Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Encyclopedia
The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony is a Canadian
orchestra
based in the twin cities of Kitchener
and Waterloo
, Ontario
. Its home venue is Centre In The Square
in Kitchener, Ontario. Music Directors and Principal Conductors have included Raffi Armenian
(1971–1993), Chosei Komatsu
(1993–1999), Martin Fischer-Dieskau
(2001–2003) and Edwin Outwater
(2007–present). The orchestra's current Principal Pops Conductor is Brian Jackson
.
The Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE) consists mainly of the principal musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and includes flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, percussion, two violins, viola, cello and bass. The ensemble has toured throughout Canada as well as the United States Europe, and South America. The CCE was founded by conductor Raffi Armenian
and was the first major Canadian ensemble to perform in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall.
The orchestra comprises 52 professional musicians under full-time contract. KWS performs close to 90 performances during a 38-week season for a combined concert audience of over 90,000. The orchestra is regularly heard across Canada on CBC Radio Two
. CBC Records has produced fourteen recordings of the KWS and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE) with acclaimed soloists. For example, the 2002 CCE release, Chants d’Auvergne, includes soprano Karin Gauvin and was nominated for a Juno Award
. A KWS recording with duo pianists Anagnoson and Kinton was praised by Toronto's Globe and Mail for the "precision accompaniments" of the orchestra.
The KWS owes part of its growth and national profile to the work of Raffi Armenian, KWS Music Director from 1971 to 1993. Maestro Armenian, who now holds the title of Music Director Laureate, was also instrumental in the building of the Symphony's home, Centre In The Square. The Raffi Armenian Theatre, located within CITS, is known as one of Canada's finest acoustic performance spaces and provides an ideal venue for broadcast and recording.
The KWS supports the activities of the KWS Youth Orchestra Program, which involves four distinct ensembles. Its musicians, ranging in age from 8 to 24, number over 100.
In order to remain a musical resource to its community, the KWS specifically designed many education and community outreach activities to reach people of all ages and abilities.
The KWS has completed four tours, two in Ontario and two in Atlantic Canada.
In early October 2006, the symphony announced it would be forced to declare bankruptcy
on October 31 unless it was able to raise another C$
2.5 million to deal with an ongoing financial crisis, due to declining audiences and reduced funding. It launched a "Save our Symphony" campaign in order to raise the funds. Having raised $2.3 million as of October 30, the symphony announced it would be able to continue operations.
Edwin Outwater began his term as Music Director in 2007. His innovative programming has earned him international acclaim, in particular for his Intersections series. With a goal of reinventing the orchestral experience, Outwater and the KWS have collaborated with artists from composers Mason Bates, Gabriela Lena Frank, Nicole Lizeé and Nico Muhly, to authors Daniel Handler and Daniel Levitin and rock musicians Dan Deacon and Richard Reed Parry.
Discography
Oktoberfest Operetta: Strauss - Lehár - Kálmán. M Boucher soprano, Dubois tenor, Armenian conductor. 1984. CBC SM-5045
'Viens, Gentille Dame' Romantic Arias for Lyric Tenor. DuBois tenor, Pedrotti bar, Armenian conductor. 1987. CBC SM-5077
Mahler Kindertotenlieder; Rückert Lieder; Songs of a Wayfarer. Robbin mezzo, Armenian conductor. 1989. CBC SMCD-5098
A Night in Venice, Joanne Kolomyjec and Mark DuBois. 1994. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5126
Canadian Trumpet Concerti, works by Hetu, Forsyth, Nimmons, Guy Few, James Thompson, Dan Warren trumpet, Armenian conductor. 1994. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5130
Brahms: Serenades, Armenian conductor. 1995. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5145
Memories of Poland, Fialkowska, Armenian conductor, et al. 1995. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5140
Russian Serenade, Beaver, Komatsu conductor. 2001. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5159
Members of the orchestra also appear on Christianity's Prayer of Peace with Walter Scholtes conductor, and the Victor Martens Singers (1982, Canadian Mosaic WW-338); and Aria - Une selection de Radio-Canada. 1997. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 97
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
based in the twin cities of Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
and Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Its home venue is Centre In The Square
Centre In The Square
Centre In The Square is a live theatre and performing arts centre located on Queen Street in downtown Kitchener, Ontario.The Centre is home to the Raffi Armenian Theatre. This 2,047 seat hall is the largest in Waterloo Region as well as the main venue for Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony performances....
in Kitchener, Ontario. Music Directors and Principal Conductors have included Raffi Armenian
Raffi Armenian
Raffi Armenian, CM is an Armenian-Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and teacher. Since 2008 he has been the director of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal....
(1971–1993), Chosei Komatsu
Chosei Komatsu
is a Japanese conductor who is currently in his seventh year as Artistic Director of Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica. Also, after five seasons as Music Director of Japan’s Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra, he recently assumed the title of Conductor Laureate.Komatsu previously held the...
