The Halifax Symphony Orchestra was the name of two different professional orchestras in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. The first orchestra was founded by the violinist and conductor

Max Weil Max Weil (November 21, 1869 — February 18, 1944) was an American violinist, conductor, composer, and music educator. He is chiefly remembered for his contributions to music in the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada. Born and raised in Phi ...

in 1897. The orchestra remained active for eleven seasons, disbanding in 1908 when Weil left the city. The second Halifax Symphony Orchestra was founded by

Alfred Strombergs Alfred Strombergs (; 19 February 1922 in Liepāja – 22 February 2006 in Toronto) was a Canadian conductor, music educator, and pianist of Latvian birth. In 1954 he became a naturalized Canadian citizen. As a conductor he is primarily remembered ...

in 1949 as an un-named orchestra to accompany the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

performances of the Nova Scotia Opera Association. It expanded into a professional symphony orchestra under the name of Halifax Symphony Orchestra in 1955. It presented approximately 70 concerts annually until it was disbanded in 1968.

References

Musical groups established in 1897 Musical groups established in 1949 Orchestras in Halifax, Nova Scotia 1897 establishments in Nova Scotia 1949 establishments in Nova Scotia 1908 disestablishments in Nova Scotia 1968 disestablishments in Nova Scotia History of Halifax, Nova Scotia {{orchestra-stub