Season 2022-23 Videos

The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra community of musicians and composers made a phenomenal effort to continue to practice their art and stay in touch with their audience during Covid-19 lockdown. The silver-lining was developing new skills and finding new friends. As we return to in-person music-making and concert production, we continue to develop and present online content featuring the talents of our musicians, collaborators, colleagues and emerging professionals involved in our New Generation Program.

New Generation Artists Videos

The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra supports the development of the next generation of Canadian Classical musicians and composers.

SPO to embark on a Resilient Communities Project

SPO was gratified to learn that we had been successful with an application to the Ontario Trillium Foundation in seeking funding for an organizational renewal project during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. OTF’s Resilient Communities Program offers support to organizations as they recover from the impacts of the Covid-19 lockdown period, reconnect with their communities and develop new methods and strategies for greater resilience.

New Generation Composer’s Program Begins

The Odin Quartet

The New Generation Composers’ Program met for its first workshop on February 14 at the Canadian Music Centre.

This workshop focused on how to affectively compose for a string instrument. Detailed
information was presented on left-hand fingering and right-hand bowing techniques.
For the left-hand, positions, shifting, double-stops, chords, harmonics, high position
strategies, extended techniques (e.g. quarter-tones), and more were discussed and
demonstrated. For the right-hand, different types of bow strokes, articulation, slurring
strategies, moving from arco to pizzicato (and back), col legno, sul ponticello, extended
techniques, and more, were also be examined. Strategies for notating left hand (e.g.
harmonics) and bowing techniques were included. Strategies for composing for string
quartet were covered. Participants (in-person or online) were able to ask questions,
and where possible, the string players demonstrated.

This workshop was presented through the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra’s New
Generation Composer’s Project, supported by the RBC Foundation and the CMC.

Anthony Domzella

Anthony Domzella is a composer, conductor and pianist based in Elmira, Ontario, where he works as a music teacher and church music director. He is currently completing a BMus at Wilfrid Laurier University. His compositions often incorporate elements of dance forms, process, chance and microtonality. In 2022, Anthony was commissioned by the Conservation Halton to write for the Mounstberg Conservation Area’s WINTERLIT event. He has been accepted as a composer to the 2023 Mostly Modern Festival where he will write for the Neave Piano Trio. His work has been read by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Penderecki String Quartet and the Laurier Singers. In concert, he has conducted the Laurier Symphony Orchestra, the Local Vocals choir, and premieres of his own works. Anthony is also active as a collaborative pianist and serves as president of the Laurier Ancient Music Society. A workshop reading of his first opera, Sandcastles, will take place in April. ome

Curtis Yeung

Curtis Yeung is a Grade 12 student at the University of Toronto Schools (UTS) with an ARCT diploma in Piano and also plays trumpet. He is currently serving as the concertmaster for the UTS Senior Winds ensemble and as the section leader in the school orchestra and jazz band. This December he was a featured soloist performing My Funny Valentine with the jazz band at the UTS Holiday Concert.

As a composer, Curtis started composing in Grade 11. He creates music through a variety of different media, learning to work with Reaper to produce electroacoustic works and also composes for orchestra and ensembles on Musescore. His composition for an art film was featured in UTS’ 2022 Spring Concert and he continues to write and workshop his music in class with his teachers. On February 21st, Curtis will be guest conductor at a school concert for alumni and donors. He will be leading the UTS Orchestra in his own orchestral composition. 

Curtis hopes to continue to keep composing and playing in orchestra throughout university and beyond. Outside of music he enjoys reading fiction and ski racing. 

Sophia Wang

Sophia Wang is a Grade 11 student in University of Toronto Schools, who currently holds two ARCT diplomas for violin and piano and also plays cello. She is an orchestra member of both the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra (TSYO) and Kindred Spirits Orchestra (KSO). Sophia’s main focus has been on violin performance, competing in the national CMC finals as well as performing with TSYO and KSO as a violinist.

Sophia has also composed for strings and is a songwriter. Her musical YouTube channel has 500 subscribers and videos have over 50,000 views. She continues to workshop her compositions with her music teachers, extensively honing her skills, particularly in arrangement, and hopes one day to hear one of her pieces performed by an orchestra. 


Sophia has developed proficiency in choral and opera performance and also has theatrical experience, notably being cast in the Canadian (and world English language) première of acclaimed playwright Jordan Tannahill’s play, Is My Microphone On? In her spare time, Sophia also enjoys writing fiction, poetry, and making wire trees.