407 ETR investing $2.3 million to bring Toronto Symphony Orchestra closer to GTA families

Largest corporate investment in TSO history kicks off at the Open House & Free Community Concert powered by 407 ETR

TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2026 /CNW/ -- 407 ETR is helping bring the power of live orchestral music to communities across the GTA with a $2.3 million investment to Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). As the inaugural Presenting Partner of Symphony Where You Are, 407 ETR's commitment is the largest corporate sponsorship in the orchestra's history and will bring more community-based musical experiences beginning in Brampton and later expanding to Markham and Scarborough.

The TSO performs the "Reggae Roots" program at The Rose Brampton, April 2023 (Photo by Christina DeMelo/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra)

A young patron at the Long and McQuade Instrument Discovery Zone, October 2025 (Photo by Christina DeMelo/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra)

The TSO and members of Sanskriti Arts at the "Bhangra & Beyond" program at The Rose Brampton, April 2024 (Photo by Allan Cabral/Courtesy of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra)

 "Symphony Where You Are will help more families experience one of Canada's leading cultural institutions and create new opportunities for people to experience live orchestra closer to home," says Jose Espinosa, President & CEO, 407 ETR. "Highway 407 ETR helps people move across the GTA more efficiently and connect growing communities to jobs, services, and shared experiences. This partnership with TSO helps 407 ETR facilitate the movement of culture as well."

Together, 407 ETR and the TSO will introduce new audiences to orchestral music across the region, helping make one of Canada's leading cultural institutions more accessible to families throughout the GTA. The partnership will officially launch at the annual Open House & Free Community Concert, powered by 407 ETR on September 26, 2026 at Roy Thomson Hall. As the orchestra's largest free public event, the Open House welcomes more than 4,000 people each year for performances, family programming and opportunities to experience the orchestra in an inclusive and accessible environment.

"An orchestra should belong to the people it serves," says Mark Williams, Beck Family CEO, Toronto Symphony Orchestra. "Symphony Where You Are reflects our commitment to creating more opportunities for people to experience the orchestra in their own communities--and to feel that this orchestra belongs to them. We're incredibly grateful to 407 ETR for its visionary leadership as inaugural Presenting Partner."

Symphony Where You Are builds on a three-year community partnership in Brampton where collaboration with The Rose Theatre helped shape the program's approach to community engagement. Concerts including Reggae Roots, Bhangra & Beyond, Hot! Hot! Hot! and Fiesta Sinfónica introduced audiences to music that celebrated and integrated traditions and cultural experiences.

Fast Facts:

• 407 ETR also proudly supports Bees: A Story of Survival at the Royal Ontario Museum, on now until October.
• This year, 407 ETR was the lead sponsor of Fresh Air: New Acquisitions in Context at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. 
• 407 ETR sponsors City of Brampton community programs through ActiveAssist to help make community engagement more accessible to people living below the poverty line or with disabilities.
• 407 ETR supported the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in Markham as the Official Highway Sponsor of the inaugural race weekend in August and invited fans to visit 407 ETR Thunder Alley for a memorable experience.
• Nearly 180,000 Brampton residents rely on Highway 407 ETR for faster commutes, and a quarter of 407 ETR's workforce also calls Brampton home.
• One-in-three Markham residents rely on Highway 407 ETR to get to their destinations quicker. The Highway enables an additional 1.2 million people from across the region to reach downtown Markham within an hour compared to alternate routes.
• An economic impact assessment by global infrastructure consultancy Steer found that an additional 20 per cent more people can access key regional destinations within a 60-minute drive with Highway 407 ETR.

About 407 ETR

Highway 407 ETR is an all-electronic open-access toll highway located in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. The highway spans 108 kilometres from Burlington in the west to Pickering in the east.

407 International Inc. is the sole shareholder of 407 ETR and is owned by:

• Cintra Global S.E., a subsidiary of Ferrovial S.A. (48.29%)
• Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and other institutional investors with non-controlling interests (44.20%)
• Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments) (7.51%)

SOURCE 407 ETR Concession Company Limited

For media inquiries: [email protected], 407etr.com/newsroom