Innovative, inspiring, and ever-evolving: this is the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. As one of Waterloo Region’s largest arts and cultural organizations, we continue to push boundaries, build community, and welcome and cultivate world-class talent in our community. Who we are and how we approach our work is a reflection of the innovative and entrepreneurial culture which abounds in this Region. Today, the KWS is one of Canada’s outstanding orchestras, presenting a diverse and rich concert season and garnering national and international attention for its artistry, musicianship and innovative programming. Its education and outreach programs serve its evolving community and a continuum of ages. The KWS continues to be the largest employer of artists and cultural workers and the most significant cultural asset for Waterloo Region.

Since 1945 the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony has grown from a community orchestra into the third largest in Ontario, our peers being the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. We have expanded the idea of what music is, what it can be and how it can make an impact – often in unexpected ways. The KWS has positioned ourselves as one of Canada’s leading orchestras and has worked strategically to become an orchestra for the next generation.

We are a robust, complex organization that brings the joy and inspiration of music to the lives of the very young, through the Kinder, Family and School Concerts. Economically disadvantaged children receive music lessons on orchestral instruments through our Bridge to Music program and the next generation of musicians is nurtured through our Youth Orchestra Program. Community outreach concerts are performed in non-traditional venues each year including Kitchener City Hall, Grand Valley Institution for Women, Chandler Mowat Community Centre, and the Rotary Adult Centre, to spread the joy of music to those who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity. We perform over 222 concerts annually to an audience of over 90,000, both in the concert hall and across Waterloo Region.

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