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Inside the Victoria Symphony

September 19 @ 1:00 pm

We are proud to host a special event as part of Culture Days 2026! Have you ever wondered how to make a violin sing or what it’s like to play a trombone? Now’s your chance to find out. Come get Inside the Victoria Symphony—meet the Maestro, join the full orchestra in rehearsal, try an instrument, and get up close and personal!

Culture Days is Canada’s largest public participation campaign for the arts! Celebrate arts, culture, and heritage in your community through free and interactive events. Explore all the event in BC!

Registration for this event is required.

REGISTER

Event Schedule:

1:00 pm: Doors open

1:10-1:20 pm: Enjoy performances by students from the Victoria Conservatory of Music

1:30-2:30 pm: Join the Victoria Symphony in rehearsal

2:30-3:15 pm: Meet VS musicians in the lobby

Experience our Instrument Petting Zoo, Colouring Table, and other activities in the lobby throughout the event.

All Ages Welcome!

The event is free to attend, but donations are gratefully accepted.

Sean O’Loughlin, conductor

Sean O’Loughlin (b.1972) is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Victoria Symphony and the Principal Pops Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony. His diverse background includes collaborations with some of the leading symphonies and popular artists of today. As a conductor, he has led performances with the Boston Pops Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Vancouver Symphony and the San Diego Symphony amongst others. He has served as conductor for symphony tours with Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan, The Decemberists and the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration. He has appeared on Good Morning America and the PBS Special “Stages” with Josh Groban in addition to NBC’s “A Very Pentatonix Christmas.”

Recent collaborations include such artists as Alicia Keys, Josh Groban, Journey, a-ha, Jason Mraz, The Beach Boys, Sarah McLachlan, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, Pentatonix, Kelly Clarkson, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Blue Man Group, Janelle Monáe, Audra McDonald, Hall and Oates, the Indigo Girls, The Go-Go’s, Bonnie Raitt, Pink Martini, Brandi Carlile, Weird Al Yankovic, Melissa Etheridge and others. Through his growing number of commissioned and published works, Sean is excited to continue contributing to the rich history of orchestral and wind band literature. His music is published by Excelcia Music, Hal Leonard and Carl Fischer. An annual ASCAP Special Awards winner, Sean was a composition fellow at the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles, and holds composition degrees from New England Conservatory and Syracuse University.

Culture Days is a national celebration of arts and culture. At the end of each September, millions of people attend thousands of free participatory arts and culture events across the country both in-person and online. Culture Days programs invite the public to get hands-on and behind-the-scenes to highlight the importance of arts and culture in our communities.

Find free events at culturedays.ca

September 18 – October 4, 2026.

Details

  • Date: September 19
  • Time:
    starts at 1:00 pm

Venue

  • Royal Theatre
  • 805 Broughton St + Google Map
  • Phone 250.386.6121

Victoria Symphony respectfully acknowledges and offers gratitude to the lək̓ʷəŋən people, known today as the Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations, whose unceded lands we live, work, and perform on. We honour their stewardship, care, and leadership — past, present, and future.