Symphony Nova Scotia
Symphony Nova Scotia is a Canadian orchestra based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Its primary recital venue is at the Dalhousie Arts Centre's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium. History Symphony Nova Scotia began in 1983 with 13 full-time musicians. Today it employs 37 musicians and 16 administrative staff, along with over 150 contracted artistic, production and technical personnel. It has won four East Coast Music Awards for classical music. Orchestral lineage The first recognized orchestra in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Symphony Orchestra, was formed in 1897. This orchestra, led by conductor Max Weil, reached a membership of 39 musicians and performed four to five concerts each season. The orchestra disbanded in 1908 with Weil’s departure. In 1947 another orchestra was created in Nova Scotia through the efforts of Walter Kaufmann and Alfred Strombergs as well as Mariss Vetra and Dr. Srul Tulio Laufer. Backed by the Nova Scotia Opera Association, the orchestra primarily served as accompaniment for opera and ballet performances. Formally named the Halifax Sinfoniette in 1951, the group of 13 professional musicians was led by Strombergs until 1955. In 1955 the Sinfoniette became the second incarnation of the Halifax Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra began under music director Thomas Mayer with 17 full-time musicians (often augmented by members from the Royal Canadian Artillery Band and the Stadacona Navy Band). By 1966 the orchestra had 35 full-time members and presented about 70 concerts annually. Conductors included Jonathan Sternberg (1957–58), Leo Mueller (1958–64), and John Fenwick (1964–67). When the Halifax Symphony Orchestra and New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1962) were both disbanded in 1968, the Atlantic provinces created the 48-member Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, a regional orchestra designed to tour the four provinces. Despite the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s popularity, it suffered from high costs, declining government and corporate support, and a lengthy labour dispute in 1979. The orchestra declared bankruptcy in 1983. Foundation In October 1983 Symphony Nova Scotia was created under the direction of conductor Boris Brott and Board president Brian Flemming. The original Symphony Nova Scotia hired 13 full-time players for a January to May season. In its second season the number of employed musicians doubled, and by 1987 the orchestra had grown to a complement of 39. Boris Brott is the only Canadian to be appointed music director of Symphony Nova Scotia. Georg Tintner, 1987–1994 Austrian conductor Georg Tintner succeeded Boris Brott in 1987. Under his leadership, Symphony Nova Scotia made six recordings, toured to Ontario and Quebec, and initiated several community outreach programs, including a production of The Nutcracker in collaboration with Halifax Dance and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. The orchestra also raised $140,000 during a 1992 fundraising event called Pure Gold that featured violinist Isaac Stern and contralto Maureen Forrester. Tintner served as Symphony Nova Scotia’s principal conductor until 1994, and as Conductor Laureate until his death in 1999. 1994–1996 The orchestra struggled financially and artistically during a period of severe cutbacks in government funding. Despite attempts to cut costs by imposing wage freezes on the orchestra