This past weekend we went to a performance of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra! My husband and I actually had gone years ago, but this was our first time taking our son.
Did you know that I used to play in an orchestra? I was in band in high school, I played in an orchestra outside of school, and I used to perform in competitions as well! I played clarinet, and I gave some serious consideration towards taking music in university but decided in my final year of high school to do something else. My husband actually played trumpet as well, so we loved seeing the symphony in the past and were excited to bring our son along this time!
The performance we went to was part of the TSO’s Young People’s Concerts. These concerts take place on Sunday afternoons at 2pm and 4pm, and are designed for kids aged 5-10.
The concert we went to was called The Composer is Dead which was a fun mystery with a great host and it last just one hour – perfect for kids, especially those with a short attention span.
We park in the entertainment district in Toronto often, and the easiest place to park for a Toronto Symphony Orchestra concert was beneath Roy Thompson Hall. On a Sunday it was $16, and we easily took an elevator upstairs and walked into the box office.
We headed for lunch nearby (a few of our favourites in that area are Meat & Pie Co., La Carnita, Figo, Byblos and Montecito), and headed back to Roy Thompson Hall one hour before the show opened.
After a bag check at the door we walked through the halls checking out some of the pre-concert activities. There was a lobby performance by the Cello Fellows, and we checked out the Instrument Discovery Zone where kids could try out different instruments.
There are all kinds of stations for snacks and drinks, and in the venue you are allowed to bring in your snacks and water. We were told that wine and soft drinks had to stay outside.
We brought in a few bottles of water and snacks (I chose Glossettes, and my son chose the world’s largest Rice Krispy Square), and we sat for the performance.
There was a neat little program with details on the upcoming show and some activities for kids.
The show we saw had the kids act as the detectives, and the orchestra played fun music like the theme from Mission Impossible and The Pink Panther.
The host was great, and told a story as the orchestra played their part in the show. It was so much fun – my husband and I loved it, and my son thought it was really cool.
A performance time of one hour was perfect. The concert was interesting enough for the kids to stay focused throughout the show, and the perfect length to make sure kids enjoyed it.
We loved the whole experience! It’s reminded my husband and I that we need to head to TSO performances more often for date nights, and it’s opened up a whole new activity for our family to enjoy wth our son on Sunday’s.
I would love to see some of the other fun performances coming up like the Star Wars: The Last Jedi- In Concert.
To see more of the Young People’s Concerts for this season, visit the TSO website here!
A big thank you to the TSO for hosting us – we had an amazing time!
Items in this post may have been provided to me for review, but all opinions are fabulously my own.