Symphony Nova Scotia

Symphony Nova Scotia
Orchestra
Bernhard Gueller and the musicians at the Dalhousie Arts Centre, 2010.
Founded	1983 (1983)
Location	Halifax, Nova Scotia
Concert hall	Dalhousie Arts Centre
Principal conductor	Bernhard Gueller
Website	symphonynovascotia.ca

Symphony Nova Scotia is a professional orchestra based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Their primary recitial space is at the Dalhousie Arts Centre's Rebecca Cohn Auditorium.

Symphony Nova Scotia began in 1983 with 13 full-time musicians. Today it employs 37 musicians and ten administrative staff, along with over 150 contracted artistic, production and technical personnel. It has won four East Coast Music Awards for classical music.

The first recognized orchestra in Nova Scotia, the Halifax Symphony Orchestra, was formed in 1897. This orchestra, led by conductor Max Weil, reached a membership of 39 musicians and performed four to five concerts each season. The orchestra disbanded in 1908 with Weil’s departure.

In 1947 another orchestra was created in Nova Scotia through the efforts of Walter Kaufmann and Alfred Strombergs as well as Mariss Vetra and Dr. Srul Tulio Laufer. Backed by the Nova Scotia Opera Association, the orchestra primarily served as accompaniment for opera and ballet performances. Formally named the Halifax Sinfoniette in 1951, the group of 13 professional musicians was led by Strombergs until 1955.

In 1955 the Sinfoniette became the second incarnation of the Halifax Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra began under music director Thomas Mayer with 17 full-time musicians (often augmented by members from the Royal Canadian Artillery Band and the Stadacona Navy Band). By 1966 the orchestra had 35 full-time members and presented about 70 concerts annually. Conductors included Jonathan Sternberg (1957–58), Leo Mueller (1958–64), and John Fenwick (1964–67).

When the Halifax Symphony Orchestra and New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra (founded in 1962) were both disbanded in 1968, the Atlantic provinces created the 48-member Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, a regional orchestra designed to tour the four provinces.

Despite the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra’s popularity, it suffered from high costs, declining government and corporate support, and a lengthy labour dispute in 1979. The orchestra declared bankruptcy in 1983.