We recently got the chance to collaborate with two of the talented men behind Toronto’s Symphony Orchestra, creating a collection of quiet luxury inspired by their lives and work. One half of the duo is Mark Williams: an exceedingly cool and collected guy originally hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio. He first joined the TSO in 2022, making him the first Black person to become CEO of a major symphony orchestra in North America. It was a move that also reunited him with the Spanish conductor Gustavo Gimeno, who he had worked with before at the Cleveland Orchestra.

The two come to the centuries old institution with a modern mission: to bring classical music to the masses. As Mark so beautifully put it in our most recent chat:

It’s a noble cause and one we are more than happy to get behind. We thought, how better to do this than creating a playlist for our own community. Mark shared with us a diverse collection of tracks to educate and inspire even the most novice listener, with compositions from around the globe. It’s a stirring selection, we hope you’ll take a moment out of your day to give a listen.

We sat down with Mark and Gustavo at Roy Thomson Hall to talk all about how they’re working together to achieve a brighter future for classical music. To learn more about the pair and our recent collaboration, check out the full interview.

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