(1993–1999), Martin Fischer-Dieskau
Martin Fischer-Dieskau
Martin Fischer-Dieskau is a German conductor, currently Music Director-Designate of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. - Early life :...
(2001–2003) and Edwin Outwater
Edwin Outwater
Edwin Maurice Outwater is an American conductor from Santa Monica, California, United States.Outwater is the Music Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada...
(2007–present). The orchestra's current Principal Pops Conductor is Brian Jackson
Brian Jackson (conductor)
Brian Jackson is a Canadian conductor, organist, and pianist of English birth. He became a naturalized Canadian citizen in 1974...
.
The Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE) consists mainly of the principal musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and includes flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, two horns, two trumpets, trombone, tuba, percussion, two violins, viola, cello and bass. The ensemble has toured throughout Canada as well as the United States Europe, and South America. The CCE was founded by conductor Raffi Armenian
Raffi Armenian
Raffi Armenian, CM is an Armenian-Canadian conductor, pianist, composer, and teacher. Since 2008 he has been the director of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal....
and was the first major Canadian ensemble to perform in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall.
The orchestra comprises 52 professional musicians under full-time contract. KWS performs close to 90 performances during a 38-week season for a combined concert audience of over 90,000. The orchestra is regularly heard across Canada on CBC Radio Two
CBC Radio Two
CBC Radio 2 is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Previously concentrating on classical music and jazz, during 2007 and 2008 the network transitioned towards a new "adult music" format with a variety of genres, with the previously dominant classical genre...
. CBC Records has produced fourteen recordings of the KWS and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble (CCE) with acclaimed soloists. For example, the 2002 CCE release, Chants d’Auvergne, includes soprano Karin Gauvin and was nominated for a Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
. A KWS recording with duo pianists Anagnoson and Kinton was praised by Toronto's Globe and Mail for the "precision accompaniments" of the orchestra.
The KWS owes part of its growth and national profile to the work of Raffi Armenian, KWS Music Director from 1971 to 1993. Maestro Armenian, who now holds the title of Music Director Laureate, was also instrumental in the building of the Symphony's home, Centre In The Square. The Raffi Armenian Theatre, located within CITS, is known as one of Canada's finest acoustic performance spaces and provides an ideal venue for broadcast and recording.
The KWS supports the activities of the KWS Youth Orchestra Program, which involves four distinct ensembles. Its musicians, ranging in age from 8 to 24, number over 100.
In order to remain a musical resource to its community, the KWS specifically designed many education and community outreach activities to reach people of all ages and abilities.
The KWS has completed four tours, two in Ontario and two in Atlantic Canada.
In early October 2006, the symphony announced it would be forced to declare bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
on October 31 unless it was able to raise another C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
2.5 million to deal with an ongoing financial crisis, due to declining audiences and reduced funding. It launched a "Save our Symphony" campaign in order to raise the funds. Having raised $2.3 million as of October 30, the symphony announced it would be able to continue operations.
Edwin Outwater began his term as Music Director in 2007. His innovative programming has earned him international acclaim, in particular for his Intersections series. With a goal of reinventing the orchestral experience, Outwater and the KWS have collaborated with artists from composers Mason Bates, Gabriela Lena Frank, Nicole Lizeé and Nico Muhly, to authors Daniel Handler and Daniel Levitin and rock musicians Dan Deacon and Richard Reed Parry.
Discography
Oktoberfest Operetta: Strauss - Lehár - Kálmán. M Boucher soprano, Dubois tenor, Armenian conductor. 1984. CBC SM-5045
'Viens, Gentille Dame' Romantic Arias for Lyric Tenor. DuBois tenor, Pedrotti bar, Armenian conductor. 1987. CBC SM-5077
Mahler Kindertotenlieder; Rückert Lieder; Songs of a Wayfarer. Robbin mezzo, Armenian conductor. 1989. CBC SMCD-5098
A Night in Venice, Joanne Kolomyjec and Mark DuBois. 1994. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5126
Canadian Trumpet Concerti, works by Hetu, Forsyth, Nimmons, Guy Few, James Thompson, Dan Warren trumpet, Armenian conductor. 1994. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5130
Brahms: Serenades, Armenian conductor. 1995. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5145
Memories of Poland, Fialkowska, Armenian conductor, et al. 1995. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5140
Russian Serenade, Beaver, Komatsu conductor. 2001. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 5159
Members of the orchestra also appear on Christianity's Prayer of Peace with Walter Scholtes conductor, and the Victor Martens Singers (1982, Canadian Mosaic WW-338); and Aria - Une selection de Radio-Canada. 1997. CBC SM 5000. SMCD 97