Founded 1967 Active from 1967 | Principal conductor Roberto De Clara | |
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Website www.oakvillesymphony.com Similar Kingston Symphony, Toronto Symphony Youth Orc, Thunder Bay Symphon, Kitchener‑Waterloo Symphony, Victoria Symphony Profiles | ||
The Oakville Symphony Orchestra (OSO) is a Canadian orchestra performing in Oakville, Ontario.
The OSO was founded in 1967 by Kenneth Hollier, a local musician and educator with a mission statement to “make music for the pleasure of its members and the enjoyment of its audience”. The OSO currently performs at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts.
In 1968, a small group met for the first rehearsal in a music room at T. A. Blakelock High School, among which a few members still perform with the orchestra today. The new formed orchestra's first performance was held at the YMCA on June 24, 1968.
The OSO has a long history of presenting collaborations with local groups including the White Oaks Choral Society, the Clarkson Opera Society and the Oakville School of Ballet.
While the OSO has been mainly performing at the Oakville Centre since it opened in 1977, it has also held concerts over the years as part of the Oakville Waterfront Festival and in local high school and churches.
Since 1998, the Oakville Symphony Orchestra has been under the direction of Roberto De Clara and has succeeded to a point where its shows have been 100% sold out due to subscription sales since their 2006-7 season began.