ASO’s mission is to deliver arts in the musical form to everyone and every community for the purposes of spreading knowledge and awareness about classical music. ASO’s motto, The Voice of a New Sound, well summarizes the novelty of our mission and its positive impact. Specifically the ASO aims to: -bring classical music performances in particular to communities not represented by a local orchestra; -bring musical experiences through either a live show or virtual performance; -help further educate Albertans in terms of classical music both with online content and public interaction; -support Canadian composers and local musicians; -include individuals in any community that have limited exposure or contact with the arts community and/or little opportunity for musical experiences. 

Mandate of the Alberta Symphony Orchestra Society (ASO) is: -to advance the public's appreciation of the arts by providing high quality public performances of orchestral music and by operating a symphony orchestra throughout the Province of Alberta, nationally and internationally; -to advance the public's appreciation of the arts and specifically orchestral music by providing opportunities for music appreciation and information sessions for the public throughout the Province of Alberta, nationally and internationally. The primary purpose of our organization is to support growth in the classical music sector, music culture and education, through several channels such as live concerts, lectures, masterclasses, conferences, schools’ presentations, and any other platform that facilitates outreach and community engagement. The ASO aims to support musicians, young talents, composers, and to feature them through original, valuable, and accessible programs.  

The Alberta Symphony Orchestra Society was founded in 2015 by concert pianist and conductor, Maestro Emilio De Mercato whose brainchild was to create a new reality that would bring classical music and performances closer to all Albertans, responding to a great demand in the sector. Since its inception, the ASO has been featured in many events in Edmonton, across Alberta, and beyond. In the first year of activity, the ASO presented the Premiere Tour with two previews in Edmonton at CBC Radio and Canterbury Foundation, followed by a 10-stop tour with concerts in Edmonton (City Hall), Fort Saskatchewan, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Peace River, Lloydminster, Calgary, Red Deer, Camrose and Lethbridge. Despite the challenges, the first tour was a great success and the audience’s response impressive. In December of the same year, the ASO was invited to perform on the final night of the Celebrate The Season Festival at the Alberta Legislature Building. The success was enormous and the ASO continued to be invited annually in 2016, 2017 and 2018, for the same event. In 2016 the ASO recorded a continued growth and involvement in the community: on January 1^st the ASO donated a concert for New Year’s Day Dinner at Bissel Centre Homeless Centre; in February, a second tour was presented, this time at the national level, featuring a Stradivarius Tour with concerts in Edmonton (Winspear Centre for Music), Calgary (Rozsa Centre), Vancouver (Playhouse Theatre), and Toronto (Casa Loma). 

In June 2016, the ASO organized a special benefit concert, Symphony of Hope, for Fort McMurray, at the Royal Alberta Museum, following the wildfire that tragically hit the city; and in September, a Welcome Reception at the Santa Maria Goretti Centre Theatre was hosted for the Artistic Director of the Puccini Festival visiting from Torre del Lago Puccini (Italy), featuring a night of operatic music. 

2017 was an outstanding year that led to the very first ASO debut as a full symphony orchestra on November 17 at the Winspear Centre for Music. A 55-piece Alberta Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director and conductor Emilio De Mercato, presented a Tribute to Glenn Gould in partnership with Toronto Symphony Orchestra, with the support of Heritage Canada, for the 150th anniversary of Canada. On that historic occasion the ASO performed Beethoven’s Emperor Piano Concerto (soloist Emilio De Mercato), Dvorak New World Symphony, and the Alberta-Premiere of Kelly-Marie Murphy’s new composition: Curiosity, Genius and the Search for Petula Clark. Earlier the same year, in March 2016, pianist Emilio De Mercato presented his first Alberta Piano Tour, with piano recitals in Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Peace River, and Canmore; and in July 2016 a 2-day Glenn Gould Festival, officially endorsed by the Glenn Gould Estate of Toronto, was presented in Edmonton. Most recently the ASO presented a Tribute to Renoir, in December 2019, to honor the 100th anniversary of the death of the famous French painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir with a French music program at Allard Hall’s Triffo Theatre. 

The ASO continues to operate relentlessly with the goal of establishing itself as a new symphony orchestra and cultural organization within the community, province, and country at large, delivering a variety of initiatives, projects and high-quality performances, making classical music affordable and accessible to everyone.