| Kindred Spirits Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Location | Markham, Ontario |
| Music director | Kristian Alexander |
| Website | ksorchestra |
The Kindred Spirits Orchestra (KSO) is a civic orchestra based in Markham, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 2009 with music director Kristian Alexander.
The KSO is an auditioned-based civic orchestra based in Markham, Ontario, Canada.[1] It performs regularly at the Flato Markham Theatre, the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, and the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.[2]
Music director Kristian Alexander first discussed creating an orchestra in Markham in 2007. Auditions began in April 2009 with rehearsals in September[3] and the orchestra's first concert was performed at Glenn Gould Studio on 3 November 2009.[1] In its early years, the KSO had 38 musicians and focussed on presenting Baroque and classical repertoire.[1] Since then, it has grown to 86 musicians[citation needed] required for more complex and large-scales compositions.[2][3] The KSO has commissioned original pieces and has performed works of Canadian composers Brian Current, Gary Kulesha and Larysa Kuzmenko.[2]
Outside of its subscription concert series, the KSO has performed special concerts for Canada Day, Chinese New Year, and the Markham Contemporary Music Festival.[2] In 2017, the KSO accompanied Bollywood composer A. R. Rahman at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (now Meridian Hall).[2] The orchestra has also performed at the Isabel Bader Theatre, and the Unionville Millennium Theatre.[2]
The KSO also has community outreach and educational programs, with professional development opportunities for emerging artists, music educators, conductors,[1][3] and composers.[citation needed]
In 2021, the KSO announced that it had become the first orchestra in Canada to replace paper-based sheet music parts with a digital library accessible via iPad Pro tablets made available to all musicians.[4]
 |
This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Music directors:
Associate conductors:
Assistant conductors:
Composers-in-residence
