Amateur conductor and CEO performs with Toronto Symphony Orchestra to a packed house

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s performance this week of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C Minor included a lot of what attendees might expect to see – and hear – from a concert at a packed Roy Thomson Hall: bows raised and lowered in near-perfect unison, a mezzo-soprano in a glittery gown and dramatic swells of music.

What some attendees didn’t know they were getting, however, was an amateur conductor who bankrolled the production. Having come across ads for the performance on social media, some attendees said they took advantage of lower admission prices to hear a long-admired piece of music played by some of the most talented musicians in the country.