Founded in 1919, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is the largest performing arts organization in Canada west of Ontario and the third largest symphony orchestra in the country. The VSO's first performance took place on January 26, 1919, and the Orchestra now performs to an annual audience of over 200,000 people each season. Over 140 concerts are performed annually by the VSO in the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver, as well as in 12 unique additional venues throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.