Orchestra Toronto’s Timeless Traditions is a heartwarming celebration of the festive spirit and cherished moments of the holiday season. This concert blends classical masterpieces and beloved holiday favorites, from the elegance of Tchaikovsky and Strauss to the festive joy of Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.”

“My chief aim was to awaken and permanently instill spiritual feelings not only in the singers but in the listeners.” – Beethoven

Beethoven composed the Egmont Overture as part of the incidental music for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s tragedy Egmont, which dramatizes the life of Count Egmont, a Dutch nobleman who fought against Spanish oppression in the 16th century.

About this symphony, Mahler cryptically wrote, “My Sixth will be asking riddles that can be solved only by a generation that has received & digested my first five.” By “received & digested,” he means enjoyed & understood. And the generation quip is him looking forward to future, more openminded audiences.

“This version honors the simple melody that ever was, but is now a full exploration into the meaning of Freedom & Unity. Now more than ever, Umoja has to ring as a strong & beautiful anthem for the world we live in today.”

Let us “sail about a little & see the watery part of the world” of music. As we sail about these symphonic seas, we’ll encounter arctic birds circling & calling overhead &, oddly enough, even a very rare ocean-going tiger. And, surrounding us, as far as the ear can hear, the vast & indifferent ocean, in its many moods. But first, the nymphs. All 3,000 of them.

This is a World Premiere performance of the winning entry in Orchestra Toronto’s 2023 Composition Competition for composers under the age of 25.

“I imagined people gathering by a warm fire on the longest night of the year, while the cold wind is blowing & snowflakes are falling.” That’s how Mississauga composer, Anthony Gunadi, describes his wonderfully evocative new work.