Roberta Smith

Roberta Smith, Vice President and Chief of Staff at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO).  During her 20 years at the TSO, she has held leadership roles in education, community outreach, orchestra operations and senior management.

At the TSO, Roberta developed and expanded the Education and Outreach programs for young people living in the Greater Toronto Area, and for youth living in smaller communities throughout Ontario.  Under her guidance and leadership the TSO produced How the Gimquat Found Her Song (2009), an award-winning, multi-media Teacher Resource package, and commissioned a popular new orchestral work for children based on Roch Carrier’s iconic Canadian story, The Hockey Sweater (2012).  She has been deeply involved in educational partnerships involving the Royal Ontario Museum, TV Ontario, and the Li Delun Music Foundation, and has served as the Education Consultant to the Corporations of Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall.  More recently, Ms. Smith has overseen major operational activities including union contract negotiations, international touring, and managing the organization on an interim basis during a year-long CEO search.

In 2009, Roberta was awarded the Canada Council John Hobday Award in Arts Management. A member of the Toronto Music Advisory Council, she holds a Masters degree in Musicology from the University of Toronto and an MBA with a specialization in Arts and Media from the Schulich School of Business.

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