Your Gift at Work
The Kingston Symphony Association enriches the life of our community through shared experiences of live music and provides innovative programs for the enjoyment and education of audiences throughout our region. We are dedicated to the development and showcasing of Canadian artists and composers.
Your support enables us to:
Experience the Joy of Live Music
It has never been easier with an award-winning professional symphony orchestra on your doorstep. Every year more than 10,000 people experience live orchestral performances right here in Kingston. Help keep us on stage.
Support Local Musicians
When our musicians are not on stage in the Kingston Symphony, they are actively making music in the community. Many teach music in our community, perform with other groups, and are leaders of our youth ensembles. The Kingston Youth Orchestra and Kingston Youth Strings are just two examples of how we are investing in the next generation of musicians.
Innovate the Future of Classical Music
Under the direction of Maestro Evan Mitchell, the Kingston Symphony is blending tradition with innovation. We are taking classical music where it has never been before by creating a children’s video series called Harmon in Space, commissioning new music by leading Canadian composers including Marjan Mozetich’s Darkness into Light and Dean Burry’s Tracing Colville, partnering with the Women in Musical Leadership program to host the next generation of women and non-binary conductors, and diversifying our programming with music by composers such as Sri Lankan-Canadian composer Dinuk Wijeratne.
Looking Ahead in 2023-2024
We have an exciting concert season ahead of us! Here are some of the performances we are looking forward to in the coming months:
- International award winning-cellist Rachel Mercer joins us to play Lalo’s Cello Concerto
- The live premiere of John Estacio’s Domestic Divertimento, a work created and digitally premiered by the Kingston Symphony, to international acclaim during the pandemic
- Phenomenal jazz pianist Matt Herskowitz joins us for a concert that puts a modern twist on J.S. Bach
- The orchestral premiere of Cecilia Livingston’s song cycle Breath Alone, based on text by Canadian poet and novelist Anne Michaels, featuring soprano Mireille Asselin
- Honoring the late Canadian conductor Bramwell Tovey with a program specially created around his favourite music
- Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Slean joins us for a tribute to the genius of Joni Mitchell with beautiful musical arrangements by Grammy Award winning artist Vince Mendoza
- Baritone saxophonist and viral internet sensation Leo P is featured in what will be an energetic and unforgettable evening
Our Achievements
In the 2022-2023 season, we emerged strong from the pandemic with a fantastic season of 13 concerts. Here are some of the highlights from last year:
- Our concerts were attended by 7,350 audience members in person
- An additional 4,120 people viewed our Masterworks concerts via streaming
- On average, subscribers made up 75% of our audiences
- 2,268 children from Kingston and the surrounding region experienced the joy of live music through our Symphony Education Partnership concerts
- 513 free tickets were donated to low-income families and newcomers to Canada through our Share the Music program
- We released the second season of Harmon in Space, bringing music education to the homes and classrooms of thousands of children
- We premiered two new works by Canadian composers: Darkness into Light (Marjan Mozetich) and Tracing Colville (Dean Burry)
- We welcomed incredible guest soloists from all over Canada, including pianist Avan Yu and the TorQ Percussion Quartet
- We partnered with the Women in Musical Leadership program to host two talented conductors: Juliane Gallant and Maria Fuller