McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Montreal Orchestra
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
established 1929
History
In 1929 a group of Montréal musicians, thrown out of work by the Depression and by the introduction of sound into motion pictures, approached Douglas Clarke, Dean of McGill's Faculty of Music and asked him to form them into an orchestra and conduct them. Owing to the scores available in the Faculty, Clarke was able to do so, and thus began the Montreal Orchestra, the city's first permanent symphony. Loyal public response and Clarke's devoted leadership helped the Orchestra overcome initial difficulties. Besides their regular series, they also gave children's concerts as well as students' concerts at McGill. Many eminent soloists, including Prokofiev, Bartok and Percy Grainger, were guests of the Orchestra. The Second World War and attendant financial constraints forced the suspension of the Orchestra in 1943.