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3 unusual facts about Toronto Symphony Orchestra


Christine Elliott

She is a director of Legacy Private Trust and has been a director of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Jeanne Baxtresser

She was subsequently appointed Principal Flute of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra before being invited by Music Director Zubin Mehta to join the New York Philharmonic.

John Zirbel

Since 2000 he has been Co-Principal Horn of the Aspen Festival Orchestra, and he has also performed as a guest Principal Horn with the orchestras of Toronto, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincinnati, San Francisco, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra.


Alexander Tselyakov

He has performed as guest soloist with many renowned orchestras including the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

David Zafer

For 25 years he has been titular conductor and violin professor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and he has made tours with this orchestra to the Young Orchestras Festivals in Aberdeen, Scotland, Boston and Banff.

Hank Van Sickle

His father, Rodney Van Sickle is a classically trained double bassist who graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and played in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

James Sommerville

Before coming to Boston in 1998, Sommerville was formerly principal horn of the Canadian Opera Company and Symphony Nova Scotia, acting principal horn of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (1996–1998), associate principal horn of the Montreal Symphony (Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal) (1986–1991) and third horn of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1997).

Jonathan Estabrooks

He made his Toronto Symphony Orchestra debut on October 9 and 10, 2012 with conductor Steven Reineke in a program entitled "Some Enchanted Evening: The Music of Rodgers & Hammerstein" with Broadway stars Ashley Brown and Aaron Lazar.

Victor Mishalow

He has been associated with a variety of artists, and artistic groups such as the Tommy Tycho International Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Toronto, the Sydney Theatre Company, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus and numerous dance companies.


see also

Ernest MacMillan

In 1942, MacMillan conducted the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) in a recording of the orchestral suite The Planets, by Gustav Holst, recorded on 78 RPM phonograph records, for RCA Victor.

Robert Graham Manson

This was first performed in the County Orange Hall, Toronto (date unknown) by about 50 members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under the conductorship of Donald Heins, Assistant Director of the TSO.