SSO’s Live Streaming for 2025-2026

SSO’s Live Streaming for 2025-2026

ConcertStream.tv continues to give incredible access to your SSO. Not only do you get to see fantastic content whenever you want, but you get an up-close and personal experience all from the comfort of wherever you are!

Streaming has changed the SSO forever. We love sharing our performances with viewers around the world. We are bringing our music-making to the hearts and homes of our patrons. Whether you’re live-streaming the performance or watching it a second time on demand, we’ve curated an online season that highlights the best we have to offer this season.

ConcertStream.tv

Saturday, September 12, 2025
Four Seasons

Renowned baroque violinist Julia Wedman returns home to lead the SSO in a celebration of 300 years of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Wedman has curated a program that is a perfect start to SSO95!

Saturday, October 25, 2025
The Space Between

Multi-Grammy winner, Dame Evelyn Glennie is the centrepiece of a night of mystical story telling with Ho’s From Darkness to Light and we bring light to the darkness with Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony.

Saturday, November 8, 2025
True North

Karl Hirzer returns for a night worthy of glowing hearts as we celebrate the exceptional music that Canada has to offer. Plus, renowned oboist Bede Hanley returns home to Saskatoon for his SSO debut!

Saturday, December 6, 2025
YXE Divas Xmas

Haul out the holly! After our first electrifying YXE Divas show in 2024, we’re bursting with holiday cheer to bring the divas back for a night of pure festive joy!

Saturday, February 14, 2026
Everything is Romantic

Maestro Judith Yan, pianist Angela Cheng, and your SSO bring you some of the most heart-stopping romantic music for your valentines including Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 2.

Saturday, March 7, 2026
Spring Fever

Maestra Tania Miller joins us to shake off your winter blues with Schumann’s “Spring”. Our own Stephanie Unverricht takes centre stage for Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto paired with some Beethoven and Vaughan Williams.

Saturday, March 28, 2026
Night Seasons

You fell in love with Rebecca Dale’s Materna Requiem in 2020 when we gave the North American premiere. Now, joined by the virtuosic cellist Stéphane Tétreault, we’re thrilled to give the North American premiere of Dale’s new work Night Seasons.

Saturday, April 11, 2026
A Change is Gonna Come

There is nothing like the soulful voice of an R&B diva, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be bringing the powerhouse voice of Saskatoon’s very own Sonia Reid to the music of Whitney, Dion, Aretha, and so much more.

Saturday, May 2, 2026
The Traveller

Dinuk Wijeratne and Kinan Azmeh each left their mark on the SSO and we need to bring these two friends together for an unforgettable concert. We’ve handed over the musical reins and these two superstars will take us on a journey.

Saturday, May 30, 2026
Finding Light

In a season tied together by its search for light in the darkness, Maestro Judith Yan finds the light with a special program including Pergolesi’s transcendent Stabat Mater featuring Saskatoon’s own Kateryna Khartova and Oli Guselle.

Music Makes Your Life Better

You may have seen billboards around town where the SSO reminds you that “Music Makes Your Life Better”.  

With all of the medical and mental health research that has been done on the effect and impact of music on our lives, our mental health, our spiritual health, making the claim that it makes your life better isn’t even being bold. It’s stating a blatant fact – there is concrete proof that adding music to your life makes a profound difference.

What if going to a concert once a month changed your life?

 It increases the body’s production of dopamine, it improves heart health, aids in pain management, combats depression, and strengthens memory…doses of wellness that we all critically need right now.

We gently kicked off our new season last week with Murdoch in Concert. I’ll be 100% honest and say that I didn’t feel ready for a new season – not unprepared, but frankly unsure of leaping into a new year just yet. Before the concert I felt like a kid not wanting to go back to school yet.

And then, the lobby opened. People poured in; folks gathers round to solve the “lobby murder” and grab a drink and pick up their Harden and Huyse; rushed to settle into their seats and cheer as Michael walked out for his 42nd season. And sure enough, as the music played, the whole room changed. Small at first, and then in a wave. 

All that medical research spilled across the stage into the seats and we were all moved by the vibration of sound. 

