Shaftesbury and The Toronto Symphony Orchestra Team Up to Create Original Music Specials

Award-winning production company Shaftesbury and the renowned Toronto Symphony Orchestra have come together in a new partnership to produce exclusive programming for two of Canada's most popular drama series, Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries. Filmed on both respective production sets in Toronto, each live-to-tape 60-minute special features beloved compositions by the TSO's world-class orchestra with conducting by Rob Carli (Composer, Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake Mysteries).

"During the early days of COVID-19, it became clear that we, cultural groups and organizations, needed to work together to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on Ontario's artists, creators and attractions," said Christina Jennings, CEO & Chairman, Shaftesbury. "In that spirit, this collaboration was born, resulting in two intimate and mesmerizing specials that we know Murdoch and Frankie fans, along with the TSO's audience, will love."

"As the TSO sought new ways to share our music with audiences outside of Roy Thomson Hall, we were thrilled to partner with the incredibly talented team at Shaftesbury. This quintessentially Canadian collaboration reflects a shared commitment to creatively entertain our audiences, here and around the globe," Matthew Loden, CEO, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Viewers looking for feel-good New Year's Eve programming can watch A Music Lover's Guide to Murdoch Mysteries on the Murdoch Mysteries Facebook page on December 31st at 11am ET, the perfect respite as we wind down the challenging year that was 2020. AMC Networks' streaming service Acorn TV will premiere A Music Lover's Guide to Murdoch Mysteries on December 24th, 2020 in the US, Canada, AU, NZ and LATAM.

A Music Lover's Guide to Murdoch Mysteries celebrates the music of the Victorian and Edwardian eras and features seven musicians from the TSO performing various compositions. The special programming event is hosted by Murdoch Mysteries star Yannick Bisson.

Frankie Drake Mysteries: Music at Midnight will feature performances by the TSO, Chantel Riley and Sharron Matthews, and will air on Ovation in the US, and on the Frankie Drake Mysteries Facebook page in Canada. Further broadcast details will be announced in the coming weeks.

For the production crews involved with each special, the shooting of both was a testament to the resilience of Toronto's arts and creative industries amidst all of the challenges of a global pandemic. At the time of shooting, the Murdoch Mysteries crew were marking their mid-way point of a successful 11-episode season for CBC and UKTV and the Frankie Drake Mysteries crew were celebrating the wrap of a successful 10-episode season for CBC and UKTV. With safety being top-of-mind, both productions had strict COVID-19 protocols in place that included pre-testing and self-assessments, as well as the required hand washing and maintaining a required social distance within each of the production pods.

Season 14 of Murdoch Mysteries, and Season 4 of Frankie Drake Mysteries, will premiere in Canada on Monday, January 4 at 8pm (8:30 NT) and 9pm (9:30 NT), respectively, on CBC TV and the free CBC Gem streaming service.

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