The Kensington Sinfonia was founded in 1988 by John Lowry, Associate Concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic, and freelance musicians. In 1993 Edmond Agopian was
appointed Music Director of this unique professional ensemble in Calgary, and served until 2006 when the position was given to Donovan Seidle. In 2018 we welcomed Laura Reid as our fourth music
director.
The Sinfonia's programs cover a wide range of chamber music and string orchestra repertoire, from the Baroque to present day. Since its inception, it has frequently commissioned works by Calgary composers, as well as presenting the Calgary premieres of many Canadian compositions. The Sinfonia has been frequently broadcast on both regional and national CBC Radio programs. It's debut recording "Views from the Americas", recorded by CBC Radio, has also been broadcast often. Having crossed the quarter-century mark, the Kensington Sinfonia continues to expand and innovate in its programming and its presentation.
The musical intimacy between players and the audience is extremely important in the Sinfonia's performances. It is with this in mind that the Sinfonia chooses to
perform at the wonderfully intimate and acoustically satisfying Hope Lutheran Church. 2017 saw the addition of a new concert series, the Village Sessions, at the taproom in Village
Brewery.