We had a fantastic turnout at our annual Christmas potluck, celebrated the holiday season with food, drinks, games and presents.

Members preparing for the chamber recital in various formations…

Our photographer roamed around the practice rooms and snapped these shots of members preparing for the chamber recital on Dec. 4.

With weekly rehearsals and annual auditions, the orchestra has been a great venue for members looking to improve their practical music skills. As a complement to this, Tony has been running a weekly theory class for all interested members. The goal of the class is to improve our understanding of music theory as well as applying these principles to pieces that we’ve been rehearsing for in our upcoming annual concert. Hopefully, we won’t put his efforts to waste as we gear up for the RCM theory examination in Spring of 2010.

Mr. Bill Lai 黎焯明, President of B.C. Chinese Music Association and the visionary who brought the Chinese Central Conservatory of Music from Beijing to Canada 4 years ago, was in town last week to administer the exam. He was kind enough to visit us at rehearsal.

L to R: Susanna, Tony, Frederick, Richard, Bill, John, Patty

Starting in Oct. 2009, we moved to a new rehearsal space at 2330 Midland Ave. Now we have ample space for the whole orchestra, plus separate rooms for sectionals!

Before that, we practiced in a basement room that barely fit our 35+ members. Here is a picture of the old place:

We held our picnic at the end of August. Everyone had a great time enjoying food, fun, and conversation.

The banner was designed by Wil Lau, our resident branding specialist. He is also the creative mind behind the TCO logo. This banner features the bowed string and wind sections of the Chinese Orchestra. A second complimentary banner featuring the plucked strings and percussion is planned for 2010, when Wil has recharged.

Here is Patty, our concertmistress, posing with the banner.

We got to show off our new, handsome T-shirts during the July 11, 2009 performance at “My Mississauga.” It was an especially memorable performance because many of us got wet while performing.

Here’s the black version worn during the First Markham Place performances by the youth. The ones not wearing the black T-shirts are Susanna and Frederick.