2026 Impact Report
KAREN KAMENSEK Principal Guest Conductor ILAN KUMARANAYAKE MENDEL Resident Conductor DR. MARK BARTEL Chorus Director MARC STEVENS President + CEO
In memory of Cris Derksen, Artistic Advisor (2021–2026) In memory of Tom McCaslin, Principal Tuba (2016–2025) For a full list of Orchestra, Chorus, Board, Foundation, Volunteers, and Administration, visit calgaryphil.com
On the cover: Principal Guest Conductor Karen Kamensek leads soprano Anna Pompeeva, mezzosoprano Mireille Lebel, tenor Michael Schade, and baritone Geoffrey Sirett, along with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, for a sold-out performance of Verdi's Requiem. 20 March 2026
Over 10,000 Calgarians converged on Prince's Island for the largest Phil in the Park to date. Resident Conductor Juliane Gallant and the Orchestra provided the soundtrack to a wonderful afternoon of music, fun, and community. 7 September 2025
Our Purpose
Through live orchestral music, the Calgary Phil welcomes people together and inspires our communities.
Strategic Priorities Trusted Programming
The Calgary Phil shares music that entertains, educates, challenges, and reflects the world we live in, and most importantly, envisions the world we would like to see.
Community Builder
The Calgary Phil recognizes the responsibilities we have to our communities, and the opportunities in listening to and learning from our communities. We want to make the most of opportunities for connecting with more people across Calgary.
Organizational Well-Being
The people working at the Calgary Phil support each other to thrive and develop respectful and productive relationships. We will optimize our internal systems and grow financial sustainability.
← Conductor Caleb Young leads from the podium as rising star Amaryn Olmeda dazzles on Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto at Best of Barber: Adagio + More. 21 November 2025
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra joined forces with the Calgary Philharmonic at the Jack Singer Concert Hall for the monumental Alberta in Harmony: The Planets. Conductor Naomi Woo led more than 110 musicians at sold-out concerts in both Calgary and Edmonton. 2 May 2026
“Charm and grace have their own way of speaking, and there was plenty to go
around to conclude a fine season of music-making by Calgary's own professional orchestra, a point of deserved civic pride.” Calgary Herald JUNE 2026
Season finale Hans Graf Returns: A Midsummer Night's Dream reunited Calgary Phil's Music Director Emeritus with the Orchestra and veteran Calgary actor Maureen Thomas. 5 June 2026
Our Values Excellence
We constantly seek better paths and solutions by providing opportunities, encouragement, and training.
Belonging
We nurture curious spaces where music connects people to experience powerful emotions.
Creativity
We learn, stay curious, and lean into dissonance and creative tension to see things we could not before and make connections where none existed.
Openness
We keep listening to each other and our communities to better appreciate different perspectives, deepen our understanding, and strengthen our relationships.
→ Canadian conductor Julian Kuerti and the Second Violins during an epic and impassioned performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. 3 October 2025 Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser with the Orchestra and powerhouse vocalists Shakura S'Aida and Alita Moses at Dance Dance Disco — a production that the conductor initially debuted at BBC Proms. 6 March 2026
Live Concerts
77
Concerts presented
30
Performances for partners
30
Guest conductors
3
World premieres of new concerts
79
Guest artists and groups
The 2025/2026 Season kicked off with a massive dance party at a new venue for the Calgary Phil, the Big Four Roadhouse. The occasion was the North American premiere of SYNTHONY! — a bold blend of electronic dance music and symphonic sounds. 5 September 2025
