Roberta Smith is the Vice-President & Chief of Staff at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). She has worked at the TSO for over 20 years, with leadership roles in education, community engagement, orchestra operations, government relations, and human resources.

Ms Smith spent the early part of her career at the TSO developing and expanding education programmes for young people living in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as for youth living in many smaller communities throughout Ontario. Under her guidance and leadership, the TSO produced How the Gimquat Found Her Song, 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. More recently, Ms. Smith has been involved in ongoing senior level operational activities including union contract negotiations, international touring, and strategic planning.

Ms. Smith was awarded the John Hobday Award in Arts Management (Canada Council) in 2009. She holds a Masters degree in Musicology from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, where she now co-teaches a course entitled The Business of Creativity.