The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra (HPO) is a professional Canadian
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
based in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
. The orchestra gives concerts primarily at the
FirstOntario Concert Hall
FirstOntario Concert Hall is a music and performing arts venue in downtown Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The venue was originally known as Hamilton Place, and in 1998, became known as the Ronald V. Joyce Centre for the Performing Arts at Hamilton Pl ...
.
History
The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1949. Its first concert took place on 16 January 1950, at the Memorial School Auditorium. Jan Wolanek was the first music director of the orchestra, from 1949 to 1958. During the orchestra's history, Olive Short served as its concertmaster, the first female concertmaster in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
.
In the late 1960s, Betty Webster, Marnie Paikin and Larry Paikin developed a plan, known as "The Hamilton Plan", to bring music to the community from in-school children's concerts to international artists appearing with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. They organized concerts at which all school children in a 60-mile radius of Hamilton centre (excluding Toronto) would hear a brass ensemble, woodwind ensemble, string quartet and percussion ensemble in their school, followed by a trip to the orchestra hall at the end of the school year to hear a full symphony orchestra concert. The ensembles seeding the orchestra were headlined by Canadian Brass and the Czech String Quartet. The programme was studied by the American Symphony Orchestra League, and Chuck Mangione engaged the HPO for his Grammy Nominated album "Friends In Love."
To carry out the plan,
Boris Brott
Boris Brott, (March 14, 1944 – April 5, 2022) was a Canadian conductor and motivational speaker. He was one of the most internationally recognized Canadian conductors, having conducted on stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall, La S ...
was hired as music director in 1969. Under his direction, attendance at HPO concerts rose to about 225,000 throughout the early 1970s. Under Brott, the orchestra developed to the point where it could accompany well-known international artists, including Phillipe Entremont and Maureen Forrester, and began to develop an international reputation. In 1984, Michael Quigley published a book about the orchestra, ''A Centenary History of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra''. However, the change in focus from a community orchestra to a full-time professional orchestra led to financial difficulties, and concert attendance began to recede. Brott remained conductor of the orchestra until 1990.
In 1996, the orchestra declared bankruptcy. The orchestra re-emerged in 1997 as the New Hamilton Orchestra, with Mario Bernardi its as part-time artistic advisor through 1999. Daniel Lipton succeeded Bernardi as part-time artistic advisor for the 1999-2000 season. In 2000, the orchestra reverted to its former name. Michael Reason served as its full-time artistic director from 2001 to 2006. After an interim period with Timothy Vernon as artistic advisor, James Sommerville was music director of the HPO from 2007 to 2015.
In 2015, the HPO named Gemma New as its music director, the first female conductor to hold the post. The orchestra gave its first performance under her direction in February 2016. New was music director of the HPO through the 2023-2024 season.
In October 2023, James S. Kahane first guest-conducted the HPO. In May 2024, the HPO announced the appointment of Kahane as its next music director, effective with the 2024-2025 season.
Music directors
* Jan Wolanek (1949-1958)
* Leonard Pearlman,
Bryden Thomson
Bryden Thomson (16 July 1928 – 14 November 1991) was a Scottish conductor remembered especially for his championship of British and Scandinavian composers. His recordings include influential surveys of the orchestral music of Hamilton Harty a ...
(1958-1959)
* Victor Di Bello (1958-1962)
*
Lee Hepner Dr. Lee Hepner (November 24, 1920 – July 24, 1986) ARCT 1950, B MUS (Toronto) 1951, BA (Washington) 1957, MA (Columbia) 1961, honorary FRHCM 1970, PH D (New York) 1972 was a Canadian teacher and orchestral conductor.
Hepner was born in Edmont ...
(1962-1969)
*
Boris Brott
Boris Brott, (March 14, 1944 – April 5, 2022) was a Canadian conductor and motivational speaker. He was one of the most internationally recognized Canadian conductors, having conducted on stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall, La S ...
(1969-1990)
*
Victor Feldbrill
Victor Feldbrill, (April 4, 1924 – June 17, 2020) was a Canadian conductor and violinist.
Early life and education
Feldbrill was born in Toronto,James Sommerville
James Sommerville is a Canadian orchestral hornist and conductor. He was the principal hornist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and former Conductor and Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic, in Hamilton, Ontario.Gemma New (2015–2024)
* James S. Kahane (2024–present)