Mentorship Program
 Through
the OSO Mentorship Program, senior music students are
given the chance to audition and perform with the OSO,
giving these talented young musicians the incredible
opportunity of playing with a professional orchestra.
Students benefit from this training, mentorship and
experience so much so that in 2005, the School of
Music of the University of Ottawa created a graduate
level certificate in Orchestral Studies.
The unique mix of professional and senior music
students provides an excellent mentorship opportunity
for aspiring musicians to bridge the gap between
academia and the professional world by performing some
of orchestral music’s most demanding works alongside
experienced musicians. Providing opportunities for
artistic development is one of the OSO’s main
objectives as it seeks to nurture the next generation
of Canadian classical musicians.
Symphony for Schools
The OSO offers a series of up to fifteen free
concerts for grades five and six students in the
greater Ottawa region, introducing them to the
Strings, Winds and Brass Instruments of a symphony
orchestra. These concerts are interactive and
experiential and attended by a total audience of 8,000
+, over each concert season, including the students,
parents, teachers and School Board representatives.
 The
Symphony for Schools concerts support the Ontario Arts
curriculum. Teachers prepare students for these
concerts with the aid of the Teacher’s Guide
distributed to the schools by each of the four school
board Arts Consultants. Performances are about 50
minutes in length, including the question and answer
session in the middle of the program. The concerts are
designed to expose young people to orchestral music
while reinforcing the curriculum of four School Boards
in both official languages.
Students at the Symphony
Since 2001, the Students at the Symphony program
has provided thousands of young people with exposure
to live performance of a symphony orchestra by giving
free OSO Main Series concert tickets to grades 7, 8
& 9 students. Beneficiaries are young people who
are not able to attend on their own because of age and
economic barriers. Often the students attending are
recent immigrants and from diverse cultural
backgrounds that would not facilitate concert going.
Over 125 tickets per concert are distributed among a
number of schools in the National Capital Region.
Program notes are sent in advance to help prepare the
students for the experience. Teachers are enthusiastic
and students eager for the concert tickets through
this highly successful program.
Teachers wishing to participate in this program of
Symphony for Schools can dial 613-231-7802 x201 or email
gm@ottawasymphony.com.
Family Dress Rehearsal
Outreach and education are emphasized in the OSO’s
mission statement. To fulfill our mission we have
become a strong educational partner in the community.
The Family Dress Rehearsal includes a free open
rehearsal and engaging activities for the young and
the young at heart. It is an event that complements
our educational Symphony for Schools program. This
opportunity builds on that experience by allowing
students to bring family members without admission to
see and hear the full-sized orchestra on a
professional stage.
The community outreach event is designed for grade
school students, their family members and new
Canadians as well, in a way that makes live symphonic
performance accessible and all-inclusive.
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