The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 1884 as The Hamilton Orchestral Society and grew to become one of Canada’s major professional orchestras.
Since its opening in 1973, the Great Hall at Hamilton Place has been the home of the HPO. With a tradition of reaching out to the community, the HPO has performed at a number of other venues, including the Mohawk College Theatre, McMaster University, Gage Park, Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, and perhaps most famously, in Hamilton’s trademark steel mills. Other unique venues include Central Presbyterian Church, Christ Church Cathedral, the Baltimore House, the Pearl Company and the Art Gallery of Hamilton.
The HPO established itself as a major force through its association with former Music Director Boris Brott and through the contributions of other artistic leaders including Lee Hepner, Mario Bernardi, Victor Feldbrill, Timothy Vernon and Daniel Lipton. A number of HPO musicians have gone on to major careers – perhaps most famously, the Canadian Brass. Members of the HPO perform with many other ensembles including the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, the Orchestra of the National Ballet and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.