Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra: Where Music Comes to Life
The Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has been a fixture in the heart of the prairies since 1931 and each year they bring fresh and innovative shows to the community. How does a legacy organization manage to keep growing?
The answer, according to SSO CEO & Creative Producer Mark Turner, is by “being bold, audacious, and featuring music for everyone.”
More than bringing shows to the big stage, the SSO also tours to schools and care homes, has interactive programs for toddlers, shows silent films with live soundtracks, and hosts after hours pub shows with classical music, opera, and pub trivia.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the SSO Book & Music Sale. It’s a biannual sale with proceeds supporting the SSO. It is wall to wall savings on used books, CDs, DVDs, records, and all sorts of hidden treasures.
It’s on stage that the SSO truly shines. Anywhere from 8 to 100 musicians come together on stages in spaces like TCU Place and create incredible experiences for everyone in the room. They perform well-known classics, movie soundtracks, new works, and even back rock bands for a variety of concertgoers here in Saskatoon. They also stream their concerts for audiences all over the world over on the streaming platform ConcertStream.tv.
When asked about the new season Turner said “completely by accident, our 95th season is designed to be a series of inspirations. Building a new season is always like putting together a puzzle. Sometimes a single idea in a season can take years to get on stage. The pieces can’t just be forced together, there has to be a fit, and this time, everything fell into place.”
Looking at the season 95 lineup it’s easy to see how you’ll be inspired again and again.
Photo Credit- Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra
In a huge feat for the SSO, and Saskatoon, Grammy and Polar Music Prize winner Dame Evelyn Glennie is coming to town on October 25, 2025, to perform Canadian composer Vincent Ho’s From Darkness to Light. Dame Glennie is a Scottish percussionist, composer, and author who lost the majority of her hearing as a child. If you watched the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games Dame Glennie was the one that led 1000 drummers as part of the show!
Other international superstars joining the SSO in season 95 are pianist Angela Cheng with romantic Rachmaninoff for Valentines Day, cellist Stéphane Tétreault with a North American debut of a heart wrenching concerto for cello and choir in March of 2026, and violinist Julia Wedman returning home for the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Photo Credit- Philip Rathmer and Brigitte
Two of the shows feature the orchestra playing the soundtrack for films up on the big screen. This fall the SSO is bringing in National Geographic’s Secrets of the Whales a documentary produced by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker James Cameron for Disney+. In January the SSO is screening Disney’s animated classic the Beauty and the Beast In Concert Live to Film. It’s all the voices you know and love with all the music played live by the musicians on stage. It’s a truly magical movie experience!
Photo Credit -Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra
While Turner is excited about every show in the upcoming season he also mentioned some new projects the SSO has been developing with local artists including an evening of Led Zeppelin with local band Kashmir, and a night of soul music called A Change is Gonna Come with Sonia Reid. The SSO is also partnering with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, and the Yukon Arts Centre to present a semi-staged production of Puccini’s Tosca.
“It’s a first for Saskatoon, and we can’t wait to share this passionate and powerful masterpiece with everyone this fall” says Turner.
Photo Credit-Sonia Reid
Between the mix of classical, soul, baroque, rock, jazz and cinematic masterpieces there truly is something for everyone at the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.
To find out more about all the upcoming events at the SSO visit saskatoonsymphony.org.
Megan Grier
Megan Grier has lived on Treaty 6 territory for most of her life, and has been the Director of Marketing & Communications with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra since the fall of 2016.
Her favourite things about Saskatoon include the incredible community, all the amazing music being made in the heart of the prairies, and those stunning prairie skies.