Established in 1954 as The Bennington Heights Community Orchestra, the history of the orchestra has seen an incredible growth in size and musical excellence. Under the direction of Assen Kresteff in 1955, its first season consisted of just one concert. Two years later, Albert Aylward, a 25 year veteran of The Toronto Symphony string section took up the baton. In 1964, Milton Barnes, former conductor of The St. Catharines Symphony came aboard. The orchestra was incorporated in November 1967, and a board of directors was named. In the same year, The East York Symphony was born, with a focus of serving the East York community.

The Centennial year saw a growth of a 63 member orchestra with Orval Reis, conductor of The University of Toronto Orchestra, at the podium for the next six seasons. A Saturday morning junior string group was formed, and eight East York Symphony members were selected to play in the National Youth Orchestra.

From 1990 to the 2000-01 season, Douglas Sanford was the Music Director and the caliber of performances reached new levels, Orchestra Toronto is now proud to be working with Music Director, Dr. Errol Gay since the 2002-03 season. He is no stranger to our audiences since he was guest conductor for a several concerts in the 2001/02 season.

1954

1967

Ten years and several conductors later, including the talented Clifford Pool, David Ford, head of music at North Toronto Collegiate, took the reins. Guests appearances by mezzo soprano Janet Stubbs, cellist Dorothy Lawson, and pianist William Aide helped bring the orchestra into the national music scene. In 1993, the orchestra played for the Canada CIS Foundation in the presence of Mikhail Gorbachev

1977

2000

Over the years, there have been open dress rehearsals and concert stage talks, presenting educational opportunities, and making classical music more accessible. During the 1995/1996 season, The East York Symphony took part in a joint project with The Royal Conservatory of Music, allowing young musicians studying the performance to obtain orchestral experience.

Since 1997, OT has grown to over eighty players and become Canada's largest community orchestra. Recent highlights include the release of two compact discs, a grand performance of one of the most challenging works in the repertoire -- Mahler's 3rd Symphony -- where the orchestra was joined by The Toronto Children's Chorus and The Amadeus Choir. In preparation for its transition to become the new Orchestra Toronto, the Board of Directors have installed organizational measures to ensure that the ensemble is poised to be recognized and enjoyed by broader audiences from all over Toronto.

Orchestra Toronto has come to be recognized as one of the best volunteer-based orchestras in Canada -- an important resource for dedicated, motivated amateur musicians to rehearse and perform orchestral repertoire for our community. The orchestra is earnestly committed to its mission while celebrating its past and looking forward to future accomplishments.