Lions Gate Sinfonia

Founded in 2000 by conductor Clyde Mitchell, Lions Gate Sinfonia is the North Shore's professional orchestra, built on a core of union musicians whose résumés include the Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver Opera Orchestra and CBC Radio Orchestra. Its season moves between West Vancouver churches and North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre, pairing the standard repertoire with a long run of Canadian works, notably by North Shore composer Michael Conway Baker. Education sits at the centre: the orchestra founded the Lions Gate Youth Orchestra, and its spring concert gives student soloists a turn in the spotlight.