. As well, it includes musical styles bro ...
References
External links
Official Website, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra
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Musical groups established in 1960
Canadian orchestras
Musical groups from Northern Ontario
Culture of Thunder Bay
Tourist attractions in Thunder Bay District
1960 establishments in Ontario