- (416) 879-5566
- info@cathedralbluffs.com
- Mon - Fri: 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM
40 & BEYOND
Saturday, October 4, 2025
8:00 PM
Martin MacDonald, conductor
Allison Cecilia Arends, soprano
Celebrate 40 years of the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra with an exciting and celebratory start to the season, honouring our history and looking to our future.
Beethoven Egmont: Overture, Op. 84
John S. Gray Episodes (2003)
Mozart “Ruhe Sanft, Mein Holdes Leben” from Zaide, K. 344
Bellini “Qui la voce” from I puritani
Gounod “Amour, ranime mon courage” from Romeo et Juliette
Puccini “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi
Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
CONTROLLED BURN
Saturday, November 15, 2025
8:00 PM
Martin MacDonald, conductor
Cris Derksen, cello
Cris Derksen’s Controlled Burn powerfully blends Indigenous tradition with orchestral textures, paired with the folkloric brilliance of Stravinsky’s Firebird.
Schubert Symphony in D minor, D.759 Unfinished
Cris Derksen Controlled Burn (2023)
Tailleferre Ouverture
Stravinsky The Firebird: Suite (1919)
NEW YEAR’S EVE!
Saturday, December 13, 2025
8:00 PM
Martin MacDonald, conductor
Strauss, Jr. Die Fledermaus: Overture
Lehar Gold and Silver Waltz, Op. 79
Godfrey Ridout Frivolités Canadiennes (1973)
Strauss, Jr. Thunder and Lightning Polka, Op. 324
Bizet L’Arlésienne: Suite No. 2
Strauss, Sr. Radetzky March, Op. 228
Celebrate the upcoming New Year with a selection of bright and joyous overtures, waltzes, marches, and more! Featuring the incredible talent of young soloists, winners of the 2025 North York Music Festival Concerto Competition.
ROMEO AND JULIET
Saturday, February 7, 2026
8:00 PM
Martin MacDonald, conductor
Stephen Sitarski, violin
Violet Archer Poem (1940)
Barber Violin Concerto
Prokofiev Selections from Romeo and Juliet
Barber’s Violin Concerto balances lyrical warmth with fiery virtuosity, and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet brings Shakespeare’s tragic love story vividly to life.
PIANO PARTY
Saturday, April 18, 2026
8:00 PM
Martin MacDonald, conductor
This concert celebrates the restoration of the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra Clifford Poole Concert Grand Piano, featuring young soloists from our music festival community partners. The program also includes:
Alice Ho Jubilation of Spring (2016)
Florence Price Symphony No. 1 in E minor
DARKNESS TO LIGHT
Saturday, May 30, 2026
8:00 PM
Martin MacDonald, conductor
Emily Rocha, soprano
Queen Hezumuryango, mezzo-soprano
Pax Christi Chorale (Elaine Choi, Artistic Director)
Mahler Symphony No. 2 in C minor Resurrection
Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony is a journey from darkness to light, and a stirring celebration of renewal and transcendence. With massive forces and an awe-inspiring finale, this profound work promises an unforgettable tribute to the past – and a bold affirmation of the future.
Join us as we celebrate 40 years of the CBSO with stunning and unforgettable music like never before. We open by honouring our history, and then look to the future with exciting collaborations with Indigenous cellist and composer Cris Derksen, violinist Stephen Sitarski, outstanding opera singers, and our great friends Pax Christi Chorale. Continuing our commitment to young soloists, fascinating new works by Canadian composers, and works including, Beethoven’s Fifth, Firebird, Romeo and Juliet, and the monumental Mahler Resurrection: this is a DREAM season! Come experience the heartfelt beauty and power of live symphonic music!
Martin MacDonald Music Director