L’Orchestre symphonique de Laval: Forty years of music

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The 2025–26 season marks a major turning point for Orchestre symphonique de Laval. Not only is the ensemble celebrating its 40th anniversary, but it is also inaugurating a new artistic direction under the baton of Adam Johnson and a new general management led by Daphné Bisson. This double change at the helm promises to revitalize the orchestra, strengthen its ties with the community and broaden the impact of its concerts.

Johnson will be on the podium to start the season on Oct. 29 at Salle André-Mathieu, for Celebration: 40 Years of History and Future at the OSL. The concert will pay tribute to the orchestra’s inaugural program in 1986 which included Rossini’s William Tell Overture and Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. This festive throwback will be complemented by more contemporary works by Maxime Goulet and Camille Pépin, as well as Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 played by the young virtuoso, Chloé Dumoulin.

Bisson, the orchestra’s new executive director, has a vision focused on accessibility, local outreach and collaboration. She wants to bring the orchestra to the heart of the community: “Our hope for the coming years is to attract more Laval residents to our concerts and to be closer to the community.” The OSL already has numerous initiatives in place to bring different age groups together (Bébé musique, Matinées scolaires) and showcase its musicians (Chamber Music Concerts).

Bisson is also counting on collaborations with institutions and organizations based in the Laval area. “It is essential to maintain links with schools and community groups that bring music to life,” she says, “but also to increase partnerships, such as the one we currently have with the Société littéraire de Laval. We will have readings of poems written for chamber-music concerts.” These fruitful partnerships help to strengthen ties within the community, attract new audiences and consolidate the orchestra’s influence in the Laval area.

To mark this 40th anniversary, there will be several historical nods. A concert on Dec. 10 will welcome the Patenaude family, in tribute to the ensemble’s co-founder and first musical director, Gilbert Patenaude. For the last concert of the season, the OSL will be reunited with Jean-François Rivest, who was its artistic director for more than 10 years. But this anniversary year is not just about celebrating the past; it is also about preparing for the future. With Johnson and Bisson, the OSL is building its foundations on community, inclusion and the next generation. The spirit of renewal is palpable and promises a rich, generous and ambitious season deeply rooted in Laval.