← Conductor and harpsichordist Camille Delaforge with the Orchestra at Mount Royal University's intimate and beautiful performance hall, one of two Baroque at Bella concerts in 2025/2026. 5 February 2026
→ Former Barenaked Lady and Canadian pop icon Steven Page got into the festive spirit during a special holiday concert with the Orchestra at the Jubilee Auditorium. 6 December 2025 Calgary Phil double bassist Matthew Heller, recipient of last season's Music Education Champion award, and a young fan at the Instrument Discovery Zoo before Symphony Sundays for Kids' When Instruments Roamed the Earth. 1 March 2026
← 2025/2026 MacLachlan/Ridge Emerging Artist Luka Coetzee in the spotlight for Sergei Prokofiev's Sinfonia concertante at It Takes Two: A Symphonic Collaboration, led by conductor Fawzi Haimor. Presented in partnership with One Yellow Rabbit for the High Performance Rodeo, the concert also featured the Calgary Youth Orchestra performing side-by-side with the Phil. 23 January 2026
← Sensational vocalists Ender Thomas and Jackie Mendez turn up the heat with the Orchestra and conductor Enrico LopezYañez at La Vida Loca: Latin Pop Hits. 10 April 2026
Audience
111,735 Tickets
58%
of audiences were first time patrons
20%
Attendees from outside of Calgary
5,124
Members of Cpossibilities for people aged 13–35
Grande Prairie's own multi-award-winning singersongwriter Tenille Townes makes her orchestral debut with the Calgary Phil, led by Juliane Gallant, for the Taylor Family Foundation concerts. 25 April 2026
BY THE
M US I C ED UCATIO N
8,039
NUMBERS
Whether holding a massive dance party at the Stampede grounds or kicking off the holiday season at WinSport, the Calgary Phil celebrated its landmark 70th season by performing a dazzlingly diverse array of concerts across the city. In expanding its reach through new venue partners, making bold programming choices that accounted for audiences of all ages, tastes, and backgrounds, hosting free community concerts that drew thousands of music lovers, and presenting acclaimed Education Concerts and engaging school outreach visits, Calgary Phil made great strides in realizing its longstanding goal of making orchestral music accessible to absolutely everyone. Calgary responded in kind: selling out 24 concerts; signing up for initiatives such as Cpossibilities; joining the Phil’s amazing force of volunteers; and creating a palpable buzz in the concert hall and beyond. Here’s to the next 70 years!
Students attended Education Concerts
5,124 AUD I ENCE
CPOSSIBILITIES members (AGED 13–35)
25–29 8%
TIC KET S
111,735 Total tickets sold in the 2025/2026 Season
36% INCREASE FROM 2024/2025
76%
Prefer not to answer: 1%
23%
18–24 5%
30–34 7%
35–44 18%
The largest age bracket among adults is 65–74 at 19% *
75+ 9%
65–74 19%
23% of patrons identify as Indigenous, Black, Southeast Asian, South Asian, East Asian, Latino, Middle Eastern, or mixed ethnicity. 76% of patrons identify as White.*
9% INCREASE FROM 2024/2025
*
45–54 18%
55–64 15%
Data collected from 2025 Audience Survey
BRA N D
REV E NUE
Government Funding Calgary Philharmonic Foundation of Calgary Philharmonic supporters and 85% of the general population believe that the Calgary Phil — through its performances and programs — helps make life in Calgary better.
19%
Individual Donors and Corporate Sponsors
20%
17%
Ticket Revenue and Other Sales 44%
Calgary Philharmonic supporters truly believe in the brand and see it as
WELCOMING, UNIQUE, AND INSPIRING.
Ticket Revenue and Other Sales $6,298,473
6% INCREASE FROM 2024/2025
CALGARY PHILHARMONIC 2025 BRAND REPUTATION STUDY
Calgary Philharmonic Foundation
O NL IN E REAC H
$2,821,000
54,991
Newsletter Subscribers 2% INCREASE FROM 2024/2025
43,300 Followers
4% INCREASE FROM 2024/2025
648,093 Website visits
46% INCREASE FROM 2024/2025
Government Funding $2,626,087
Individual Donors and Corporate Sponsors $2,415,051
Of the $2,626,087 received from government sources, more than
100%
was returned to government through payroll taxes, sales taxes, and facility rent.
