Our History
Enriching the Hamilton Community for 125 years
In 1884, The Hamilton Orchestral Society was established with approximately 30 musicians. That orchestra evolved into the Harris Orchestral Club and in 1900 became known as the Hamilton Symphony Orchestra which performed for decades in Hamilton theatres and churches. During the war years, the orchestra performed many concerts in support of the war effort and the unemployment fund.
In 1949 two Hamilton musicians, (David Nelligan and Stanley Thornton), built on this venerable foundation to create the Hamilton Philharmonic (Orchestra) Society Inc. which eventually grew to become one of Canada’s major professional orchestras. Hamilton’s professional orchestra continues to enrich the Hamilton Community as the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO).
The Orchestra’s homes over the years have included the CKOC radio studio, the Art Gallery of Hamilton at McMaster University, Memorial School Auditorium, Westdale High School Auditorium, The Palace Theatre, the Mohawk College Theatre and, (since 1973), the acoustically acclaimed Great Hall at Hamilton Place. The HPO has also performed in many other venues - perhaps most famously in Hamilton’s trademark steel mills.
At the opening of Hamilton Place on September 24th, 1973 the HPO performed the world premiere of Gait MacDermot’s A Mass in Our Time which was commissioned for the occasion and conducted by Thomas Pierson, (and later performed in the Vatican for Pope John Paul II). In the same year the HPO accompanied composer-conductor/flugel hornist Chuck Mangione in Land of Make Believe recorded in Massey Hall.
Music/Artistic Directors/Advisors of the HPO have included Jan Wolanek, Leonard Pearlman, Bryden Thomson, Victor diBello, Dr. Lee Hepner, Boris Brott, Mario Bernardi, Akira Endo, Victor Feldbrill, Daniel Lipton, Michael Reason, Timothy Vernon and currently, Jamie Sommerville. Its Concert Masters have included Arthur Garami, Hyman Goodman, Marta Hidy, Otto Armin and currently Lance Elbeck. Guest Conductors have included Aaron Copland, Arthur Fiedler, André Kostelanetz, Simon Streatfield, Joseph Silverstein, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Piero Gamba and Newton Wayland.
General Managers/Executive Directors have included Betty Webster, Jacques Durelle, Mark Warren, Hamish Robertson, Paul Eck, Jorgen Holgersen, Stephen Bye, Jack Nelson and currently Alex Baran.
The HPO has long been a leader in Hamilton’s robust arts community, regularly providing professional orchestral services to Theatre Aquarius, The Bach-Elgar Choir, HPO Bach, Opera Hamilton, and McMaster University’s Great Romantics Festival. Its Musician-in-Residence program has produced several distinguished elite ensembles which include The Canadian Brass, the Czech Quartet, the Sentiri Wind Quintet, HPO Bach, the Lorcini-Elliott Duo and the Loren Wood Wind Quintet.
In 1965 the Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (HPYO) was formed under the leadership of Dr. Glen Mallory. The HPYO has provided orchestral training for young Hamilton musicians for over 40 years. The Hamilton Philharmonic Institute was created in 1974, to enable musicians in training to perform with the HPO professionals – the first program of its kind undertaken by a Canadian orchestra. Gifted students continue to be mentored by HPO professionals and in 2002 the HPO launched its Young Composers Competition for Ontario-based composers under the age of 30. Also in 2002, the HPO appointed Heather Schmidt as composer-in-residence, commissioning an annual new work from her each year including Prelude for Hamilton (2002), Light and Shadow (2003) and Symphony No. 1 “Manufactured Landscapes” (2005).
The HPO’s music education programs respond to a specific community need created by limited music education resources in the school system. The Orchestra and its individual members continue to serve as valuable teaching resources for the community. The HPO has created four musician ensembles to present performance and instrument demonstrations and interactive sessions to area schools, i.e. a percussion duo, a wind trio, a string quartet and a brass quintet.
Some of the many accomplished artists who have appeared with the HPO have included: Ella Fitzgerald, Maureen Forrester, Anton Kuerti, Jean Bonhomme, Anna Chornodolska, Corey Cerovsek, Leslie Fagan, Jamina Fialkowska, Ida Haendel, Rebecca Elizabeth Morgan, Zara Nelsova, Joseph Rouleau, Ronald Turini, Riki Turofsky, Arthur Ozolins, Joel Quarrington, Louis Quilico, Steven Staryk, Jean Stilwell, Laura Whalen, the Festival Singers, the Moe Koffman Jazz Group, the Rankin Sisters, The Bach Elgar Choir, the Festival Singers, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, The True North Brass and the Canadian Brass.
The HPO has commissioned and premiered many works by talented composers which include: Alexander Brott (Thunder and Lightning; HBS; B-22), Saul Irving Glick (Psalm for Orchestra), Louis Applebaum (Place Setting), John Weinzweig (Divertimento No. 11), Lorne Betts (Kandario, Music for Orchestra), Eldon Rathburn (Three Ironies), Norman Symonds (Three Atmospheres), William Wallace (Canticle for Orchestra; Ceremonies), Steven Gillman (Odyssey), William McCauley (Concerto Grosso; Ceremonies) and John Weinsweig (Diverti Mento No. 11).
The HPO is proud to have broad community support from all sectors and is grateful for the generous assistance of its many patrons, sponsors, funders and corporate and personal donors.
The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the artistic jewels of the Hamilton/Burlington area. The combined musical talents of its artists continue to enrich the community and enhance the quality of life for its residents in fulfillment of its formal mission:
“As Hamilton’s professional orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates the world’s great music by presenting superior live performances and cultivating music appreciation and education in the schools and communities of the Hamilton/Burlington area.”