The Hart House Orchestra inaugurated the K. Alan Turner Prize on March 26th, 1992 at its Spring concert. The prize was presented to recognize the long-standing service of Alan Turner to Hart House and to congratulate the winner of the Hart House Orchestra Members Concerto Competition.¹ (At that time, the competition was open to members of the Hart House Orchestra, Chamber Winds, Chamber Strings and Jazz Ensemble.) K. Alan Turner was elected to the Hart House Music Committee in 1943 while studying electrical engineering at the University of Toronto.

Principal Conductor & Music Director
1976 (Fall) – 1987 (Spring)	William Phillips
1987 (Fall) – 1995 (Spring)	Dr. Errol Gay

The text below includes edited excerpts from the Canadian Encylopedia of Music in Canada that were authored by Barry J. Edwards.

The first Hart House Orchestra was a professional chamber orchestra, founded in July 1954 by Boyd Neel - then dean of the RCMT - along the lines of his famous English group, the Boyd Neel Orchestra. The 18 strings and 4 woodwinds of the new group were reduced ca 1957 to 13 strings, with supplementary players for specific works. In turn, John Dembeck, Albert Pratz, Andrew Benac, Clifford Evens, and David Zafer served as concertmasters. The repertoire ranged the 17th, 18th, and 20th centuries and included commissioned works from Maurice Blackburn (Suite for Strings, 1960), Keith Bissell (Three Pieces, 1961), Harry Freedman (Fantasy and Allegro, 1962), and Morris Surdin (Concerto for Accordion and Strings, 1966, premiered by Joseph Macerollo); premieres also included Norman Symonds' Pastel Blue in 1963.