ASSOCIATION OF CANADIAN ORCHESTRAS (1972- )
MUS 201

Association of Canadian Orchestra fonds.  - 1972-1989.  - 3.25 m of textual records.  - 98 photographs.  - 1 audio tape cassette. 

Administrative history
Born of the need to protect and serve the interests of orchestras at the national level, the ACO was founded in 1972 by Kenneth Winters, executive director of the Ontario Federation of Symphony Orchestras (OFSO) and first executive director of the ACO.  The Association comprises a federated group of professional, semi-professional, community and chamber orchestras.  It is involved in a number of areas, such as labour relations, retirement funds, trainee systems, professional management training, federal grants, and terms of employment for foreign instrumentalists.  Although it shares the premises and administration of OFSO, the ACO has its own board of directors, program and initiatives.  The ACO and OFSO are co-publishers of the periodical Orchestra Canada and the yearly Directory of Canadian Orchestras and Youth Orchestras. 

Scope and content
The fonds contains records illustrating the activities of the Association:  correspondence; memoranda; minutes; reports; financial records; programmes; press clippings and brochures; membership lists; photographs; sound recording of the Parkdale United Church Orchestra. 

Immediate source of acquisition:  acquired from the ACO in 1991. 

Restrictions:  written permission is required for access to the financial records and minutes. 

Finding aids:  provisional description. 

Accruals:  further accessions expected.