What led to the creation of Toronto’s chamber orchestra some 25 seasons ago? Maestro Nurhan Arman sheds some light on the motivation.
“Chamber orchestras had always been a great attraction to me both as a violinist and then as a conductor. I grew up in Istanbul and was fortunate to experience many of Europe’s finest chamber orchestras when they visited Istanbul. In my conducting career I had mostly conducted large symphonic orchestras but when the opportunity to create a new chamber orchestra for Toronto arose, I happily decided to go ahead. It was a moment in the musical life of Toronto when it had lost its only chamber orchestra that played somewhat similar repertoire as Sinfonia Toronto started out with and has expanded,” he comments.
As a student, Arman was the youngest musician ever hired for the Istanbul State Symphony. There, he went on to first violin section positions with orchestras in the United States, becoming concertmaster with the Savannah Symphony and the Florida Chamber Orchestra before making the leap into conducting.
His extensive knowledge of string technique plays a role in his dynamic relationship with the musicians.
Along with his work with Sinfonia Toronto, Arman has served as guest conductor with the London Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony, RCM Orchestra and the Orchestre Classique de Montreal, along with the now sadly defunct Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. On the world’s stages he has guest conducted 82 orchestras in 26 countries. In Italy alone, he has conducted 19 different orchestras, many of them on multiple occasions.
What makes them unique?
Musical performance and interpretation is always about the details. Several aspects of Sinfonia Toronto’s performances make them stand out in Toronto’s music scene.
Inspired by European chamber orchestras, Sinfonia Toronto performs standing (except for the cellists). It allows for greater freedom of movement in playing for the musicians, and a different energy than the usual classical concert.
On open-crescent format facilitates close communication between the musicians, and is designed to create a high level performance dynamic.
Nurhan arranges much of Sinfonia Toronto’s repertoire himself, including string orchestrations of major concertos such as the Schumann Cello Concerto, which was performed with Stéphane Tétreault in December, and the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23, performed with Dmitri Levkovich last January.
Nurhan Arman makes his more than 70 custom arrangements available to other string orchestras. His arrangements have been performed by a wide variety of ensembles, including the Edmonton Chamber Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Vancouver Island Symphony, and Via Salzburg. In total, they have been performed so far by 29 different orchestras in 12 other countries, including the Spokane Symphony, the Belgian National Philharmonic, Israel Camerata, Sweden’s Camerata Nordica, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, among others.
Commitment to New Music
During the last 25 seasons, at main series concerts, Sinfonia Toronto has performed 133 works written in the 20th century, and 81 written in the 21st. Of those, 28 of the 20th-century works are by Canadian composers; 61 of the 21st-century works are by Canadian composers. Twenty pieces were commissioned by Sinfonia Toronto, and 15 of the composers involved were Canadian.
The numbers gathered from 25 seasons (7 concerts each):
- 42 world premieres, 28 of them by Canadian composers
- 13 North American premieres, 2 of them by Canadian composers
- 26 Canadian premieres
- 14 Ontario premieres, 6 of them by composers from other provinces
- 21 Toronto premieres, 12 of them by Canadian composers (11 Ontario, 1 BC)
As a smaller organization, Sinfonia Toronto can’t tap into the appeal of large audiences when it comes to funding and sponsorships. Earned income is projected to provide 51% of ST’s total income this season, with 19% public-sector funding, leaving the rest open to private support. With streamlined operations that come in at less than 15% of expenditures, the ensemble uses two-thirds of its budget to pay musicians.
An excerpt of Jocelyn Morlock’s Nostalgia:
Visiting Artists
Maestro Arman’s international connections bring a steady stream of intriguing Canadian and international artists to Toronto stages. Many come because they are offered the opportunity to perform non-standard pieces like Gemrot’s Lamento for Cello and Orchestra, Gorecki’s Piano Concerto Op. 40, the Panufnik Violin Concerto, and Schnittke Piano Concerto.
Recording History
Sinfonia Toronto has recorded six releases to date. They include a JUNO win, and all except the very first feature Canadian music. Two new albums were released just last year.
- 2009 JUNO winner: Flanders Fields Reflections — works by John Burge (Marquis Classics)
- Shadow & Light: Canadian Double Concertos (March 2023, CMC Centrediscs); Arabesque by Christos Hatzis, Capriccio Ballo by Alice Ping Yee Ho, Skartaris by Larysa Kuzmenko — Sinfonia Toronto with Christina Petrowska Quilico, piano, and Marc Djokic, violin
- Colin Eatock: Choral and Orchestral Music (June 2023, CMC Centrediscs) — Sinfonia Toronto expanded with winds, brass and percussion; Lynn Isnar, soprano; Soundstreams Choir
The Concert Experience
Nurhan Arman and the Sinfonia Toronto team offer their audiences eclectic programming that’s delivered with live program notes Arman delivers from the stage. A sense of trust develops between the ensemble and its audience, and the blend of traditional music with new becomes an enjoyable exploration.
It’s a casual experience with a wear-what-you-like policy.
New compositions are, whenever possible, introduced by the composer, who can put the music into context. Various members of the board of directors often speak on stage, and the orchestra members, guest artists, and Nurhan are known to mingle in the lobby during intermission, and after a concert, adding to the sense of community.
Somewhere between the quartets and quintets and a full sized orchestra, Sinfonia Toronto has carved out its home in the city.
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