Education & Outreach

From its beginning, Esprit has been committed to community engagement. Through several outreach programs, Esprit provides zero-cost opportunities for students and the public to meet and learn from Canadian composers. Esprit also offers subsidised student tickets for subscription concerts, as well as complimentary tickets for select community groups.

Introduce your students to new orchestral music!

Esprit’s education and mentorship programs foster a new generation’s appreciation for, and engagement with new orchestral music. Students not only observe professional composers at work, but through Esprit’s mentorship opportunities, they are guided in the creation of their own compositions.

Programs

  • New Wave Composers Festival

    New Wave Composers Festival

    Since 2002, the New Wave Composers Festival has consistently been a lively forum for young and emerging composers and performers to exchange ideas, meet the public, participate in seminars and panel discussions, and plan for participation in future Esprit events. The festival is a rendezvous, creating a sense of cohesion for new generations of creators, interpreters, and promoters of today’s music. The festival is held in many different venues each spring. Esprit’s Creative Sparks final showcase is a feature at each festival, which allows participants from a wide range of age groups to connect artistically. The festival highlights high school and university level composers, as well as emerging professionals. Their music is often performed by student performers in combination with Esprit players. Esprit’s New Wave Composers Festival provides an environment in which the future of Canadian contemporary classical music can thrive.

  • Student Audience Access Program

    Student Audience Access Program

    Esprit Orchestra is devoted to new music, and with that devotion comes the desire to foster audience deportment and awareness in a new generation of contemporary classical music audiences. The Student Audience Access Program provides subsidized student tickets to all of Esprit’s subscription concerts. This program is made possible through the generosity of Esprit patrons, who wish to encourage youth to experience the unique creative forces that resonate within Esprit’s orchestral setting.

    For more information on how to book tickets for your students, contact the Esprit office: info@espritorchestra.com or call 416-815-7887.

  • Pre-Concert Chats

    Pre-Concert Chats

    Each subscription concert is preceded by an informative discussion hosted by award-winning Canadian composer, Alexina Louie. During these sessions, guest composers and soloists explain the origins and intricacies of the works being performed. Each session includes a Q&A period, allowing audience members to engage with the composers and performers for a more enriching concert experience. Pre-concert chat access is granted to all subscription concert ticket-holders.