The Marquee Season 2026-27

Sinfonia Ancaster and Music Director Jeffrey Pollock invite you to The Marquee Season — a year where every concert is a headline event! This season, we celebrate elite artistry through a curated lineup of world-class guests and celebratory collaborations, right in Peller Hall. Every night this year is a main event. We can’t wait to see you there! Reserve your preferred seats NOW!

Purchase all four (4) concerts now and SAVE 20% off single-ticket prices!

SHADOWS AND SPIRITS

October 30, 2026 @ 7:30 pm — Daniel Warren, guest conductor

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS 

December 5, 2026 @ 7:30 pm — Jeffrey Pollock, conductor

Note: We also offer a one-hour HOLIDAY MATINEE, sold separately.

BRILLIANCE REFLECTED

March 5, 2027 @ 7:30 pm — Jeffrey Pollock, conductor

COMMAND PERFORMANCE

May 7, 2027 @ 7:30 pm — Jeffrey Pollock, conductor

Daniel Warren, guest conductor

Step into something extraordinary! Join us for an atmospheric Hallowe’en themed evening, as Sinfonia Ancaster transforms Peller Hall into a world of Shadows and Spirits and musical enchantment. Join us for haunting melodies, thrilling orchestral drama, and unexpected delights, as the concert hall becomes a stage for the mysterious, the magical and the macabre!

Guest conductor Daniel Warren leads the orchestra in the eerie power of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, the dramatic intensity of Berlioz’s March to the Scaffold, the soaring wonder of John Williams’ music from E.T. and the ominous power of his music from The Phantom Menace… and more!

• John Williams — Duel of the Fates, from The Phantom Menace
• Heinrich Marschner — Overture to Der Vampyr
• Charles Gounod — Funeral March for a Marionette
• Modest Mussorgsky — Night on Bald Mountain
• Maxime Goulet — On Halloween Night
• Bernard Herrmann — Prelude to Psycho
• Luigi Boccherini — La Casa del Diavolo, III. Allegro assai con moto
• Camille Saint-Saëns — Danse Macabre
• Hector Berlioz — Symphonie Fantastique, IV. March to the Scaffold
• Edvard Grieg — In the Hall of the Mountain King
• John Williams, arr. John Cacavas — Selections from E.T.

Hallowe’en costumes encouraged – add your own touch of flair to this exhilarating and memorable evening!

Jeffrey Pollock, conductor

Special Offer: Thanks to a City of Hamilton Ward 12 Grant, we are offering a limited number of free tickets to the Holiday Matinee for children and youth under 25. Call the Box Office at (905) 304-3232 to request up to 3 free under-25 tickets for each Adult or Senior ticket purchased.

Kick off the season with Sinfonia Ancaster’s annual Christmas Matinee, packed with family favourites and singalongs! Shortened from our evening program, this one-hour family concert without intermission features a selection of the traditional holiday favourites and a singalong. Performing Duke Ellington’s swing-infused Nutcracker Suite, The Jazz Connection Big Band will add a fresh take to our annual tradition!

• Traditional, arr. Bob Krogstad — The Bells of Christmas
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Overture to The Nutcracker
• Duke Ellington — Entr’acte
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Dance of the Reed Pipes
• Duke Ellington — Toot Toot Tootie Toot
• Pietro Yon, arr. William Ryden — Gésu Bambino
• Dan Goeller — International Festival of Carols
• Sean O’Boyle — Christmas Story
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Russian Dance
• Duke Ellington — Sugar Rum Cherry
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — March
• Duke Ellington, arr. Jeff Tyzik — Peanut Brittle Brigade
• Lee Norris — Christmas Pops Sing-Along

Pictures with Santa in the lobby before the concert!

Note: The evening performance will be a full-length concert with intermission.

Jeffrey Pollock, conductor

Kick off the season with our annual sell-out Christmas concert, packed with family favourites and sing-alongs. The Jazz Connection Big Band will add a fresh take to our annual tradition, performing Duke Ellington’s swing-infused Nutcracker Suite.

• Traditional, arr. Bob Krogstad — The Bells of Christmas
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Overture to The Nutcracker
• Duke Ellington — Entr’acte
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Dance of the Reed Pipes
• Duke Ellington — Toot Toot Tootie Toot
• Traditional, arr. Calvin Custer — It’s Christmastime!
• Pietro Yon, arr. William Ryden — Gésu Bambino
• Leroy Anderson — A Christmas Festival
• Victor Herbert, arr. O. Langey — March of the Toys
• Dan Goeller — International Festival of Carols
• Joni Mitchell, arr. Bradley Thachuk — River
• Duke Ellington — Sugar Rum Cherry
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Russian Dance
• Duke Ellington — Chinoiserie
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Waltz of the Flowers
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — March
• Duke Ellington, arr. Jeff Tyzik — Peanut Brittle Brigade
• Lee Norris — Christmas Pops Sing-Along

Photos with Santa Claus in the lobby before the concert & at intermission!

Note: The matinee performance will be a shortened one-hour concert without intermission.

Jeffrey Pollock, conductor

This concert turns the spotlight on four winners from our inaugural concerto competition, jointly created by the Hamilton Music Festival and Sinfonia Ancaster.  The orchestra joins our young soloists in performances of music by J.C. Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. This celebratory evening also features the glittering and evocative colours of Kodály’s Háry János Suite.

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Violin Concerto, I. Allegro moderato, with Zhou Yang
• Franz Josef Haydn — Cello Concerto in C major, II. Adagio, with Dora Hong
• Johann Christian Bach — Cello Concerto in C minor, III. Allegro molto energico, with Bella Feng
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Dove sono i bei momenti” from Le nozze di Figaro, with Abigail Veenstra
• Erich Wolfgang Korngold — Theme and Variations, Op. 42
• Zoltán Kodály — Háry János Suite

Jeffrey Pollock, conductor
Philip Chiu, piano

We conclude with a true Command Performance! The lean and energetic Symphony No. 3 of Sibelius sets the stage for Juno Award-winning pianist Philip Chiu’s performance of Beethoven’s triumphant Emperor Concerto.

• Jessie Montgomery — Overture (2022)
• Jean Sibelius — Symphony No. 3
• Ludwig van Beethoven — Piano Concerto No. 5, The Emperor, with Philip Chiu