TBSO Quick Facts
- 2011-2012 is the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra’s 51st season
- Arthur Post is the TBSO’s Music Director
- Dan Bartholomew-Poyser is the TBSO’s Conductor-in-Residence
- Chris Wilkinson is the TBSO’s General Manager
- The TBSO is the only professional symphony orchestra between Toronto and Winnipeg
- The TBSO has 5 concert series’: Masterworks, Pops, Classical Plus, Cabaret and Family
- The Orchestra will perform 22 series concerts in 2011-2012
- Special Events in 2011-2012 include Symphony Sunday and Beer & Beethoven
- The TBSO employs 30 full-time musicians for the 24-week concert season and hires up to 20 extra musicians for many concerts. The Symphony has an administrative office staff of five.
- The TBSO has an annual operating budget of approximately $1.6 million
- The TBSO’s main venue is the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium. The TBCA was designed by Artec Consultants, and is considered to be acoustically one of the finest concert halls in Canada.
- The TBSO also performs regularly at: Hilldale Lutheran Church, Italian Cultural Centre, Grassroots Church, and St. Paul’s United Church.
- In March 2011, TBSO re-released the CD, Variations on a Memory (2004), which honours Canadian compositions that have played a major role in the successful development of the Orchestra. The CD was nominated for a 2005 Juno award.
- The Orchestra goes on tour twice a year, performing education and community concerts in venues across Northwestern Ontario. In 2010-2011, TBSO on Tour went to Upsula, Dryden, Kenora, Sioux Lookout, Manitouwadge, Marathon, and Terrace Bay. The TBSO performed 7 educational concerts for over 2,000 students, and 3 community concerts for approximately 700 people.
- Community Outreach Concerts reach thousands of people annually at Lakehead University, Confederation College, schools, churches, hospitals, retirement homes, theatres, malls and other public places.
- TBSO’s Musicians in the Classroom program has chamber groups from the Orchestra visit, talk with and play for Grade 6 students. Later in the season, each MIC Grade 6 classes attends a TBSO concert at the TBCA.
- TBSO’s Grade 3 Sing-Along allows students from both English & French Grade 3 classes the opportunity to sing with the TBSO. In 2010-2011, over two evenings, approximately 400 students performed for over 700 family and friends.
- During the 2010-2011 Season, the TBSO offered over 80 performances between series concerts, special events, touring, education programs and outreach activities. That’s a lot of music!
