ABOUT US
The HSSB is Toronto’s award-winning professional brass band and resident company of Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. In 1983 The Hannaford Street Silver Band was formed by a group of professional musicians with a love of the brass repertoire and ensemble playing. Since then, the HSSB has been reinvigorating the brass band tradition to critical and popular acclaim. Its mission is to honour the traditions of this art form and at the same time place them in a contemporary context with a uniquely Canadian point of view. The HSSB has redefined what a brass band is capable of by facilitating innovative creative projects and collaborating with the very best of Canada’s diverse cultures and outstanding artists.
Unique in its mandate and structure, the HSSB is the only fully professional ensemble of its kind in Canada and one of two in North America. Through its artistic excellence and ongoing advocacy of this art form, the HSSB has had a local, provincial, national and international impact. The HSSB stands apart in this musical genre in its pursuit of artistic creativity and musical innovation.
One of Hannaford’s core values is to foster musical education and to this end, the Silver Band administers the Hannaford Youth Program. Musicians between the ages of eight and 24 perform in three vibrant ensembles and each year almost 100 young musicians gain music education and leadership skills in this dynamic and busy program.
The HSSB also maintains a vigorous commissioning program that has resulted in new concert works for brass band by such Canadian composers as John Estacio, Elizabeth Raum, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Vivian Fung, Christos Hatzis, Barbara Assiginaak, Bramwell Tovey, Malcolm Forsyth, Gary Kulesha, Raymond Luedeke, J. Scott Irvine, Andrew MacDonald, Donald Coakley, John Burge, Roger Bergs, Alex Pauk, Omar Daniel, Charles Cozens, Patrick Cardy, Henry Kucharzyk, Randolph Peters, Jeff Ryan, Scott Good, Larysa Kuzmenko, Derek Holman, Erik Ross, Marcus Venables, and Rob Teehan. The commission, Requiem Mass for a Charred Skull by Bramwell Tovey was awarded a 2003 JUNO Award for Best Classical Composition.
In recognition of its accomplishments, the HSSB has twice been awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the Arts.
HSSB Mission Statement
The mission of the Hannaford Street Silver Band is to honour the positive traditions of this art form and place it in a contemporary Canadian context.
The HSSB’s annual series of concerts, youth programming, publishing, and other activities are based on the following ideals:
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Build community amongst musicians and audiences
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Celebrate this art form in a contemporary context with a unique Canadian view
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Break down access barriers to professionally produced music and art
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Redefine what a brass band is capable of and strive for the highest possible musical and organizational standards in pursuit of innovative Canadian creative projects
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Promote Canadian soloists, conductors, and composers
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Reflect the diverse cultures within Toronto and Canada
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Facilitate innovative creative projects and collaborate with the very best of Canada’s diverse cultures and outstanding artists
Meet the HSSB Board of Directors
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Staff
Personnel Manager: Chris Passmore
Subscriber and Donor Relations: Michelle Wylie
Music Librarian: Robert Conquer
Graphic Design: Rocking Horse Creative
Membership
The membership of the Hannaford Band is made of an incredible group of Toronto musicians including these wonderful people:
Cornet
Neal Andrews
Carlene Brown
Norman Engel
Michael Fedyshyn
Luise Heyerhoff
Todd Holland
Aaron Hodgson
Andrew Mendis
Brad Norton
Declan Scott
Marcus Venables
Charlie Watson
Michelle Wylie
Flugelhorn
Anita McAlister
Euphonium
Carina Lam
Robert Miller
Eb Horn
Charlotte Alexander
Daniel Ho
Christine Passmore
Tom Wade-West
Eb and Bb Tuba
Rob Brown
Dan Hill
Sasha Johnson
Jon Rowsell
Noel Samuels
Jen Stephen
Baritone
Kevin Hayward
Cathy Stone
Barrington Venables
Tenor and Bass Trombone
Robert Conquer
Megan Hodge
David Pell
Collins Saunders
Ben Storm
Timpani and Percussion
Tim Francom
Kristofer Maddigan
Andrew Rasmus
Richard Moore
Michael Murphy
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Together with many arts organisations, the Hannaford Band is examining its history and values to determine where changes need to be made to better reflect the diversity of our world. We are examining our traditional practices with the intention of uncovering where we have contributed to the oppression of marginalised artists.
We recognize that we have been part of a Eurocentric system that ignores the experience of many with the effect of creating barriers to shared experience, meaningful collaboration, and inclusivity. Going forward, we will intentionally broaden the scope of who participates in every level of our organisation.
Traditionally, the music we create, and skill sets required of our performers, are reliant on an educational system which is inherently skewed toward exclusion, and we understand how that can alienate performers and audiences. We are working to change this system of music education by creating an inclusive learning space, subsidizing the cost of Youth Program tuition, offering scholarships for those with financial need, and providing instruments to all who join the program.
We are working to bring new perspectives into the organization through consultation of marginalized and racialized arts and through recruitment to the Board of Directors.
We will continue to commission and publish works from women and IBPOC composers.
While we cannot undo any actions we’ve taken in the past, we are working to counteract the systems that divide us, and we are confident that we will grow into an organisation that highlights and celebrates the many different voices that make up the fabric of our country.
We are committed to learning, to listening, to be accountable, and to be good stewards of the knowledge we gain.
The Hannaford Band thanks you for your trust as we strive to remain a vibrant and relevant part of Toronto’s musical identity