"Sinfonia Toronto fills a unique place in the city’s cultural landscape. As a chamber orchestra, they offer a more intimate experience. For music lovers, it means hearing more nuanced details in the traditional orchestra repertoire that you just won’t hear in a full orchestra."
LUDWIG VAN TORONTO
"Nurhan Arman and his orchestra literally conquered us."
LA SCENA MUSICALE
"A world-class ensemble."
RUSSELSHEIMER ECHO, Germany
Sinfonia Toronto is one of Canada’s finest chamber orchestras. It consists of virtuoso strings who perform standing, in the tradition of great European chamber orchestras, blending each musician’s soloistic energy and passion into a brilliant ensemble style under Nurhan Arman’s inspired direction. The orchestra’s repertoire includes all the major compositions for string orchestra from the Baroque through the Classical, Romantic and contemporary periods. It has premiered many new works, and has been recognized by the Canada Council for the Arts for its commitment to performing music by Canadian composers. The orchestra regularly collaborates with outstanding soloists of national and international reputation.
Sinfonia Toronto performs its Masterpiece Series in Toronto’s finest concert halls. It has recorded on its own label and for Centrediscs, Marquis Classics EMI, Cambria and Analekta. Sinfonia Toronto’s recordings are heard frequently on radio broadcasts. Their world premiere of the rediscovered Bach aria ‘Alles Mit Gott’ was recorded by Analekta and released on iTunes. The title work of the orchestra’s Marquis Classics CD of music by Canadian composer John Burge, Flanders Fields Reflections, won a national JUNO Award.
Sinfonia Toronto has toured twice in Europe, South America, China, United States and Canada. In Canada it tours regularly throughout its home province of Ontario.
Sinfonia Toronto has enjoyed great critical acclaim both at home and in international tours. The Toronto Star noted "a remarkable range of colour," "ample eloquence" and "gripping authority," La Scena Musicale wrote "Nurhan Arman and his orchestra literally conquered us." Its 2008 tour in Germany drew headlines like "A world-class ensemble", and ‘’Sinfonia Toronto Thrilled the Audience.” Its 2010 tour of Spain was greeted with calls for encores at every concert, including a thrilling four encores demanded by the audience at the renowned hall l’Auditori in Barcelona. The orchestra’s every concert in South America received standing ovations, demands for multiple encores, superb reviews and requests to return. The Musical Tribune in Buenos Aires hailed Sinfonia Toronto’s performances in the Centro Cultural Kirchner as “definitive performances” and went on to say, “Here we were able to appreciate not only the high technical quality of the instrumentalists but also the unity of phrasing the director has achieved and his musicality.”
