Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony returns to Centre in the Square for first official concert since declaring bankruptcy

Musicians with the K-W Symphony felt right at home as they rehearsed at the Centre in the Square. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte reports.

The stage is set for a long-awaited return.

Thursday night was a homecoming for the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony as they performed at a place widely regarded as their home – Centre in the Square.

CTV News was invited to speak with some key figures from the symphony at their final rehearsals.

“To see the orchestra getting ready to practice dress rehearsal at Centre in the Square is remarkable and just wonderful. It does feel like we’ve come back home,” said Ross Wells, one of the board members for the K-W Symphony.

It’s the first official concert at the venue after the symphony was forced to face the music and declare bankruptcy on the eve of their 2023/2024 season.

Mounting financial pressures, largely brought on by the pandemic, meant the cancellation of all concerts and put the future of the symphony in jeopardy.

“I’d be lying if I had zero doubts,” said Jamie Somerville, artistic advisor for the symphony, when asked whether he thought they’d ever come back.

Over the last couple of years, musicians played at smaller venues and local churches as they tried to rebuild and get back to where they belonged.

“This hall was built for the orchestra, designed for the orchestra, literally from the ground up,” explained Somerville, referring to Centre in the Square.

Concertmaster Bénédicte Lauzière called it “thrilling” to be back at the venue.

“The acoustics here are amazing,” she said.

But with only three concerts scheduled at Centre in the Square for the season, some say there is still a long road ahead.

“It’s also a little bit bittersweet as we used to have about 35 to 40 concerts per season here at Centre in the Square,” Lauzière said. “But we’re really hoping this is the beginning of a positive and symbiotic relationship between the symphony and the concert hall.”

The musicians are starting over on the right note. More seats had to be released for Thursday’s concert due to high demand from the community.

Although, members and musicians have changed their tune slightly because of the recent struggles.

“I don’t think that we can see ourselves as a symphony that only plays at Centre in the Square,” explained Wells. “I think it’s alright. We’ll be here and hopefully each year we’ll be here a little more.”

Given the homecoming performance is of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, the return couldn’t be more fitting, said Lauzière.

“We’re rising from the ashes. We’re resurrecting.”