ANNOUNCING SEASON 63!

The TBSO is proud to present six series in our 2023/24 season: Masterworks, Pops, Hilldale Chamber Series, Voices, Northern Lights, and Family. All tickets on sale NOW including select 6, 8, and 10 packages!

Select 6Select 8Select 10

Series:
13 October 2023 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

Opening Night: Music for a Celebration

Program

MASTERWORKS

Join the TBSO for OPENING NIGHT featuring TBSO’s own Thomas Cosbey playing Barber’s Violin Concerto, as well as works by Alexina Louie, Jessie Montgomery, Honneger, and Poulenc!

Alexina Louie – Music for a Celebration
Jessie Montgomery – Strum
Barber – Violin Concerto — Thomas Cosbey
Honneger – Pastorale d’ete
Poulenc – Sinfonietta

Featuring

Cosette Justo Valdes, conductor

Thomas Cosbey, violin

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21 October 2023 - 2:00 pm St Patrick's High School (Selkirk) Auditorium

Halloween Spooktacular!

Program

FAMILY

It’s the spookiest night of the year as the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra presents our Halloween Spooktacular. An event for the whole family, featuring music from Harry Potter, classic Halloween movies and other SPOOKY tunes, it will be a concert to remember! Wear your favourite costume and bring all your little ghosts and ghouls to enjoy this musical treat!

Featuring

Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra

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28 October 2023 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

Time Warp: The Music of Rocky Horror

Program

POPS

Are you ready for the Time Warp? Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul… Jeans ‘n Classics is doing the music of Rocky Horror!!! 

Featuring

Jeff Christmas, conductor

Jeans ‘n Classics Band

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03 November 2023 - 7:30 pm Hilldale Lutheran Church

Tropical Nights

Program

HILLDALE CHAMBER SERIES

Experience the tropics with the vibrant and bold sounds of Latin American music in the debut concert of our Chamber Music Series!

Morlock – Theft
Santos – Ykamiabas
D’Rivera – Aires Tropicales
Evangelista – Spanish Garland
Ginastera – String Quartet No. 1

Featuring

TBSO Musicians

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10 November 2023 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

A Night to Remember

Program

MASTERWORKS

Memory is one of life’s strongest and most powerful forces. Join us for an emotional evening of truly fine music inspired by the act of keeping memories close.

Skoryk – Melody
Trew – Come Closer: Songs on Texts by Elizabeth Krehm
Farrenc – Symphony 3

Featuring

Evan Mitchell, conductor

Rachel Krehm, soprano

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17 November 2023 - 7:30 pm Da Vinci Centre

All That Glitters – Spencer Hari

Program

NORTHERN LIGHTS

The divine, witty, charming, glittering, and incredibly talented Spencer Hari has performed locally for over a decade, but would you believe this is his first time collaborating on a full show with the TBSO? Well, it was worth the wait! If you think you’ve seen Spencer Hari perform, just wait till you see what he’s bringing out for this show. Join us for an evening you won’t soon forget.

Featuring

Spencer Hari

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18 November 2023 - 7:30 pm The Industry

Afterdark: Taylor Swift

Program

Join us for an intimate candlelight concert featuring the music of Taylor Swift performed by a string quartet of musicians of the TBSO. This show will feature classical arrangements of all of your favourites. From 1989 to Red, and Reputation to Folklore, we have something from every Era. Even if you’re not a die-hard Swiftie on your way in, you will be by the end of the night!

In Partnership with:

Featuring

TBSO String Quartet

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24 November 2023 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

Bhangra and Beyond

Program

POPS

Bhangra meets classical with Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. Music moves us in many ways, emotionally and especially physically. Across the globe, there are musical traditions that fuse music and movement in distinct ways. Join us as we see how composers, influenced by the music of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, create new sounds and exciting pieces.

Featuring

Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, conductor

The Maritime Bhangra Group:
Hasmeet Singh Chandok
Kumwardeep Singh
Davinder Singh
Simranjeet Singh Chadha
Bikramjeet Singh

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01 December 2023 - 7:30 pm

The Music of Gordon Lightfoot

Program

SPECIAL

The man. The Legend. The Icon. Join the TBSO for a tribute to one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Gordon Lightfoot. The backdrop to so many road trips, camping trips, nights spent with friends, nights spent missing friends, experience the music that has become the soundtrack to life in Canada.

Featuring

Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra

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02 December 2023 - 7:30 pm The Industry

Afterdark: Taylor Swift – Night Two

Program

Join us for an intimate candlelight concert featuring the music of Taylor Swift performed by a string quartet of musicians of the TBSO. This show will feature classical arrangements of all of your favourites. From 1989 to Red, and Reputation to Folklore, we have something from every Era. Even if you’re not a die-hard Swiftie on your way in, you will be by the end of the night!