Magic happened.

In this post-pandemic world suffering from geo-political stressors, coming together for live music created absolute magic. A room full of people who barely knew each other, found themselves inside the sound as a community – and in that moment we left the outside world behind.

Social media and the internet and all the other things that are supposed to “bring us together” have been tearing us apart for years now. It’s caused us to want to stay home, to stay in our control zones and not venture out because people and noise have become overwhelming. 

But as I witnessed the joy on everyone’s face at intermission, it dawned on me that the concert itself creates community. Our hearts synchronized (because that’s what the vibration of live music does to an audience watching an orchestra), and we all connected with each other as our bodies reconnected with ourselves.

Season 95 is now here – what a remarkable thing to think that this city has been vibrating to the sound of an orchestra for 95 years. This season may just be our best yet, with something for everyone.

You like classical? We’ve got Vivaldi and Brahms and Schumann and Handel and Shostakovich and Mozart and Beethoven.

You like romance? We’ve got Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky and Puccini’s Tosca (ok, well Tosca starts with romance and ends in death….but the music is romantic as heck!)

You like rock? We’ve got Saskatoon’s own Kashmir bringing Led Zeppelin to life and our YXE Divas with Christmas hits.

You want super stars? The world’s greatest percussionist of all time, Dame Evelyn Glennie is going to blow you away in October!

You want hometown heroes? An attempted list: Julia, Bede, Casey, Andrea, Spencer, Jayden, Kashmir, Kevin, Stephanie, Katya, Oli, choirs, Tania!, and Janna and all the YXE Divas. Who did I miss??

You want something off the beaten path? Dive oceans deep with the whales of National Geographic in November, or get philosophical with Constantinople in February!

Feeling patriotic? Elbows up on the musical strength of a nation this November with True North with music by Sonny Ray Day Rider, Zosha di Castri, Sammy Moussa, and so much more.

Can’t make it to the concert? Watch it on ConcertStream.tv!

You want to find the meaning of life? Honestly, I suspect that if anyone can lead you there, it’s likely Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne next May. 

Magic. Hearing live music, experiencing an orchestra in full flight, it’s magic. It makes your life better. It fosters community in a world craving it.

We, the musicians, the staff, the volunteers, and me – we all want you to come and make magic with us.

Take the leap, get seats, and let’s make music together.

See you at the symphony,
Mark Turner, CEO

A Special 95 for Season 95!

Created to mark the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s 95th season, this painting of the number Ninety-Five joins local artist Keitha McClocklin’s Number Series, which celebrates the personal and collective significance of the meaningful numbers in our lives. McClocklin used the Symphony’s 95th season palette of pinks, blues, indigos and purples to reflect the emotional arc of the Symphony’s programming: a journey from darkness to light, from tension to joy. Inspired by the idea that this season carries audiences from darkness to light, she built the number with layers of collage and mixed media using a street art aesthetic that speaks to spontaneity, energy and emotional release. Look closely and you’ll find visual easter eggs representing the concerts of the Symphony’s 95th season. In its bold lines and gradual colour shifts, the number becomes both a milestone and a metaphor, a vibrant celebration of the music and moments that connect us.

Keitha McClocklin is a Canadian contemporary artist who creates from her studio in Saskatoon’s Riversdale neighbourhood. She works in a range of disciplines including painting, printmaking and drawing, often weaving techniques from one discipline to another. She fluidly moves between figurative, landscape and abstraction, with her abstract realism style characterized by the use of layers, colour and mixed media. McClocklin’s works are held in public and private collections across Canada, the U.S., France, the U.K. and Indonesia.

Our New Patron Portal

We recently did the soft launch of our new patron portal. We launched a new ticketing system this spring, and this is the next step in the process, giving you greater access to your orchestra. For donations, tickets to in-person events, and more, you now have access to our new ticketing system.

For all things ConcertStream.tv, please visit ConcertStream.tv.

A select group of users was sent the following information in their email. If you did not receive this information, or have issues getting into your new account please contact us.

The good news: there is no need for you to create an account on our new system, as you already have one. You just need to set a new password. The instructions for that are below. 

