The Kensington Sinfonia was founded in 1988 by John Lowry, Associate Concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic, and freelance musicians. In 2020, co-Artistic Directors Andrea Case and Genevieve Micheletti took the helm of the organization and tripled its typical concert offerings.   The Sinfonia's programs cover a wide range of chamber music and string orchestra repertoire, from the Baroque to present day. Since its inception, it has frequently commissioned works by Calgary composers, as well as presenting the Calgary premieres of many Canadian compositions. Thirty seven years after its inception, the Kensington Sinfonia continues to expand and innovate in its programming and its presentations. In 2023, the Sinfonia commissioned a new work by Blackfoot composer Sonny-Ray Day Rider entitled The Grief Eater Firaga for its 35th Anniversary recording of commissions, Forces of Nature, which has been broadcast on the CBC, CJSW, CKUA and CKXU and was featured in the magazine Musicworks. Since 2023, every concert presented by the Sinfonia has included at least one work written for or commissioned by the ensemble, showcasing this group’s fierce dedication to new Canadian compositions. BIPOC composers, LGBTQ2SA+ composers and compositions by women form the backbone of each concert programme which often also feature a classic from the String Orchestra repertoire. The musical intimacy between players and the audience is extremely important in the Sinfonia's performances. With this in mind, the Sinfonia chooses to perform at the wonderfully welcoming and accessible St. Stephen’s Anglican Church. 2017 saw the addition of a pioneering collaborative concert series, the Village Sessions, at the taproom in Village Brewery. In 2025, the Sinfonia established an orchestral excerpt training seminar to immediate success, with alumni subsequently winning jobs locally and internationally.