The Berlin Sibelius Orchestra was founded in 1980 to give talented amateur musicians the opportunity to explore and perform the works of Jean Sibelius and other Scandinavian composers. Since then, the orchestra has branched out to perform the major classical and romantic works of the European symphonic repertoire, usually under the direction of members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and with other renowned conductors and soloists. They have given over 100 concerts in Germany, France, Israel, Mexico, Finland and now Canada.

The Orcestre Philharmonia Mundi de Montréal is a non-professional orchestra founded in 2002 and directed by Jean-Pascal Hamelin. The orchestra consists of about 75 musicians and gives at least 3 concerts a year.

The collaboration between the two orchestras began when the Orchestre Philharmonia Mundi de Montréal invited the Berlin Sibelius Orchestra to participate in an orchestra exchange program. Members of the OPMM visited Berlin in the summer of 2023, and this concert is part of the return leg of our project.