Toronto, October 12, 2011 – The
Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra (TBSO) is this year’s recipient of
The Vida Peene Orchestra Award. The
$10,000 Ontario Arts Council (OAC) award will be presented at “Fast Forward,” the Orchestra’s season-opening concert on Thursday, October 13, 2011, at 8 p.m. at the
Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.
FACTS 
- The TBSO is Northern Ontario’s only professional orchestra, and presents approximately thirty- five performances each year. It celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2010.
- The TBSO’s annual activities include extensive regional touring; the TBS Chorus; TBS youth orchestra, as well as various educational and outreach programs in schools in Thunder Bay and the surrounding region.
- The $10,000 Vida Peene Award is given out biennially to assist Ontario orchestras (not including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra which was provided for separately by Peene).
- The award alternates between professional and semi-professional or community-based orchestras.
- The jury for this year’s Vida Peene Award: Margaret Boyd (Parry Sound); Glenn Buhr (Waterloo); Marc David (Ste-Julie, QC) and Annalee Patipatanakoon (Toronto).
QUOTES
Jurors were unanimous in their selection of the TBSO for the 2011 Vida Peene Award. They noted that the orchestra is a “vital organization in this northern city, embraced by its community with a remarkable audience base. It regularly plays to capacity houses and shows excellent commitment to Canadian composers and soloists.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AWARD
- Vida Peene was a Hamilton-based arts patron whose remarkable legacy continues to nurture the arts in Ontario and Canada. See Vida Peene’s biography.
- The Ontario Arts Council administers the jury process for the Vida Peene Orchestra Award. OAC is one of eight specified organizations that receive income through investment earnings from Peene’s original bequest to the Canada Council for the Arts.
- Past recipients of the Vida Peene Orchestra Award include the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra (2009); the Windsor Symphony Orchestra (2007) and the Esprit Orchestra (2005). See the full list of previous laureates
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MEDIA INQUIRIES
Geneviève Vallerand, Communications Coordinator, Ontario Arts Council
416-969-7434/1-800-387-0058, ext. 7434 |
gvallerand@arts.on.ca Emily Carr, Marketing and Communications Manager, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra
807-474-2280 |
marketing@tbso.ca
The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is the province of Ontario’s primary funding body for professional arts activity. Since 1963, the OAC has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts and artists for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians.