Symphony New Brunswick

Symphony New Brunswick is the largest classical music organization in New Brunswick, Canada. The orchestra was founded in 1983 following the demise of the Halifax-based Atlantic Symphony Orchestra ("ASO") which performed in several New Brunswick cities from 1969 to 1982. From 1950 to 1962, the Saint John Symphony Orchestra played in Saint John and from 1953-1962, the Fredericton Civic Orchestra served the Province's capital city. The two New Brunswick orchestras merged in 1962 to form the New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra which was itself replaced in 1969 by the ASO.

Symphony New Brunswick presents concerts in Saint John at the Imperial Theatre, in Moncton at the Capitol Theatre and in Fredericton at several venues including the Playhouse. The Music Director is Michael Newnham.

The orchestra has a small core of professional musicians. From this core are the Saint John String Quartet which was formed in 1987 and is a winner of an East Coast Music Award for one of its recordings. The Symphony also sponsors a woodwind quintet, Ventus Machina, founded in 2013 which is based in Dieppe, New Brunswick. Both the Quartet and the Quintet perform in the Symphony's chamber music series and, under the Symphony's auspices, perform numerous school concerts in many parts of New Brunswick. In May 2013, the organization launched a new chamber orchestra initiative named Camerata New Brunswick, with the goal of reaching smaller New Brunswick communities such as Saint Andrews, Rothesay, Dieppe, Woodstock, Florenceville-Bristol, Shediac, Bouctouche and Sackville.

Symphony New Brunswick announced in May 2013 a new long-term partnership with the Moncton-based choral group, the Louisbourg Choir which is under the direction of Monique Richard at the Université de Moncton.

In addition to the Symphony's many government and private sector supporters, it is financed in part by its own endowment fund hosted by an independent charity, Symphony New Brunswick Foundation Inc. based in Saint John, New Brunswick.