In Partnership with:

Featuring

TBSO String Quartet

View Event

08 December 2023 - 7:30 pm St. Paul's United Church

Messiah – Dec. 8/9

Program

VOICES

You know it. You love it. You want to hear it again and again. From the soft beauty of the opening notes to the resounding joy of the Hallelujah Chorus, this performance promises to uplift and delight audiences during the festive season. Handel’s Messiah transcends cultural, geographic, and religious boundaries with its message of charity, peace, goodwill, and sacrifice. It also contains some of the most uplifting, touching, and magnificent music ever composed.

Featuring

Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus

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16 December 2023 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

Holiday Pops

Program

POPS

A TBSO classic and a Thunder Bay seasonal-must, the Holiday Pops concert is one of the most popular presentations of the year. A witty, charming perennial holiday concert featuring many holiday music favourites, along with special guests the TBS Chorus, Zorya Ukrainian Dance Co, The Stringlings, and many more!

Featuring

Robert Perrier, Host

Jeff Christmas, conductor

Zorya Ukrainian Dance Co.

The Stringlings

Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus

And a surprise or two!

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22 December 2023 - 7:30 pm Hilldale Lutheran Church

Flight of “Phantasy”

Program

HILLDALE CHAMBER SERIES

Celebrate the rich legacy of British classical music, and the enduring influence of Charles Villers Stanford on the development of these great composers.

Jacob – Five Bagatelles
I. Holst – Phantasy Quartet
Schafer – String Quartet No.12
G. Holst – Wind Quintet in Ab Major
Coleridge Taylor – Nonet in F minor

Featuring

TBSO Musicians

View Event

20 January 2024 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

Quartetto Gelato

Program

POPS

The TBSO is thrilled to join forces with the amazingly effervescent Quartetto Gelato! Virtuosic showpieces and romantic ballads, blazing jazz Manouche tunes and forgotten chestnuts, all brought to life with multi-instrument mastery: this is Quartetto Gelato—a popular and highly unusual classical quartet.

Featuring

Quartetto Gelato

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26 January 2024 - 7:30 pm Italian Cultural Centre

Can’t Change the World – Shy-Anne Hovorka

Program

NORTHERN LIGHTS

Shy-Anne Hovorka is no stranger to Thunder Bay audiences. An award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, humanitarian and performer, whose first three albums have sold over 15,000 + copies worldwide, Shy-Anne brings her heartfelt music to a night of song and storytelling with the TBSO. We are thrilled to have her back with us for a truly spectacular show!

Featuring

Shy-Anne Hovorka

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02 February 2024 - 7:30 pm Hilldale Lutheran Church

Trapèze

Program

HILLDALE CHAMBER SERIES

Prepare to be swept away by the playful and acrobatic nature of this concert featuring works by Ligeti, Archer, Bozza, and Prokofiev.

Ligeti – Six Bagatelles
Archer – Sonata for Flute, Clarinet, & Piano
Bozza – Three Pieces for Brass Quartet
Prokofiev – Quintet Op.39 “Trapèze”

Featuring

TBSO Musicians

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09 February 2024 - 7:30 pm St. Paul's United Church

Don’t Go Baroquing My Heart

Program

VOICES

Get swept away by one of the most popular classical pieces of all time: Bach’s Concerto in D Minor for 2 violins, played by a truly talented TBSO couple, Christopher Stork and Kimberly Durflinger. Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus takes the stage for Bach’s unforgettable cantata “Nach Dir, Herr, verlanget mich”, which translates roughly to “For you, Lord, is my desire.” On top of that, we get to hear a Baroque-inspired contemporary jewel, “Baroque Melting” by Vivian Fung. And it doesn’t stop there! Featuring pieces by Purcell, Gluck, and Rebel, this concert promises to be a wild emotional ride – and a good time!

Purcell – Selections from The Fairy Queen
Bach – Concerto in D minor for two violins – Christopher Stork & Kimberly Durflinger
Vivaldi – La Follia Trio Sonata in D Minor
Fung – Baroque Melting
Rebel – Les Élémens

Featuring

Christopher Stork, violin

Kimberly Durflinger, violin

Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus

View Event

17 February 2024 - 2:00 pm St Patrick's High School (Selkirk) Auditorium

Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Program

FAMILY

The world famous production of Beethoven Lives Upstairs features a lively exchange of letters between young Christoph and his uncle. Their subject is the “madman” who has moved into the upstairs apartment of Christoph’s Vienna home. Through a touching correspondence dramatically underscored with the composer’s most beautiful excerpts, the young boy slowly comes to understand the genius of the man, the torment of his deafness and the beauty of his music. The audience will be captivated by more than twenty-five excerpts of the master’s music, including the Moonlight Sonata, Fur Elise, and the great Fifth and Ninth Symphonies. The music is magically woven into the drama as two actors share their anecdotes and observations based on true incidents from the composer’s life. 

Featuring

Beethoven Lives Upstairs

View Event

23 February 2024 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

In the Key of Beethoven

Program

MASTERWORKS

Join the TBSO as we welcome the incredible pianist Kevin Chen to the stage to celebrate Beethoven!

