Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Explained

The Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (ASO) was a professional Canadian symphony orchestra in Atlantic Canada that was active during the second half the 20th century. It was unusual in that it was the only full-time regional professional orchestra in Canadian history.^[1]

History

The orchestra was formed shortly after the demise of both the Halifax Symphony Orchestra and New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra. This left Canada's Atlantic region without a full-time professional symphony orchestra. The ASO was established by joint committees in Halifax, Sydney, Saint John, Moncton, and Fredericton on 12 June 1968.^{[2] [3]} Many of the committee members had been previously associated with the two disbanded orchestras.^[4]

The new orchestra's first conductor was Klaro Mizerit; he led the orchestra from 1968 until 1977. With an emphasis on Canadian compositions,^[5] the orchestra made several commercial recordings in the 1970s and was featured on many broadcasts on CBC Radio.^[6]

Conductor Victor Yampolsky led the orchestra from 1977 until 1983,^[7] at which time it was disbanded because of financial problems. A smaller group, Symphony Nova Scotia, continued to perform with some of the same musicians.^[8]

Discography

• Atlantic Symphony Orchestra / Orchestre Symphonique Atlantique, 1970, Independent^[9]
• The Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Klaro Mizerit and Kenneth Elloway, 1972, CBC Radio Canada^[10]
• The Picasso Suite, 1975, CBC Radio Canada^[11]

Notes and References

1. MusiCanada. Vol. Issues 30-38. Canadian Music Council; 1976. p. ?
2. Canada music book. Vol. 1. Canadian Music Council.; 1970. p. 109.
3. International Music Guide. Tantivy Press; 1981. p. 68.
4. The Atlantic Provinces in Confederation. University of Toronto Press; 1993. . p. 457–.
5. Ryan Edwardson. Canadian Content: Culture and the Quest for Nationhood. University of Toronto Press; 24 May 2008. . p. 273–.
6. Encyclopedia: Atlantic Symphony Orchestra. The Canadian Encyclopedia. January 2, 2011. Shirley A. Blakeley. https://web.archive.org/web/20101204170858/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000147. 4 December 2010 . live.
7. Tom Henighan. Maclean's Companion to Canadian Arts and Culture. Raincoast Books; 2000. . p. 56.
8. Discover Nova Scotia Gr. 5-7. On The Mark Press; . p. 59–.
9. Web site: The Atlantic Symphony Orchestra – Atlantic Symphony Orchestra . discogs.com . 1970 . Discogs . 11 January 2022.
10. Web site: The Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Conducted... . discogs.com . 1972 . Discogs . 11 January 2022.
11. Web site: The Atlantic Symphony Orchestra - The Picasso Suite . discogs.com . 1975 . Discogs . 11 January 2022.