2019/2020 Season

The EPO may be in lockdown, but its members, conductor and soloists continue to live, play and think music. We invite you, our audience, to enjoy our uniquely curated, virtual concert–the program planned for May 8th–together with interviews, podcasts and member showcase videos. Please follow this link to access the first EPO Concert in Lockdown.

EPO Concert in Lockdown

A program that explores the majesty of the natural world and the power of the human imagination. Grieg’s In Autumn, Stravinsky’s Firebird, and selections from Alexander Borodin and Peter Hatch celebrate the breadth of the human experience. Cellist Joseph Johnson joins the EPO for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations dominated by the celebration of elaborate ornamentation.

Edvard Grieg

In Autumn, Op. 11

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Rococo Variations

Peter Hatch

Long Beach

Igor Stravinsky

Firebird Suite

Alexander Borodin

In the Steppes of Central Asia

Music that tells a story of a French Canadian pioneer girl determined to thrive in the north of our great province. Oshawa French Canadian composer Luc Arsenault shares his majestic composition Histoire d’une petite pionnière du Nord (Tale of a Northern Pioneer Girl). Join concerto winners from the North York Music Festival all framed by the majestic Elgar Enigma Variations.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Piano Concerto in C# minor, Op. 30

Edward Elgar

Enigma Variations

Franz Joseph Haydn

Concerto No. 2 in D Major for cello and orchestra, Hob. VIIb/2, Op. 101, 1st mvmt.

Luc Arsenault

Histoire d’une petite pionnière du Nord

Amongst the Christmas cheer of your favourite Christmas repertoire, conductor Matthew Jones trades his baton for a recorder, joined by fellow recorder player Nate Houston and concertmaster Mark Whale in a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 4. A fun and lively Holiday celebration with our popular Singalong and Silent Auction.

We are also excited to have the Porter Fly High Raffle sponsored by Porter Airlines. Win a trip for two to any Porter Destination.

John Finnegan

Christmas Singalong

Johann Sebastian Bach

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049

Milton Barnes

Channuka Suite No. 2

Johnny Marks

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Alan Silvestri

Suite from The Polar Express

Leroy Anderson

Sleigh Ride

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Fantasia on Greensleeves

Join the EPO as it inaugurates a new series designed to explore the vast world of orchestral music. Enter our orchestral time machine and journey from Giovanni Gabrieli’s Canzoni of the renaissance, Bach’s compositions from the baroque era, the romanic music of Tchaikovsky all the way back to our own 21st century with Canadian John Estacio's Frenergy.

Giovanni Gabrieli

Canzoni

Johann Sebastian Bach

Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1066

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488, 1st mvmt.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

1812 Overture, Op. 49

John Estacio

Frenergy

We regret to announce the cancellation of our March 27 The Swirl of Humanity concert as a result of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation.

The Tragic Overture by Brahms comments dramatically on the spirit of tragedy in human life. Written at the same time as the jubilant Academic Festival Overture, Brahms famously declared “one weeps, the other laughs”.

Shostakovich was more strongly affected by the vagaries of history and politics than most composers, since he lived in a country where "Big Brother" was constantly watching everyone.

It is thought that Shostakovich began his Symphony No. 10 only a few months after Stalin’s death, a political shift that brought forth a time when the Soviet government stopped bullying.

Johannes Brahms

Tragic Overture, Op. 81

Dmitri Shostakovich

Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93

Matthew Emery

Unanswered Letters

We regret to announce the cancellation of our May 8 Celebration of Invention concert as a result of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation.

Franz Liszt published “Les Préludes” in 1856, and the term “Symphonic Poem” was born – a work inspiring scenes, images, or moods. Brahms’ mighty Piano Concerto was inspired by the composer’s experiences crossing the Alps to Italy as he drafted his ideas for his monumental second Piano Concerto.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Overture to The Magic Flute

Franz Liszt

Les Préludes

Johannes Brahms

Piano Concerto No. 2 in Bb major, Op. 83