K-W Symphony Youth Orchestra finds new home
It appears the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Youth Orchestra has found a new home – even as the overall symphony organization files for bankruptcy.
In an email to families Thursday morning, youth orchestra conductor Matthew Jones invited members of the senior youth orchestra to weekly rehearsals starting Sunday as part of a new community youth orchestra.
The sessions will take place at Wilfrid Laurier University, which has provided space for the youth orchestra for years.
Jones sent the email and spoke to CTV News for an interview prior to the symphony announcing it had filed for bankruptcy late Thursday afternoon.
“We are seeking to maintain operations as best we can and that has involved a lot of really amazing, goodwill on the part of colleagues,” Jones said, noting he’s organizing the program in his capacity as an independent contractor, not as part of the symphony organization.
Clinicians and mentors from KWS have agreed to help, Jones explained.
“It’s been really heart-warming and very inspiring.”
The will be no cost additional cost to attend rehearsals. However, the community youth orchestra will no longer be able to perform at venues like Centre in the Square or the Conrad Centre and visits from guest clinicians and conductors are unlikely, the email said.
While the new rehearsals will only include members of the senior youth orchestra to start, Jones said they intend to expand to include the younger ensembles as soon as possible.
He said getting the senior orchestra back up and running is an important step.
“They are the oldest students, they are the most practiced, the most experienced. Some of them indeed go on to career in music, to study at university etcetera. So it’s an important stepping stone for those musicians," Jones said.
He and his colleagues see it as an investment in the future.
“It’s very easy for me, and my sense is that it has been easy for my colleagues to pay it forward. To invest in these young people. They are our future. We want a youth orchestra to be here for the next generation of musicians as well. The onus is on us, on the decisions we make today to make sure that that has the best chance of taking place.”
Shopping Trends
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Health care in Canada could be more like Norway's, with some improvements: study
Canada is trailing behind other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries when it comes to both the number of physicians relative to the population, and its spending on primary care, according to a new analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Schools closed, more than 100,000 without electricity as snow falls in Quebec
More than 106,000 homes in Quebec are without electricity after Environment Canada reported nearly 25 cm of snow had fallen across the province.
Escaped kangaroo found safe after 3 days on the loose in Ontario
A kangaroo that escaped the Oshawa Zoo last week has been recaptured after more than three days on the loose, with one police officer sustaining minor injuries during the effort to apprehend the marsupial.
Israel orders evacuations as it widens offensive but Palestinians are running out of places to go
Israel's military renewed calls Monday for mass evacuations from the southern town of Khan Younis, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, as it widened its ground offensive and bombarded targets across the Gaza Strip.
Dam threatens to burst in the Laurentians, residents evacuated from homes
People living in Chute-Saint-Philippe and Lac-des-Ecorces in the Laurentians are being asked to evacuate their homes due to potential infrastructure issues at the Kiamika dam and Morier dike.
'Potent and impactful storm' on the way to B.C.'s South Coast, Vancouver Island
Heavy rainfall is in store for much of southern B.C. starting Monday, when a 'potent and impactful storm' is forecast to make landfall, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Oxford University Press has named 'rizz' as its word of the year
Oxford University Press has named 'rizz' as its word of the year, highlighting the popularity of a term used by Generation Z to describe someone's ability to attract or seduce another person.
Spotify axes 17 per cent of workforce in third round of layoffs this year
Spotify says it's axing 17 per cent of its global workforce, the music streaming service's third round of layoffs this year as it moves to slash costs while focusing on becoming profitable.
Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow jumps bail and moves to Canada
One of Hong Kong's best-known pro-democracy activists who moved to Canada to pursue her studies said she would not return to the city to meet her bail conditions, becoming the latest politician to flee Hong Kong under Beijing's crackdown on dissidents.
London
-
Assault at Point Edward Christmas Village festivities
When officers arrived, they learned several young people were chased by a person with a baseball bat and the same person also showed a knife while interacting with kids.
-
Cause of high-rise fire under investigation in London
The fire reportedly originated in an attached parking garage, where it then spread to the lower floors.
-
What's Ontario's winter forecast this year? Here's what you need to know
Winter is coming, but what will that look like in Ontario? Well, El Niño could bring on a milder season than usual this year.
Windsor
-
Windsor man dies in crash in Chatham-Kent
A 27-year-old Windsor man has died and three London area people were taken to hospital after a crash in Chatham-Kent.
-
Investigator on scene after morning fire in Windsor
Crews were called to the scene in the 3000 block of Forest Glade Drive near Wildwood Drive around 7:30 a.m.
-
Global Affairs reports Canadian killed in Lebanon in connection with Israel-Hamas war
Global Affairs is reporting the death of another Canadian due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. This is the ninth casualty connected to Canada.
Barrie
-
Grey Bruce officer struck while breaking up fight in Wiarton, Ont.
An officer was struck while breaking up a fistfight.
-
Police investigating suspicious fire at Blue Mountains housing development
Police in the Town of the Blue Mountains are investigating a suspicious fire at a housing development.
-
Bradford West Gwillimbury's 'Light Up' Christmas light contest is on
Bradford West Gwillimbury's 'Light Up' Christmas lights contest offers prizes to the lucky decorators.
Northern Ontario
-
Customers line up for final loaves from Golden Grain after 92 years operating in Sudbury
Long-time business in downtown Sudbury sells its final baked goods to loyal customers before closing its doors for good.