→ Rapper Jecorey Arthur drops a rhyme just in time for Halloween as conductor Steve Hackman leads the Orchestra through his trademark classical-pop fusions at Skull + Bones. 31 October 2025
← Calgary Phil Concertmaster Diana Cohen takes a stellar turn as soloist on Max Bruch's First Violin Concerto as part of the program for IX: Shostakovich. 27 February 2026 Alberta-born artistic powerhouse Vivek Shraya makes her orchestral debut with the Calgary Phil for the world premiere of Vivek Shraya: One Night Only, presented in partnership with One Yellow Rabbit for the High Performance Rodeo. 30 January 2026
Superstar pianist Lang Lang gives a tour de force performance with the Orchestra at his much-anticipated Calgary debut, An Evening with Lang Lang. 27 September 2025
“ Without exaggeration it was the best night I have had over the 15+ years that I have been attending the Philharmonic! Thank you again for an incredible night. The smile on my face hasn't left since the concert ended and I expect it will remain for a long time.” Calgary Phil Audience Member SEPTEMBER 2025
Community Access
1,080
Tickets donated to local charities through our HeartStrings program, military families, high school students, and to support fundraising initiatives through silent auctions
1,214
Tickets donated to newcomers to Canada through the Canoo Program
3,471
Seniors and students attended Open Rehearsals
Resident Conductor Juliane Gallant and the Orchestra making spirits bright at the free and festive noon-hour Brookfield Place food court concert. 26 November 2025
→ The Calgary Phil, led by conductor Janna Sailor, makes its debut at Alpine Park with a free concert presented by the southwest Calgary community. 9 September 2025
← The Orchestra and holiday revelers at the beautiful Grace Presbyterian Church for the always popular Traditional Christmas. 9 December 2025 Having a great knight at Steve Hackman's Skull + Bones on All Hallow's Eve, featuring colourful costumes by audience members and Orchestra musicians alike. 31 October 2025
Music Education
8,039
Students attended Education concerts
78
Education and Outreach events
When the concert hall becomes a classroom: Calgary-area school kids and their educators packed the Jack Singer for the Swan Lake Education Concerts. Award-winning artist Judd Palmer joined the Orchestra as narrator and created the illustrations projected on the big screen. 5 March 2026
“We immensely enjoyed this as a group — just having an opportunity for our students to try something so enriching and different than what they typically experience. The students that attended did exceptionally well and enjoyed the entire performance.” Calgary Teacher NOVEMBER 2025
← Symphony Sundays for Kids' Wandering with Wonder featured original works by five Canadian composers, including Sherryl Sewepagaham and Walter MacDonald White Bear, seen here performing with the Orchestra at the concert. 10 May 2026 Calgary Phil Associate Principal Horn Jennifer Frank-Umana and Assistant Principal Horn Maxwell Stein bring orchestral sounds to children with complex disabilities at Emily Follensbee School. 20 January 2026
← The Orchestra performs the classic score to the holiday favourite Home Alone live-to-film in their first ever concert at WinSport Event Centre. 28 November 2025
→ Mayor Jeromy Farkas makes a surprise visit behind-the-scenes at GameSymphonic with Eímear Noone at the Jubilee. Vocalist Carly Smithson, left, joins Farkas and conductorcomposer Noone for a post-concert moment. 28 March 2026 On stage dino action to the delight of young fans at When Instruments Roamed the Earth!, presented as part of the 2025/2026 Symphony Sundays for Kids series. 1 March 2026
Volunteers
107 Volunteers
2,641
Hours donated by volunteers
162
Calgary Phil Chorus members
17,521
Hours donated by Chorus members
Conductor Tristan Rais-Sherman, vocalist Erika Noot, the Orchestra, and Chorus simmered at The Music of Hans Zimmer, celebrating iconic, out-of-this-world scores from Dune, Interstellar, The Dark Knight, and many more. 16 January 2026
→ Acclaimed violinist Gil Shaham reacts to the enthusiastic applause of Phil fans at Gil Shaham plays Beethoven. The occasion marked the debut of the equally renowned Karen Kamensek in the role of Calgary Phil Principal Guest Conductor. 12 September 2025
← Canadian conductor and violinist Timothy Chooi puts spring into his step at the perennial favourite, Vivaldi's Four Seasons. 17 April 2026 Vocalist and musician Hans Fiance conjures the Purple One and gets everyone partying like it's 1999 at The Music of Prince. 8 November 2025
Calgary Phil belongs to everyone.
Juliane Gallant's successful three-year tenure as Calgary Phil Resident Conductor comes to a close with the final notes of Broadway Hits: Hamilton, RENT! + More, the last Pops concert of the 2025/2026 Season. 29 May 2026
2025/2026 SEASON SPONSOR
CORE FUNDERS
For a full list of supporters, visit calgaryphil.com/supporters