Toronto Symphony Orchestra

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is generally ranked among the finest Canadian orchestras. In 1906, conductor Frank Welsman established an ensemble called the Toronto Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, renamed the Toronto Symphony Orchestra two years later. It disbanded after the 1918 armistice, but in 1922, a new Toronto Symphony Orchestra under conductor Luigi von Kunits. Ernest MacMillan succeeded von Kunits in 1931. He remained conductor until 1956 and is still the group's longest-serving conductor. MacMillan led the orchestra's first recordings. Various conductors held the podium until Andrew Davis was appointed music director in 1975. Davis led the orchestra on multiple tours and several critically acclaimed recordings. Since 1982, the Toronto Symphony has presented its concerts in Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall. In 2020, Gustavo Gimeno became the music director. He led the orchestra in a 2024 recording of Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphonie.