Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its primary concert venue is the Centennial Concert Hall, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba. The WSO gives an average of 80 concerts per year. The WSO also provides orchestral accompaniment to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Manitoba Opera. The orchestra's current executive director is Trudy Schroeder, since July 2008. Established in 1947, the WSO played its first concert on December 16, 1948 in the Civic Auditorium. Walter Kaufmann was the WSO's first music director, from 1948 to 1958.
Winnipeg River Colony in 1812, the nucleus of which was incorporated as the City of Winnipeg in 1873. As of 2011, Winnipeg is the seventh most populated municipality in Canada. Being far inland, the local climate is extremely seasonal even by Canadian standards with average January lows of around and average July highs of . Known as the "Gateway to the West", Winnipeg is a railway and transportation hub with a diversified economy. This multicultural city hosts numerous annual festivals, including the Festival du Voyageur, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, and Folklorama. Winnipeg