-
'It's a tradition': Demand growing for real Christmas trees ahead of holiday season
Families looking to choose a real Christmas tree as the centrepiece of their holiday decorations should start thinking about acting fast because the demand is growing.
-
Escaped kangaroo found safe after 3 days on the loose in Ontario
A kangaroo that escaped the Oshawa Zoo last week has been recaptured after more than three days on the loose, with one police officer sustaining minor injuries during the effort to apprehend the marsupial.
Ottawa
-
School buses cancelled across Ottawa and eastern Ontario
School buses cancellations are in effect for Monday morning as a winter storm continues to move through the region.
-
Dam threatens to burst in the Laurentians, residents evacuated from homes
People living in Chute-Saint-Philippe and Lac-des-Ecorces in the Laurentians are being asked to evacuate their homes due to potential infrastructure issues at the Kiamika dam and Morier dike.
-
Snowy commute, parking ban in effect Monday morning
Commuters should expect a wintry mix of heavy snow and some freezing rain as they head out the door on Monday morning.
Toronto
-
Escaped kangaroo found safe after 3 days on the loose in Ontario
A kangaroo that escaped the Oshawa Zoo last week has been recaptured after more than three days on the loose, with one police officer sustaining minor injuries during the effort to apprehend the marsupial.
-
At least 4 under-construction homes destroyed in Burlington, Ont. blaze
At least four under-construction homes in Burlington, Ont. have been destroyed after a structure fire early Monday morning.
-
TTC says multiple downtown routes on diversion this week due to repairs
Some of the TTC’s busiest surface routes will be on diversion this week to allow crews to carry out water main repairs.
Montreal
-
Schools closed, more than 100,000 without electricity as snow falls in Quebec
More than 106,000 homes in Quebec are without electricity after Environment Canada reported nearly 25 cm of snow had fallen across the province.
-
Free express bus as work continues on Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge
The #40 express bus from Vaudreuil to Terminus Cote-Vertu will be free of charge 'until further notice' to help mitigate traffic as work continues on the Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge.
-
Dam threatens to burst in the Laurentians, residents evacuated from homes
People living in Chute-Saint-Philippe and Lac-des-Ecorces in the Laurentians are being asked to evacuate their homes due to potential infrastructure issues at the Kiamika dam and Morier dike.
Atlantic
-
Many N.S. schools closed, thousands without power due to heavy snow
Many Nova Scotians woke up to a blanket of snow on Monday morning which caused school closures, slippery roads and power outages.
-
Storm Watch: School closures, cancellations
Here is a list of school closures and cancellations for Monday, Dec. 4, 2023.
-
Myles Goodwyn, lead vocalist for April Wine, dead at 75
Myles Goodwyn, lead vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter for April Wine, passed away after a battle with cancer, according to bandmate and close friend, Jim Henman.
Winnipeg
-
Chad Allan, founding member of Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, dies at 80
Celebrated musician Chad Allan, who carved a place in Canadian rock music history as co-founder of iconic bands the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, has died. He was 80.
-
‘It’s just devastating’: Family and friends remember slain victims in Langside shooting
Dozens of friends and family members gathered outside 143 Langside Street Sunday to remember the lives of their loved ones lost in last week’s deadly shooting.
-
Cross-border sugar donation for Winnipeg church stopped by Canadian customs
A Winnipeg church's attempt to spread holiday cheer amid a nationwide sugar shortage took an unexpected turn as their 500-pound sugar donation was turned away at the U.S. border this week.
Calgary
-
Mötley Crüe coming to Calgary: Iconic band to play during Stampede
One of the world's most celebrated rock bands will be taking the stage at the Calgary Stampede next year.
-
Calgary Transit’s Red Line reopens after closures
After more than a week of alternate routes, passengers of the Red Line were able to resume their regular route Monday morning.
-
Manslaughter could be hard to prove in Edmonton officer shooting, experts say
Manslaughter charges against a man accused of selling a gun to a 16-year-old boy who took his own life after fatally shooting two Edmonton police officers is an unusual case that might be difficult to prove, legal experts say.
Edmonton
-
Man killed by Edmonton police; watchdog investigating
Edmonton police shot a man who was reportedly approaching people with a knife on a downtown street Sunday evening.
-
Manslaughter could be hard to prove in Edmonton officer shooting, experts say
Manslaughter charges against a man accused of selling a gun to a 16-year-old boy who took his own life after fatally shooting two Edmonton police officers is an unusual case that might be difficult to prove, legal experts say.
-
3 crashes prompt warning about QE II conditions south of Edmonton
Driving conditions are to blame for at least three crashes on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway south of Edmonton Sunday night, RCMP say.
Vancouver
-
Vancouver doctor disappointed by B.C.'s plan for medical assistance in dying at St. Paul's Hospital
Last week, the B.C. government announced it would create a separate clinical space for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, but Dr. Jyothi Jayaraman says that it’s not a compromise.
-
Hundreds of B.C. businesses apply for vandalism fund
More than 600 businesses in B.C. have applied to a provincial rebate program to help prevent and repair damage from vandalism, according to the Ministry of Jobs and Economic Development.
-
'Potent and impactful storm' on the way to B.C.'s South Coast, Vancouver Island
Heavy rainfall is in store for much of southern B.C. starting Monday, when a 'potent and impactful storm' is forecast to make landfall, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
