As of today, individual tickets for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's 2018/19 performance season are available for purchase online at TSO.CA, by phone (416.593.1285), and in person at the TSO Patron Services Centre or the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office.
With its expansive and wide-ranging repertoire, the 2018/19 season is a perfect showcase for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, shining the spotlight above all on the talents of its musicians. Featuring 39 Canadian guest artists, and marking 22 TSO débuts, the new season brings glorious orchestral works-the timeless symphonies of Berlioz, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Mahler, Bruckner, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, and more. Canadian music will be proudly represented through some of the country's finest composers including Jacques Hétu, José Evangelista, Dinuk Wijeratne, Abigail Richardson-Schulte, Chan Ka Nin, Jocelyn Morlock, Stewart Goodyear, Emilie LeBel, and Jordan Pal. Canadian guest artists (and guest artists who have strong Canadian connections) include conductors Johannes Debus, Bramwell Tovey, Tania Miller, Earl Lee, Gemma New, Barbara Hannigan (singing and conducting), Alexander Shelley, Simon Rivard, and Mélanie Léonard; singers Russell Braun, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Claire de Sévigné, Andrew Haji, and Matt Dusk; pianists Louis Lortie, Jan Lisiecki, and Stewart Goodyear; and violinists James Ehnes and Leila Josefowicz. The TSO also welcomes guest artists of international renown including Donald Runnicles, Christian Tetzlaff, Louis Langrée, Pinchas Zukerman, Kirill Gerstein, Nicola Benedetti, Gustavo Gimeno, Han-Na Chang, David Robertson, Thomas Dausgaard, and Alisa Weilerstein, to name only a few.
Highlights of the 2018/19 season include Interim Artistic Director Sir Andrew Davis conducting Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz (September); the poignant Britten War Requiem-coinciding with the centenary of Armistice Day in November-with conductor Bramwell Tovey and a superlative cast of vocal soloists; Mozart with Zukerman, showcasing the virtuosity of Pinchas Zukerman both as a violinist and as a conductor (January 2019); Sir Andrew Davis Conducts Wagner (January 2019), featuring Act I of Die Walküre in concert with three eminent singers; Barbara Hannigan Sings & Conducts (February 2019), in which the Canadian soprano presents a program that includes Gershwin, Berg, Sibelius, Debussy, and Haydn; the return of former Music Director Günther Herbig (March 2019) for Schubert's Unfinished; Denk Plays Mozart, with one of America's foremost pianists Jeremy Denk leading the Orchestra from the keyboard; and the anticipated returns of Donald Runnicles, who conducts Carmina Burana, and Gustavo Gimeno, who conducts The Firebird-both in June 2019.
Designed by the TSO's Principal Pops Conductor, Steven Reineke, the Pops Series comprises Blue Suede Tunes, starring Frankie Moreno; The Second City Guide to the Symphony, with Colin Mochrie; Best of Hollywood; Queens of Soul, starring Shayna Steele; and Modern Broadway, featuring Betsy Wolfe and Jeremy Jordan. Holiday concerts and family events include Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker & More; Handel's Messiah; and TSO Holiday Pops, spotlighting Canadian jazz icon Matt Dusk. Films include Star Wars: A New Hope-In Concert, Home Alone in Concert, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back-In Concert, and Casablanca: Film with Live Orchestra. And young audiences will enjoy The Mozart Experience with the Magic Circle Mime Company; Play It by Ear!, featuring host Kevin Frank (of Second City fame); legendary Canadian entertainer Fred Penner; and Let's Dance!, a high-energy, interactive program mixing bhangra, ballet, breakdancing, and more.
On January 16, 2019, at Koerner Hall, the TSO continues its exploration of contemporary music as it partners with The Royal Conservatory of Music as part of the 21C Music Festival, presenting, among others, the World Premières of two commissions-one from Canadian pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear and one from the TSO's new Affiliate Composer, Emilie LeBel. Tickets for this concert are sold through Koerner Hall.
Founded in 1922, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada's most important cultural institutions. The TSO has distinguished itself as an active supporter of new Canadian and international works. Since 2008, the Orchestra has released eight recordings under its self-produced label, tsoLive, and three recordings with Chandos Records. Over the past decade, the TSO has toured throughout Canada and internationally. Recent tour highlights include the Orchestra's performance at Reykjavik's Harpa Hall in 2014, and the TSO's first-ever performances in Israel and residency at the Prague Spring International Music Festival in 2017. Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall has been the TSO's home since 1982. The TSO also serves the larger community with TSOUNDCHECK, the original under-35 ticket program; the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra; and music-education programs that reach tens of thousands of students each year.
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