705 416-1317 [email protected]
Kindred Spirits Orchestra

Kindred Spirits Orchestra

Kindred Spirits Orchestra 

 

Founded in 2009 under the leadership of Music Director Kristian Alexander, the Kindred Spirits Orchestra (KSO) is a distinguished, auditioned-based civic ensemble based in Markham, Ontario. The orchestra performs regularly at venues such as the Flato Markham Theatre, the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, and the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. 

The KSO is committed to presenting both classical masterpieces and contemporary works, with a particular emphasis on Canadian composers. In 2011, the orchestra established a partnership with the Markham Contemporary Music Festival, showcasing compositions by artists like Gary Kulesha, Brian Current, and Larysa Kuzmenko. The KSO has also premiered significant pieces, including John Williams’ “On Willows and Birches” and James Campbell’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra. ​

Beyond performances, the KSO engages in community outreach and educational initiatives. Notably, in 2015, the orchestra donated musical instruments to Easter Island, aiding in the establishment of its first music school. The KSO also offers programs that provide professional development opportunities for emerging artists, music educators, conductors, and composers. 

Embracing technological advancements, the KSO became the first Canadian orchestra in 2021 to implement an eco-conscious digital music library, replacing paper-based operations with iPad Pro tablets for all musicians. This initiative significantly reduced the orchestra’s carbon footprint and garnered recognition from both the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. ​

 

Collingwood Music Festival
115 Hurontario St. Suite 200
Collingwood, ON
L9Y 2L9
[email protected]

Office: (705) 416-1317

Charitable Registration
#749171088RR0001

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Jonelle Sills

Jonelle Sills

Jonelle Sills

SOPRANO

Canadian Soprano Jonelle Sills (pr. Ya-Nell) is one of the most exciting young sopranos of her generation. Recently nominated for a 2025 JUNO Award with The Canadian Art Song Project for Classical Album of the Year for Known to Dreamers: Black Voices in Canadian Art Song. Named one of CBC Music’s 30 Hot classical musicians under 30 in 2022. Jonelle recently made her company debut at the Canadian Opera Company as Mimi in La bohème, a performance that was lauded as being a “beautifully sensitive Mimi with careful control and colour” (The Globe and Mail). Past highlights include Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) with Edmonton Opera, Micaëla (Carmen) and Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) withVancouver Opera, Anna Glawari (The Merry Widow) with Toronto Operetta Theatre and, in recital for the Prince Edward County Chamber Festival with the Viano Quartet. Her company debut with Toronto’s Against The Grain Theatre in Vivier’s Kopernikus earned her a 2019 Dora Award as a member of the ensemble.

Collingwood Music Festival
115 Hurontario St. Suite 200
Collingwood, ON
L9Y 2L9
[email protected]

Office: (705) 416-1317

Charitable Registration
#749171088RR0001

WE'RE SOCIAL FOLLOW US

Toronto Concert Orchestra

Toronto Concert Orchestra

Toronto Concert Orchestra

ORCHESTRA

TCO presented its first symphony concert at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre in 2008, and has been going strong since! Founded by internationally recognized conductor and music director, Kerry Stratton, the Toronto Concert Orchestra built the city’s perennial favourite summer series, Symphony in the Gardens while in residence at Casa Loma. Our most popular concerts are our summer series, now called Symphony in the City and performed at Palais Royale.

TCO is dedicated to making music affordable and accessible, and has committed to several partnerships including providing tickets to New Canadians through Canoo (a project by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship), inviting children to attend from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto, and providing workshops for school-aged children in partnership with Axis Music.

TCO is charting a course in socially responsible and diverse programming. To us, this includes commissioning new Canadian and international works, as well as reviving masterpieces by overlooked composers of the past. One commission we are particularly proud of is Ian Cusson’s Five Songs on Poems by Marilyn Dumont, a work that explicitly highlights the mistreatment of indigenous peoples by settlers in Canada.

TCO is charting a course in socially responsible and diverse programming. To us, this includes commissioning new Canadian and international works, as well as reviving masterpieces by overlooked composers of the past. One commission we are particularly proud of is Ian Cusson’s Five Songs on Poems by Marilyn Dumont, a work that explicitly highlights the mistreatment of indigenous peoples by settlers in Canada.

TCO attracts and features distinguished guest artists and conductors, and has performed at prominent venues in Toronto to appeal to a wide cross-section of guests. Our summer series is known to be genre-inclusive; this year, you’ll hear music by heavyweights Mozart, Chopin, and Johann Strauss Jr, elegant sounds of Edith Piaf and Erik Satie, compositions by prolific black composers Florence Price, Nathaniel Dett, and Samuel Colridge-Taylor, and works by Canadian composers Samuel Bisson and Liza McLellan. 

Collingwood Music Festival
115 Hurontario St. Suite 200
Collingwood, ON
L9Y 2L9
[email protected]

Office: (705) 416-1317

Charitable Registration
#749171088RR0001

WE'RE SOCIAL FOLLOW US

National Academy Orchestra of Canada

National Academy Orchestra of Canada

National Academy Orchestra of Canada

ORCHESTRA

The National Academy Orchestra of Canada (NAO) provides an extraordinary opportunity for emerging young Canadian professional musicians to work as apprentice musicians alongside established professionals from some of Canada’s finest orchestras.

The NAO was founded in 1989 by conductor Boris Brott and is primarily based in Hamilton, Ontario. It is recognized as a Canadian National School for professional training, and each winter over 450 potential applicants audition from across Canada for a position in the orchestra.

Since its inception, the NAO has been the orchestra-in-residence for the acclaimed Brott Music Festival, Canada’s largest orchestral music festival. Each season features guest concertmasters and mentors from across the country, guest conductors, and internationally-renowned soloists, with performance opportunities ranging from full orchestra, to opera, and chamber.

Flute:
Sarah Pollard
Maggie Umanetz-Lertprasosak
Sara Traficante*

Oboe:
Jason Halliday
Emily Luo

Clarinet:
Yen-Han Chen
Tyler Song
Peter Stoll*

Bassoon:
Aviner Hartwick
Michael Quigley

Horn:
Madeleine Davis
Chia-Ying Lin
Laurianne Paradis
Paolo Rosselli

Trumpet:
Matheus Correa De Moraes
Christopher Reyes

Michael Fedyshyn*

Trombone:
Micah Kroeker
Kris Leslie

Bass Trombone:
Aaron Chan

Tuba:
Maxim Kemp

Percussion:
Matt Moore
Jacob Valcheff
Richard Moore*

Piano:
Vlad Soloviev*

Harp:
Erica Goodman*

Violins:
Concertmaster: Donovan Seidle*
Principal 2 nd : Emilie Pare*
Elsa Barozzi
Sienna MinKyong Cho
Kimberly Durflinger

Katrina Johnson
Allison Lee
Emma Reader-Lee
Talia Sinclair
William Sirois
Christopher Stork
Xueao Yang
Megan Jones*
Kenneth Kwan*

Violas:
Caitlin Boyle*
Rae Gallimore
Tristan Macaggi
Rebecca Miller
Ellis Yuen-Rapati

Cellos:
Haena Lee
Alistair Mariz
Aiden Russell
Noah Schuster

Bass:
Robert Wolanski*
Ricardo Marzoratti
Carlos Restrepo
Shaun Rogers

* denotes mentor

Collingwood Music Festival
115 Hurontario St. Suite 200
Collingwood, ON
L9Y 2L9
[email protected]

Office: (705) 416-1317

Charitable Registration
#749171088RR0001

WE'RE SOCIAL FOLLOW US