Step 1

Visit https://my.saskatoonsymphony.org/authentication/password-recovery and enter the same email address we used to send you this message, then select the “Recover Password” button.

You will be automatically redirected to a confirmation page with information about an email with a link to reset your password, then sign in.

Please be aware that the email will be sent from aws@upstagecrm.io, this is our new ticketing provider. Kindly add this email address to your contacts and, in case the confirmation email doesn’t appear, check your spam folder.

Step 2

  1. Once the email arrives, select the “Set Your Password and Log In” button.
  2. For security, your email address and verification code will be prefilled for you. There’s no need to enter anything in either field.
  3. Set your password, then enter it again in the confirmation field.
    Password must contain at least:
    8 characters
    1 number
    1 special character (eg. !, @, #, $, %)
    1 uppercase letter
    1 lowercase letter
  4. Select the “Reset Password” button

You will be automatically directed to the Sign In page.

Step 3

Use your email and new password to sign into your account. 

With your account now accessible, you can conveniently buy and oversee tickets, contribute to donations, and preview your tickets for upcoming events.

Access Your Account

The Prairies Performing Arts Initiative

The Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra was included in a special announcement made by Prairies Economic Development Canada this morning.

Today, the Honourable Terry Duguid, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced on behalf of the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, a federal investment of over $9.5 million to support performing arts organizations across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. This funding will help these organizations expand, innovate, and engage audiences in new and exciting ways.

Your SSO is one of several prairie arts organizations that received this incredible funding to help grow our audiences and increase awareness of our offerings in the community.

You can read the full press release here.

Season 95

Completely by accident, our 95th season is designed to be a series of inspirations.

Building a new season is always like putting together a puzzle. There are many pieces that need to be laid out and fit together, and before long they begin to create something that looks so much more wonderful than each individual piece could ever be.

Sometimes a single idea in a season can take years to get on stage – the pieces can’t just be forced together, there has to be a fit. And this time, everything fell into place.

Our 95th season is full of amazing music and artists that just fell into place at precisely the right time. As I say, completely by accident, this season is a series of concerts that move us emotionally from darkness to light. We’ll feel the release of turmoil and tension to joy and hope in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Brahms Symphony 1, Schumann’s Spring, Shostakovich’s epic 5th Symphony, and even an all Canadian concert to let us beam with true north pride.

The stage is set for the staggering artistry of virtuosos like Angela Cheng with Rachmaninoff for Valentines Day, cellist Stéphane Tétreault in a concerto that will melt your heart, Julia Wedman returning home for the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, our own Stephanie Unverricht in the music of Mozart, and the return of superstar Kinan Azmeh. In October the SSO is joined by one of the most legendary classical artists of all time – Grammy and Polar Music Prize winner Dame Evelyn Glennie. To celebrate her 60th birthday, Glennie is here to perform From Darkness to Light from her long time collaborator Vincent Ho.

A season to lift us up is led by a host of amazing conductors including podium partners Tania Miller, Karl Hirzer, and Judith Yan, alongside Monica Chen, Andrew Crust, Janna Sailor, Dinuk Wijeratne, and more.

We are thrilled to develop new shows with Saskatoon’s own soulful Sonia Reid and band Kashmir with the music of Led Zeppelin. We also get to present performances by returning favourites Constantinople and the renowned violinist James Ehnes. We can’t wait to perform Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, National Geographic’s The Secrets of Whales, and have the YXE Divas take the holidays by storm!

The fall starts with a major partnership with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, and the Yukon Arts Centre as we present a new semi-staged production of one of the most loved operas of all time – Tosca. A first for Saskatoon, we can’t wait to perform Puccini’s passionate and powerful masterpiece.

It’s our biggest season ever. It’s bold. It’s audacious. It features music for everyone.  

In a time when we all need reminding, we will all journey from darkness to light – and we can’t wait to share the journey with you!

Explore Season 95

What’s Happening at the Bassment

The Bassment is one of Canada’s premier jazz clubs and provides musicians of all skill levels a venue to showcase their talents in front of a live audience while accessing a variety of professional, concert-grade instruments. The club offers an intimate, personal concert space with a world-class stage for local, national, and international artists.

