Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, the “Resurrection Symphony”, is one of his most beloved works, whose themes of life, death, and redemption are inspired by the composer’s own life experiences. Recently, it was made famous by Maestro, the Hollywood blockbuster which saw Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein conducting this monumental work.
It will be back on the Toronto stage this June with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra after a seven year absence, but by an unusual arrangement. The concert is not part of the TSO’s regular season, nor is it helmed by a guest conductor. TSO is the guest orchestra in this case, and will be conducted by a man whose strong vision of innovation and unparalleled musical passion more than make up for his lack of formal music training.
Mandle Cheung is a successful tech entrepreneur and self-taught conductor who founded the Mandle Philharmonic when he was in his 70s. Since its inception in 2018, the orchestra has performed 18 concerts of various classical masterworks.
But Mandle sets his sights on something bigger — a lifelong dream to conduct Toronto’s largest orchestra. This self-funded venture is particularly ambitious, being presented at Roy Thomson Hall, with 2,500 seats to fill.
The performance also features the Amadeus Choir, one of Toronto’s finest, and two renowned Canadian soloists: Soprano Kirsten LeBlanc (who recently sang the title role of the Canadian Opera Company’s La Reine-garçon), and Mezzo Krisztina Szabo, who is well-known to Canadian audiences in her many COC appearances.
Mandle Cheung: The Interview
Mandle says that music is in his genes, and he feels it is his destiny to conduct. “Every time I step on a podium, the feeling is profound.” He loves all classical music, but has a special passion for Mahler’s works, which he calls “the penultimate of classical music.”
Mandle Philharmonic’s inaugural concert featured Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, and the orchestra also performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 just before the pandemic. Mandle concedes that all classical pieces are difficult and takes him years to learn, but he describes Mahler as the most challenging, his Mount Everest. He started learning this piece about two years ago, and with only three weeks to go until the concert, he says “I’m still studying it.”
Destiny At Work
After deciding to work with the TSO, Mandle coincidentally came across the story of Gilbert E. Kaplan. Kaplan was a multi-millionaire Wall Street publisher who became an amateur conductor in his 40s, and was solely dedicated to performing Mahler’s Second Symphony. In his lifetime, he conducted over 60 top orchestras, including the London Symphony and the Philharmonics of New York, Vienna and Los Angeles.
Even though it is purely coincidental that Mandle’s journey bears striking parallels to Kaplan’s story, Mandle can’t help but feel that destiny is at work again.
“What do you live for? What do you suffer for? Is it all just a huge, terrible joke? We must answer this question if we are to live on.” Mahler asked these questions in his Resurrection Symphony in search of life’s meaning. Perhaps, it is through this symphony that Mandle finds his own life’s purpose, and which fuels him to follow his dream by intense hard work and learning, even at age 78.
For this upcoming concert, Mandle wants audiences to feel wowed and gratified. “You will feel all the suffering and glory in the music. It is transcendent. With almost 200 musicians on stage, it’s not something that is put on too often.”
“This is not just a concert. It’s the culmination of a lifetime of listening, learning, and believing that it’s never too late to follow your passion.”
- Find performance details and tickets for Mandle Philharmonics Presents Toronto Symphony Orchestra: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 on June 25 at Roy Thomson Hall [HERE] or [HERE].
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- SCRUTINY | Mandle Cheung Led Toronto Symphony Orchestra On An Epic Journey Of Resurrection In Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 - June 27, 2025
- INTERVIEW | Mandle Cheung’s Ambitious Undertaking Of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony With The Toronto Symphony Orchestra - June 3, 2025
- SCRUTINY | Yuja Wang Sets Off Fireworks in Tchaikovsky With Gustavo Gimeno And The Toronto Symphony Orchestra - April 17, 2025
