Background

Formally known as the Mississauga Symphonic Association, Orchestras Mississauga received its Letters Patent in 1972 after a group of local residents in cooperation with the City of Mississauga’s Arts Department came together with the goal of bringing orchestral music to the residents of Mississauga. Dr. Boyd Neal, Dean of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, was hired as inaugural Administrative/Artistic Director. The first concert was held with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in an unused office in a building owned by Bruce McLaughlin, certainly an unusual performance space. The organization gained charitable status shortly thereafter.

In 1978, the organization was taken in new musical directions by its current Music Director and Conductor, John Barnum. Maestro Barnum has built the artistic vision of the orchestra, ensuring that it remains current and vibrant. After performing in various locations including high school auditoria, churches and the Meadowvale Theatre, the organization moved to the Living Arts Centre when it opened in 1997. This move allowed for the administration, rehearsal and performance activity to coexist under one roof and for OM to become an integral part of a new venue that has since continued to strive to become home to Mississauga’s arts and culture