Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Based at the Orpheum Theatre, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is one of Canada’s largest and most prestigious orchestras. It’s also very good.

TIP: If you like classical music, other performing arts groups you might be interested in are the VAM Symphony Orchestra and Vancouver Opera. The first is with the Vancouver Academy of Music (which is a great place to study music, including for children and youth). They also put on lovely concerts which are very affordable. The second organization is one of Canada’s most prestigious opera companies. Another show you might also want to see is Shun Yun which comes to Vancouver in the spring. On various dates throughout the year, there are concerts with Early Music Vancouver too.

To learn about about concerts and performing arts events, see our article about Shows & Entertainment. In case you were interested, we also have an article about Vancouver Choirs. For information about the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, however, continue reading.

This article contains information about the following VSO events:

Day of Music | Symphony at Sunset | Symphony in the Park | Traditional Christmas | New Year’s Concert: Salute to Vienna

Award-Winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and its Concerts

For a city of its size, Vancouver has an impressive symphony orchestra. Founded in 1919, the performing arts organization has been around for over 100 years!

The Grammy and JUNO award-winning VSO performs over 100 concerts in a typical year. Many of those are at the Orpheum Theatre. Others are at various venues throughout the Lower Mainland, plus occasional performances outside the region.

The main orchestra has close to 80 members and is directed by Otto Tausk from Holland.

Special Events

In addition to its regular concert series, the VSO runs several special events throughout the year. These include Day of Music, Symphony in the Park, Symphony at Sunset, Christmas performances and New Year’s Day concerts. See below for details.

Day of Music

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra hosts a day of free music with concerts at various venues in downtown Vancouver on a weekend in June.

Last year the Day of Music was on Saturday, June 1st. Some of the performances at the event were with the VSO and its various members. Some of the music, however, was with other groups.

The live music was all free for the day, and there was no need to book tickets in advance. All the performances were on a first-come, first-served basis. They happened between about 10:00 am and 10:00 pm at the Orpheum, Pyatt Hall, the Annex, and other venues.

The event is likely to happen around the same time in 2025 but with exact details to be confirmed. To learn more about this event, see our article about the Day of Music.

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Symphony at Sunset

Symphony at Sunset is an outdoor concert that happens at Sunset Beach in Vancouver.

This event took place last year on Saturday, July 6th, starting at 8:00 pm. It will likely happen around this same time in 2025 but with exact details to be confirmed.

Thousands of people usually attend this concert, which features the VSO playing on a big stage near the water. There are normally food trucks on hand and opportunities for attendees to check out some real orchestra equipment.

For more information about this event, check out our article about Symphony at Sunset.

Symphony in the Park

The VSO performs a free outdoor concert at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby in the summer.

The performance takes place on Saturday, July 12th, 2025, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

Symphony in the Park is an annual event that can attract several thousand attendees. Since it is an outdoor concert we recommend going prepared for the weather every year! It takes place on the Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park at 6450 Deer Lake Avenue in Burnaby.

To learn more about this event, see our article about Symphony in the Park.

Vancouver Symphony in Burnaby — Burnaby’s Symphony in the Park

Traditional Christmas

An annual VSO tradition, Traditional Christmas is usually performed in the weeks leading up to the end-of-year holidays. Performances are approximately 90 minutes long and feature stories, singing and orchestra music with a festive winter-holiday theme.

Last year’s Christmas-themed performances took place at various venues between December 11th and 22nd. The full schedule for is listed below. Tickets cost around $40 to $60 each.

Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 – 7:30 pm at the Kay Meek Arts Centre.
Thursday, December 12th, 2024 – 7:30 pm at South Delta Baptist Church.
Friday, December 13th, 2024 – 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm at Centennial Theatre.
Sunday, December 15th, 2024 – 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm at the Bell Performing Arts Centre.
Sunday, December 22nd, 2024 – 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm at the Orpheum.

New Year’s Concert: Salute to Vienna

Salute to Vienna is a reproduction of a famous Viennese New Year’s concert. The VSO version features the music of Johann Strauss with the Strauss Symphony of Canada, European singers and professional ballroom and ballet dancers.

The New Year’s Concert in 2025 took place on January 1st at the Orpheum Theatre.

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra