Chebucto Orchestra
The Chebucto Orchestral Society of Nova Scotia is a charitable organization dedicated to providing an opportunity for amateur musicians to perform the great symphonic works and to bring classical music to a broad range of local and provincial audiences. It is a true community orchestra whose members come from all walks of life. The society is administered by a volunteer board of directors drawn from the membership. Repertoire ranges from the classics to world premieres of modern Canadian pieces. Our current musical director is Christopher Palmer, a member of Symphony Nova Scotia. Our current Concertmaster Paul Campbell, a well known violinist and teacher in the Maritimes.
The Chebucto Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is actively involved in music promotion within our community. We welcome community members to join our orchestra and have members who drive from surrounding communities, including Truro and the Annapolis Valley, each week to join in our rehearsals. We ask for a $140 yearly membership fee, but operate a sliding scale for students ($50) and in some cases waive the fee altogether to ensure that financial limitations do not hinder a potential member from joining. Our musicians range from high school and university students to mid-career professionals to retired men and women.
To cultivate community involvement, the orchestra performs charity concerts, and occasionally commissions original compositions by Atlantic region composers. These activities foster an active support of music making among people in our community who enjoy both listening to and playing classical and popular music.
The CSO also strives to support young musicians in their career development by offering key positions and providing soloist opportunities in concerts with the orchestra. We were thrilled to have Rachel Kidd as our lead second violin, and to have Eszter Horvath join us as an occasional guest conductor. Over the past several years we have been delighted to work with up-coming young musicians including Lucas Porter from Wolfville, and Celeste Williams and Mark Djokic from Halifax.
In an effort to expand musical appreciation beyond our regular audience members and to give back to our community, the CSO Board members distribute complimentary tickets for each concert. We provide these tickets to seniors’ residences (i.e., Northwood Seniors Home, Melville Heights, Victoria Hall) and to youth who have experienced mental illness and obtain services from Laing House.
