Serving music lovers since 2008, the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra enjoys a wonderful relationship with our audiences, offering the community unique concert experiences through music and the magic of the theatre. The 2026/27 Season celebrates a wide gamut of music, as we continue to explore our artistic brand of entertainment that utilizes multimedia and the magic of theatre to support each concert program of quality symphonic music, offering the best possible concert going experience to audiences of all ages and cultures.
The influence of music on humans has been studied since the dawn of time. When film makers were able to add sound, music was instantly an important ingredient in the production, due to the power of sound and song to enhance the emotional experience with audiences through The Power of Film. Aside from having the power to escape reality, music ignites imagination, passion, creativity, innovation, and is responsible for so many things that pervade our very existence. Whether you go to a movie theatre, stream on your devices, or wait for those re-runs to show up on basic cable, there is something for everyone through the soundtracks that make our hearts resonate through The Power of Film, presented in full symphonic glory.
Filled with wonder and joy, A Holiday Dream follows the journey through a child’s fantastical dream of the holiday season with music and story. Created in 2019, the RHPO was only able to present this concert in a short version, digitally, during the Covid shut down, to bring one of our “gifts of music” to our audience when nobody could go to the concert hall. We are delighted to present the full version of this magical story to our audience this year, with glorious music that supports hopes and dreams of the holiday season, narrated through the eyes, heart and dreams of a child, who has wisdom and spirit of hope for all of us.
The RHPO is excited to celebrate Black History Month with incredible artists from St. Kitts Music. Featuring George St. Kitts and Toni Anderson, A Night at the Cotton Club takes the audience to a jazz and “crooner” filled night, inspired by the legendary Harlem night club that operated during Prohibition and the Jim Crow era, showcasing premier Black entertainers to an exclusive White audience. With music from Sammy Davis Jr. to Ella Fitzgerald, among many more, A Night at the Cotton Club is aimed at audiences of all ages who simply love cool music, sung by profoundly talented artists, backed up by a symphonic orchestra. Never heard before, this show promises to have everyone on your feet and take away a history that will warm and live in your hearts forever.
Youthful Fancies presents a playful, imaginative concert that captures fleeting thoughts, dreams, and hopes for young and young-at-heart music lovers. Most of us remember the epic NFB films of our youth. Those who are too young to know about them will revel in the films that grabbed the hearts of many Canadians over past several years. The RHPO will perform with the original, memorable NFB films, with songs to sing along to and some to reminisce, in an environment never presented. If you loved “The Cat Came Back,” “The Hockey Sweater,” “The Log Drivers Waltz,” and many others on this program, you will leave this unique experience with a joyful heart. To amplify the freshness and optimism of youth, the RHPO will also feature two young concerto competition winners from the Unionville Music Competition, who will create a breathtaking youthful magic in the concert hall.
The RHPO is honoured and excited to welcome award-winning First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artists performing with JUNO Award nominees Sultans of String, Walking Through The Fire is a musical multimedia event unlike any other! From Métis fiddling to an East Coast Kitchen Party, Rumba to Rock, to the drumming of the Pacific Northwest, experience the beauty and diversity of music from Turtle Island/Canada with Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk of the Métis Fiddler Quartet, Ojibwe/Finnish Singer-Songwriter Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan), Coast Tsm’syen Elder and Singer-Songwriter Shannon Thunderbird performing on stage, as well as virtual guests on the big screen including Dr. Duke Redbird, the Northern Cree Pow Wow group, and more!