Founded on 29 November 1960, the Lakehead Symphony Orchestra made its debut at the Lakeview High School auditorium.
By the summer of 1999, that deficit had increased to $450,000 due to a number of factors: a dispute over musician's pay led to a large retroactive tax bill and the orchestra lost its charitable lottery license.
By 2004 it offered 25 main concerts and the position of Conductor-in-Residence was added (Richard Lee 2003–2005, Jason Caslor 2005–2007, Stéphane Potvin 2008–2011, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser 2011-2014, Simon Rivard 2014-2017, Maria Fuller 2017-2019).
A second CD recording with blues artist Rita Chiarelli titled Uptown goes Downtown was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards.
He led the commissioning of seven major works and recorded three CDs, including a 50th-anniversary commemorative album designed to broaden the orchestra's presence in the community.
His Analekta recording of the music of composer Jordan Pal, “Into the Wonder,” with the Gryphon Trio playing with the TBSO was nominated for Canada's JUNO award for Best Classical Album of 2019, alongside entries from the Toronto, Detroit, Seattle and BBC symphonies.
[4] Haas extended the range and diversity of programming to include a focus on the orchestra's isolated Canadian location and its unique cultural dynamics.
The orchestra annually reaches some 29,000 concert-goers including 10,000 students and tour audiences across Northwestern Ontario, which depending on the season, include Kenora, Dryden, Fort Frances, Red Lake, Nipigon, Terrace Bay, Marathon, Manitouwadge, Wawa, Geraldton, Hearst, Timmins and Sioux Lookout.
In 2019, the TBSO received a Juno nomination for its album Into the Wonder, a collection of compositions by Toronto-based Canadian composer, Jordan Pal.