Here’s a sample of what’s happening next at The Bassment


Jazz Jam with Brett Graham Group

June 3, 2025

JAZZ JAMS • DOORS @6:30 • SHOW@ 7:30

The very popular monthly Jazz Jams are back! Local drummer, vibraphonist, and St. John’s Music Man Brett Graham will be hosting the jam. There is no charge to attend and/or perform at the jams and we welcome singers and instrumentalists of all ages and levels to make an effort to develop jazz “chops”. Brett will be joined by Gerard Weber (saxophone), Tommy Vaquer (bass), and James Kumaran (drums).

Sponsored by St. John’s Music

Darrell Burko and the B Sharp Orchestra Album Release

June 5, 2025

ACCOUSTIC ROOTS • DOORS @ 6:30PM • SHOW@7:30PM

Singer-songwriter Darrell Burko is joined by an all-star cast of musicians, including a special West Coast guest. Bassist Daryl Pierce takes up his usual spot alongside drummer Kyle Krysa, guitarist Kim Archibald, saxophonist Al Loewen, and perennial show stealer Jody Giesbrecht on pedal steel. You can expect to hear Darrell’s original songs, old and new, some AndersonBurko tunes, and a few classic covers thrown into the mix. It promises to be another evening of good music, good friends, and good times.

Sponsored by Rumley Periodicts

Buy Tickets


Eliza Mary Doyle

June 6, 2025

BLUEGRASS SERIES • DOORS @7:30 • SHOW@ 8:30

https://elizamarydoyle.com

With a 20-year career playing solo, in bands, and as a session musician, Eliza Mary Doyle sings and plays banjo, dobro, guitar, and mandolin. She’s released nine full-length albums, won a JUNO with the Dead South, and has toured Canada, the United States, and Europe. Eliza has been a regional finalist in CBC’s Searchlight Canada competition and has won Bell Media’s contest, The Next Big Thing. Her latest studio album, Pretty Strange, is a 10-track collection of bangers captured liveat Sidekick Studios in Nashville. With driving banjo, guitar, and pedal steel licks throughout, keeping listeners engaged and eager to discover each track, Pretty Strange’s take on Americana is a welcome addition to the genre.

Sponsored by Northern Lights Bluegrass & Old Tyme Music Society

Buy Tickets

Eilee Laverty

June 7, 2025

SONGWRITER SERIES • DOORS @ 6:30PM • SHOW@7:30PM

http://www.eileenlaverty.com

Known for her captivating voice, heartfelt lyrics, and powerful storytelling, Eileen returns with bandmates Jesse Brown (keyboards), Greg Hargarten (guitar), Corey Hildebrand (bass), and Glenn Ens (drums). Eileen’s music reflects a broad range of influences and is rooted in her love of a good story. With her signature blend of folk, Celtic, and contemporary sounds, her music speaks to themes of love, hope, and resilience, resonating deeply with listeners of all ages. Eileen’s music has been featured in film and television, and landed her performances with Kenny Rogers, Tom Cochrane, and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.

Sponsored by David’s Distinctive Men’s Apparel

Buy Tickets


Twin Fiddles: J.J. Guy & Gordon Stobbe

June 10, 2025

FIDDLE SERIES • DOORS @6:30 • SHOW@ 7:30

http://www.jjguy.ca

Award-winning Canadian fiddlers J.J. Guy and Gordon Stobbe have a long history of working together. The two also have a long history of playing The Bassment. JJ and Gordon are back to perform their collection of original tunes, written in the twin fiddle style. Cathy Sproule will provide expert piano accompaniment.

Sponsored by Optika Eclectic Eyeware

Buy Tickets

Dallas Alexander

June 12, 2025

COUNTRY ROADS SERIES • DOORS @ 6:30PM • SHOW@7:30PM

www.dallasalexander.ca

Hailing from a rough-and-tumble backwoods upbringing in Fishing Lake Métis Settlement in Northern Alberta, Dallas Alexander weaves his Métis roots with stories amassed over a decade-plus career serving in a tier-one special operations unit in the Canadian military. Dallas serves up a unique sound and country music lovers are in for a gritty-outlaw vibe inspired by music legends Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash.

