The Toronto Symphony Orchestra was invited to perform at the Detroit Masonic Temple auditorium on November 27, 1951 as part of the "Major Symphony Series", which also featured the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. TSO director MacMillan viewed this first-ever US invitation as a golden opportunity to garner more international invitations for the orchestra. He added vocal soloist Lois Marshall to the orchestra, as well as a piece by an American composer, Herbert Elwell's work "Pastorale", and Edward Elgar's "Enigma Variations", to the repertoire.