The Victoria Symphony
A thumbnail sketch
An artistic gem on Canada's West Coast, the Victoria Symphony is Vancouver Island's largest and most active performing arts organization. The Symphony, the cultural soul of Victoria, takes enormous pride in providing quality live orchestral music for everyone. Currently in its 68th year, the Victoria Symphony has garnered both critical acclaim and massive popular appeal, and is one of the most successful orchestras in Canada.
The Victoria Symphony is a professional ensemble of 34 full-contract and 12 part-contract musicians. Each season the orchestra gives over 100 performances, including regular series performances and special concerts including opera, ballet, educational, tour and community benefit performances. With the addition of a two-week summer residency in Powell River, the orchestra is in session for 37 weeks each year.
In its history, the post of Music Director has been filled by such eminent conductors as Melvin Knudsen, Hans Gruber, Otto-Werner Mueller, Laszlo Gati and Paul Freeman. Through the last decade of this millennium Peter McCoppin, one of this country's most prominent and visible musical personalities, took the orchestra to new heights of musical excellence and audience popularity.
In the Spring of 1994, two additions to the conducting roster were made. Kees Bakels, the eminent conductor from Holland was named Principal Guest Conductor, and Brian Jackson, known across Canada for his brilliant Pops programming, was named Principal Pops Conductor, a position he still holds today. In November 1998, Maestro Bakels was appointed Music Director and served in that post until the 2001/2002 season. In May 2002, Timothy Vernon was named Interim Music Director. The 2002/03 season saw many guest conductors, and the outcome was the appointment of Tania Miller as Music Directorin the 2003/04 season.
Each season the Victoria Symphony engages many excellent guest conductors and solo artists to give new perspectives on standard classical repertoire and to introduce audiences to music in which they are individually expert.
From the annual Bayview Residences Victoria Symphony Splash, Victoria's largest annual cultural event, performed before 40,000 in Victoria's Inner Harbour each August, through fully integrated winter and summer seasons, the Victoria Symphony assumes the responsibility of being the region's pre-eminent musical organization.