Sponsored by David’s Distinctive Men’s Wear

Buy Tickets

SSO’s Live Streaming for 2024-2025

ConcertStream.tv continues to give incredible access to your SSO. Not only do you get to see fantastic content whenever you want, you get an up close and personal experience all from the comfort of wherever you are!

Streaming has changed the SSO forever. We love sharing our performances with viewers around the world. We are bringing our music-making to the hearts and homes of our patrons. Whether you’re live streaming the performance or watching it a second time on demand, we’ve curated an online season that highlights the best we have to offer this season.

ConcertStream.tv

Saturday, September 14, 2024
Enigma

Maestra Tania Miller returns to open our 94th season by leading the SSO in Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Pianist Sara Davis Buechner makes her long-awaited SSO debut with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concert No. 1.

Saturday, October 26, 2024
Controlled Burn

Cellist/composer Cris Derksen joins the SSO to perform her fiery new work Controlled Burn. Maestra Janna Sailor returns home to lead the orchestra in a new work by Saskatoon’s own Artist/Activist/Educator Zoey Roy.

Friday, December 13, 2024
Handel’s Messiah

Conductor Karl Hirzer leads the SSO Chorus, spectacular soloists, and your orchestra in Handel’s timeless work The Messiah. A beloved holiday tradition in Saskatoon since it was first performed here in 1913.

Saturday, January 18, 2025
The Medium

What does the future hold for you? An intimate staging of Menotti’s haunting opera The Medium. It’s a spooky two-act dramatic opera where phony psychic Madame Flora uses her clients’ grief to deceive them with the help of her daughter and a mute servant. But one night, an uncanny encounter leads to murder and madness.

Saturday, February 15, 2025
Sleeping Beauty

Violinist Timothy Chooi returns for a concert filled with music that’s perfect for you and your valentine. Led by Maestra Judith Yan, Chooi and your orchestra will wow us with Bruch’s stunning Scottish Fantasy. The romantic evening is made complete with selections from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Sleeping Beauty curated by ballet aficionado Yan herself.

Sunday, March 2, 2025
Dixit – Baroque Resonance

Maestra Cosette Justo Valdés returns to once again show us what magic she can create with your orchestra and the SSO chorus. Together they will highlight some of the greatest baroque works including Handel’s stunning Dixit Dominus.

Saturday, March 8, 2025
The Lost Birds

We’re celebrating 40 seasons with our very own concertmaster Michael Swan! He’ll take centre stage to perform Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No.1. Conductor Evan Mitchell leads your SSO, and choir, in Christopher Tin’s moving choral work The Lost Birds. Sweeping and elegiac, it’s a haunting tribute to those soaring flocks that once filled our skies, but whose songs have since been silenced.

Saturday, March 29, 2025
Pictures at an Exhibition

Conductor Karl Hirzer returns to lead your SSO in Mussorgsky’s iconic Pictures at an Exhibition. Pianist Meagan Milatz makes her way back home to the prairies to help us celebrate composer David L. McIntyre’s 75th birthday with a performance of his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.

Saturday, April 12, 2025
Symphonic Sci-Fi

Our favourite sci-fi shows and movies would be very different without their iconic soundtracks. We’re highlighting our favourite works from galaxies near and far! With a special guest host to lead the way, it’s going to be out of this world.

Saturday, May 3, 2025
Chopin and the New World

After his triumphant orchestral debut with us in 2021, pianist Jerry Hu returns home to perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto no.1. Led by Maestra Tania Miller, your SSO will finish our mainstage series with Dvořák’s New World Symphony and Goulet’s Citius, Altius, Fortius.

Saturday, May 31, 2025
Metamorphosis

We end our season with an incredible immersive experience created by visual artist Monique Martin. She will fill St. John’s with thousands of silkscreened paper butterflies, while Maestra Judith Yan and your orchestra fill the space with incredible music.

