Montreal Orchestra
| Company type | Professional symphony orchestra |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, Performing arts |
| Founded | 1930 |
| Founder | Giulio Romano |
| Defunct | 1941 |
| Headquarters | Montreal , Canada |
Key people | Douglas Clarke (conductor), Maurice Onderet (concertmaster) |
| Products | Symphony orchestra performances, radio broadcasts, concerts |
The Montreal Orchestra (MO) was a Canadian professional symphony orchestra situated in Montreal, Quebec, operating from 1930 until 1941. As Montreal's inaugural fully professional symphony ensemble, the MO consisted exclusively of career musicians and brought complete symphonic programs to the city's audiences. It was responsible for introducing many cornerstone works to Montreal listeners, featuring compositions by Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff, and Sibelius for the first time locally.
History
The clarinetist Giulio Romano established the MO, assembling a 70-member group after the advent of sound films led to widespread job losses among Montreal theatre musicians. Throughout the orchestra’s entire 11-year span, Douglas Clarke acted as conductor while Maurice Onderet held the position of concertmaster.
The orchestra gave its inaugural performance on October 12, 1930, at the Orpheum Theatre on Rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, initially compensating musicians with $4 per concert. As the ensemble’s acclaim expanded during the Great Depression, musician fees rose to $15 per event. Following a debut season comprising 25 concerts, the MO relocated to Her Majesty's Theatre, Montreal (HMT), which served as its primary venue for a decade and hosted over 200 performances. Additionally, the orchestra appeared in ten concerts broadcast on the Canadian Pacific Railway radio network in 1932 and was featured multiple times on CBC Radio during the late 1930s. Between 1935 and 1939, it also presented popular children’s concerts at the Mount Royal Hotel.
Clarke conducted the majority of concerts and curated much of the programming, leading significant premieres such as Healey Willan's Symphony No. 1 (1937) and Violet Archer's Scherzo Sinfonico (1940). Among guest conductors were Gustav Holst, who directed 'Jupiter' from The Planets in 1932, and Claude Champagne, who conducted the Canadian premiere of his Suite canadienne in 1933. Composers including Reginald de Havilland Tupper, Henri Miro, Percy Grainger, and Alexander Brott also took turns conducting their own compositions. In 1941, Bernard Naylor led two concerts.
In 1934, board member Madame Athanase David resigned due to tensions between anglophone and francophone communities and went on to establish the Société des concerts symphoniques de Montréal (SCM), which later became known as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Between 1934 and 1941, many musicians performed with both groups. This rivalry placed financial strain on each organization. Combined with challenges posed by World War II and Clarke’s deteriorating health, these factors led to the MO’s dissolution following the 1940–1941 season.
Notable soloists
The orchestra hosted numerous acclaimed guest soloists throughout its existence, including:
- Webster Aitken
- Ellen Ballon
- Harold Bauer
- Cédia Brault
- Harriet Cohen
- Etta Coles
- Lionel Daunais
- Jeanne Dusseau
- George Enescu
- Emanuel Feuermann
- Ria Ginster
- Gertrude Huntly Green
- Leslie Holmes
- Paul de Marky
- Nathan Milstein
- Séverin Moisse
- Kathleen Parlow
- Ross Pratt
- William Primrose
- Felix Salmond
- E. Robert Schmitz
- Albert Spalding
- Ethel Stark
- Paul Wittgenstein
- Naomi Yanova Adaskin
- Efrem Zimbalist
Sources
- Alexander, B.M. "Financing the orchestra," Montreal Music Year Book 1931 (Montreal 1931)
- Bell, H.P. "Les Concerts symphoniques and the Montreal Orchestra," Curtain Call, January 1940
- Bishop, A.E. A Retrospective on the Montreal Orchestra 1930-41, self-published (Montreal 1974)
- Clarke, D. "Overview of the Montreal Orchestra," Montreal Music Year Book 1932 (Montreal 1932)
- Dufresne, J. "L'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal," La Lyre, vol. 8, November 1930
- Herbert, C.H. "The Montreal Orchestra: A Historical Account," Conservatorium of Music Year Book (Montreal 1935)