Noteworthy

Each year, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs for a very special audience: students from across the Greater Toronto Area. Since 1925, more than 1.8 million young people have experienced a live orchestral performance through TSO School Concerts—one of Canada’s longest-running and most impactful music-education initiatives.

Today, more than 30,000 students attend each year, representing classrooms that are increasingly diverse, multilingual, and culturally expansive. For many, this is their first time inside a concert hall. Through creativity, interactivity, and artist-led storytelling, these performances spark curiosity, build confidence, and create a sense of belonging that is sustained far beyond the final note. 

Curated by TSO Barrett Principal Education Conductor & Community Ambassador Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, School Concerts honour a century of early encounters while responding to the needs of today’s classrooms through culturally responsive programming and immersive musical experiences.

For the young attendees, these concerts are more than a field trip—they are formative moments that open doors of possibility.