Pierre Mercure – Kaleidoscope
Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major – Kevin Chen
Beethoven – Symphony No. 5

Featuring

Naomi Woo, conductor

Kevin Chen, piano

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01 March 2024 - 7:30 pm Italian Cultural Centre

Fusion Heat – Flamenco Caravan

Program

NORTHERN LIGHTS

Flamenco Caravan is a Thunder Bay favorite and the TBSO is thrilled to share the stage with them! Blending elements of flamenco, jazz, Latin, sacred and folk music with the sounds of the TBSO, this show promises to delight. The band’s sound is characterized by tight guitar flourishes and smooth vocals, with strong, melodic lyricism and driving and grooving rhythms throughout.

Featuring

Flamenco Caravan

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09 March 2024 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

9 to 5 – The TBSO with Badanai Theatre Co.

Program

We had so much fun with Badanai Theatre Co the last time they joined us, we’ve decided to do it again! This time, we’re going to take it up a notch with a Kennedy Centre-style production of Dolly Parton’s musical 9 to 5!! 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL tells the story of three women pushed to boiling point by their sexist and egotistical boss. Concocting a plan to kidnap and turn the tables on their despicable supervisor, will the ladies manage to reform their office – or will events unravel when the CEO pays an unexpected visit?

Featuring

Jeff Christmas, conductor

Badanai Theatre Co.

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22 March 2024 - 7:30 pm St. Paul's United Church

Requiem

Program

VOICES

Join the TBSO for an inspiring night of music featuring TBSO Principal Bass, Martin Blanchet playing Bottesini, the Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus featured in Rutter’s Requiem, and Raum’s “Evolution”.

Raum – Evolution
Bottesini – Concerto No.2 in B minor
Rutter – Requiem

Featuring

Martin Blanchet, bass

Thunder Bay Symphony Chorus

Lakehead University Vocal Ensemble

View Event

05 April 2024 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

Meet Me in Vienna

Program

MASTERWORKS

Nothing can captivate you quite like Viennese music. From Mozart to Schoenberg to Schubert, you will fall in love with the romance and passion of this timeless city. The TBSO invites you to close your eyes and let your heart go home to Vienna. Also featured is the incredible “Musica Serena” by Canadian composer Elliot Weisgarber. We are also thrilled to welcome incredible duo, Sharon Wei on viola and Scott St. John on violin, whose playing is sure to leave you wanting more!

Elliot Weisgarber – Musica Serena
Mozart – Sinfonia Concertante – Sharon Wei and Scott St John
Schoenberg – Chamber Symphony No. 2
Schubert – Symphony No. 3

Featuring

Cosette Justo Valdes, conductor

Sharon Wei, viola

Scott St. John, violin

View Event

13 April 2024 - 2:00 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

The Spirit Horse Returns

Program

FAMILY

Back by popular demand! “The Spirit Horse Returns” is a powerful concert production that combines traditional teachings, original visual art, music, and an all-new orchestral score to tell the story of the Ojibwe Horses, traditional helpers and spirit guides for First Nations and Métis people. It’s a journey of hope and reconciliation as Indigenous and non-Indigenous people come together to rescue the last of these horses and give them new life. Suitable for all ages, this production is an entertaining opportunity to learn about Indigenous cultures, reconciliation, and how we all play a part in the future of the land and its inhabitants.

Featuring

Ken MacDonald, horn

Jodi Contin, narrator

Rhonda Snow, visual artist and knowledge keeper

Music by Kevin Lau, with additional music by Jodi Contin and Andrew Balfour

View Event

27 April 2024 - 7:30 pm Thunder Bay Community Auditorium

The Piano Men 2 – Starring Jim Witter

Program

POPS

The Piano Men is a musical celebration of the 1970’s- year by year, hit by hit- from the songbooks of Billy Joel and Elton John. Award winning Canadian recording artist Jim Witter and his incredible band lead an expertly crafted tour of an entire decade that begins with “Your Song” and winds us along on a musical time machine, saluting two of the century’s most popular contemporary songwriters. The sounds of “My Life”, “Candle in the Wind”, “Rocket Man”, “Just the Way You Are”, and many more classic hits create an evening that’s so much fun, you won’t want it to end. Witter at the grand piano unleashes his golden tenor on hit after hit to recreate landmarks in a pop culture timeline.

Featuring

Jeff Christmas, conductor

Jim Witter, piano and vocals

Tony Lind, guitars and backing vocals

Ian Tanner, bass and backing vocals

Jimmy Boudreau, drums and percussion

View Event

03 May 2024 - 7:30 pm Fort William Historical Park

Noondaagotoon!

Program

SPECIAL

Noondaagotoon, means play it (so it makes a sound) in Ojibway. If you’ve been to a Noondaagotoon concert, you know this to be true. This annual collaboration between the TBSO and Indigenous performers has become one of the highlights of our season. It is an exciting opportunity to strengthen long-standing relationships – and establish new ones – while creating space for musical reconciliation with Fort William First Nation.

Featuring

Thunder Mountain Singers

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Funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.