 

 

Watch our social media for future announcements! There are more great options to come on ConcertStream.tv.

 

Collaborating For The Future

For years the SSO and Saskatoon Opera have worked closely together. Both formally and informally, the two organizations have shared a passion for presenting music experiences that shine light on the human condition.  

After many years of discussion, the two entities have joined to become one. 

What we do, what we put on stage, is beautiful and inspiring and expensive. With prairies arts organizations facing a deeply challenging lack of government supports after many years of no increased investment, the question became clear: how do we find ways to still bring opera to Saskatchewan.  

Joining forces allows our two organizations to leverage our resources to carry on presenting the thrilling human voice in operatic repertoire. 

Will it be the same? No, not quite. But change can also be a very good thing. 

In the coming years we’re thrilled to present new opera experiences in immersive productions and semi-staged concert settings that will showcase the stunning orchestral scores with their full forces. 

We have plans to expand the successful opera pub programming, continue the summer Proms, and showcase voices that need to be heard.

Our sold out performances of a new take on Menotti’s The Medium this weekend are a great example of what can happen when collaboration and ideas collide.

Watch for more information as our two organizations become one – it’s a brave new world for music in all its mediums.

Elf Week

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And we hope that your days are filled with music as we get closer to the holidays. 

We’re busy preparing for our performances of ELF and Handel’s Messiah. And in the office we’re putting the finishing touches on next season’s programming…we cannot wait to share the details of our 95th season with you!

As a charity, this time of year is very important to us. December gives us a chance to receive donations that you can claim with your 2024 taxes. One of the great things about giving to the charities you love is that you ensure that your investment stays right here in your community.

This December, the SSO is purposefully focusing your support in a few key areas. Our work on our strategic plan Opus 100 is the most important work we can do. While we know that you love coming to our concerts, we are called to our purpose on stage and beyond. To ensure we’re valued in our community, we’re: 

  1. Investing in our orchestra.
    We’ve been working with our musicians on a new contract that sees us focus organizational resources on pay and pension contributions for our musicians. This is, in my opinion, the most important work the SSO can do at this time. We are so lucky to have such an incredible group of musicians calling Saskatoon home, but we need to ensure that we commit to long-term financial investment in our musicians. They do incredible work, and they deserve to be properly compensated. This investment is also needed to attract and retain high-calibre musicians. 
  2. Enlivening programming
    The SSO has been working on a bigger vision for the future of what we can do for our community. Making music accessible and engaging to as many people as possible is critical to ensuring that the SSO has a future. Your gift can support tickets for young people, support the Symphony in Schools programming, and help us develop new outreach programs for adults and seniors. We want to make sure that everyone can have the benefit of the increased well-being that comes with making music.
  3. One-of-a-kind experiencesThe SSO has become known for its innovative programming that highlights music from Bach to new music, Beethoven to rap. Concerts like next spring’s Metamorphosis showcase what’s possible when we dream big – giving our audiences experiences that can only be experienced right here in Saskatoon. Bringing concerts like Harry Potter and Disney films to life ensures that so many people who have never been to the SSO now feel deeply connected to why it’s important to ensure Saskatoon has a vibrant orchestra. 
  4. Supporting production
    Without a musical home, the SSO finds itself continually spending more and more each year on production costs. Moving concerts and rehearsals from venue to venue and place to place comes with growing expenses and a great deal of our staff’s time. As we continue to grow what the SSO does for its community, we need to keep supporting this work to financially manage that growth.

It feels incredible to hear your passion in the cheers during concerts. It’s literally the best feeling in the world. We can’t tell how much you appreciate the work we do. If it were possible, we’d be coming round to all of our donors’ houses to give you a giant cheer for each and every one of of your gifts this year. That’s how much we appreciate what you do for us!

And donating ahead of December 31st allows us to automatically double your gift. Once again, we’re humbled to have your gifts matched by the Frank and Ellen Remai Foundation. 

We are so grateful for your help in reaching our fundraising goal for this year’s matching campaign to ensure that the SSO doesn’t just thrive, but flourishes!

Thanks for supporting the SSO,

Mark Turner