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Noteworthy

2020/21 Annual Letter

A Patron’s 100th Birthday & a Concert Milestone—A Celebration of Superfan Status!

The TSO is approaching its 100th season, and some of our most long-standing subscribers are approaching significant milestones, too. Meet two of our patrons who have journeyed alongside the TSO over the decades!
March 4, 2021

Lorraine Kaake, who just celebrated her 100th birthday, has been a TSO subscriber for well over 50 years. To mark the occasion, Camille Watts (Flute & Piccolo) and Virginia Chen Wells (Violin) surprised her with a personalized performance! 

Watch her reaction as Camille plays for her over Zoom:

0:35

To what does Lorraine attribute her long, active life? “A glass of scotch every evening!” she exclaims. And, apparently, a great sense of humour.

Sylvia McPhee

When Sylvia McPhee was recently going through old TSO programs, she came across one that made her realize she's been attending for 70 years! She remembers the exact day she fell in love with the TSO: March 2, 1951.

“I even remember what shoes I was wearing!” she adds.

As a young woman studying to be a teacher in London, Ontario, Sylvia was treated to a special weekend in Toronto with her classmates and given the choice to attend either a hockey game or a concert. “For me, the choice was obvious,” she recalls.

“I didn’t think twice before putting on my green suede shoes and heading down to Massey Hall. As I walked back to the hotel after the concert, I was practically dancing through the streets of Toronto, reliving every note in my head."

"It wasn’t until I reached the hotel that I noticed my green suede shoes had not taken well to the slushy streets. I slipped them off my feet and, sure enough, my toes were bright green!”

She’s never looked back, becoming a long-time donor and attending for 70 years.

"I’ve always found that music helps you, heals you, and hugs you," Sylvia says. "People often ask me which TSO performance was my most memorable, and I tell them that it is like asking someone to choose their favourite child—it’s simply impossible. That is the great power of symphonic music—it is so layered and complex that there is something moving about each and every performance."


To all our loyal subscribers and donors—thank you for your support. We couldn’t make music without you!