Prelude Magazine Fall 2023

IGNITING PASSION

Judith Kilbourne on supporting music education for kids

YYC + YEG: Bringing Alberta’s orchestras together on stage

Kids Up Front connects children and families to the Orchestra

Getting to know Resident Conductor Juliane Gallant

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

205 8 Ave SE

Calgary, AB T2G 0K9

Box Office: 403.571.0849

calgaryphil.com

Simon MacLeod | Managing Editor

Janet Bwititi | Editorial Advisor

Omar Jeha | Art Director

Hayda Azeem

Autumn Fox

Juliane Gallant

Stephen Hunt

Micha Oostenbrink

Stephania Romaniuk

David Sussman | Contributors

on the cover

T'Svon, Jaymie, and Bea-Marie from the PhilKids program shot by HarderLee Studios featured in the cover story on page 28

04

Message from the President + CEO

06 09 16 12 18 20 22 24

Venue Partner

For advertising inquires, please email Simon MacLeod at smacleod@calgaryphil.com. Prelude is published three times a year by the Calgary Philharmonic Society. Copyright 2023/2024 by Calgary Philharmonic Society. No part of this publication may be reproduced without express written consent of the publisher.

Orchestra Chorus

cover story

Musical Roots: Welcoming Calgary's Kids to the Wonders of Orchestral Music

Roman Rabinovich in Concert

Never Break The Chain: The Music of Fleetwood Mac

28 32 38

Classically Jazzed feature 25 Questions with Resident Conductor Juliane Gallant

Pictures at an Exhibition

Tour De Force: Cheng + Cello

34 37 40 42

feature Ballad of Alberta 21

Alberta in Harmony: Moving Mahler

Brett Kissel with the Calgary Phil

Price + Schumann2

Serena Ryder with the Calgary Phil

47

feature The Impact of a Ticket

The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss

10 54

Disney + Pixar's Up in Concert

48

Supporters

feature Judith Kilbourne: The Gift of a Lifetime feature It’s a Zoo Out There!

The Last Night of the Proms ... Ever! 26

We acknowledge that we come together and create music on land known by the Blackfoot name Moh-kíns-tsis, which we also call Calgary. This land is on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations), the Stoney Nakoda (Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Goodstoney First Nations), and the Tsuut’ina First Nations, as well as the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3. We honour this land and all those who share it in a spirit of peace, friendship, and respect.

Administration

Siân Alcorn | Sales Assistant

Alysha Armanious | Manager, Education + Outreach

Christopher Butler | Digital Marketing Specialist

Janet Bwititi

| Director, Marketing + Sales

Sonny Carmona

| Marketing + Sales Coordinator

Felicia Chow

| Office Administrator

Viviana D’Ambrosio

| Associate Director, Development

Manisha Dangol

| Development Officer

Andrea Davison | Director, Artistic + Education

Marian Dyck | Box Office Support

Dennis Envoldsen

| Visual Content Specialist

Laura Gillespie

| Operations Accountant

Rob Grewcock

| Music Librarian

Karen Halford-Edwards | Intermediate Accountant

Joanne Harada

| Artistic Planning Advisor

Hello everyone,

Welcome to your Calgary Phil’s 2023/2024 Season! We’re all thrilled to be back with you in the concert hall.

Our fantastic Chorus continues its 60th-anniversary celebrations this fall. They’re featured in our Pictures at an Exhibition concert for the world premiere of a new work for the Orchestra and Chorus by Alberta composer John Estacio. I hope you’ll join us for Handel’s Messiah in December to hear them there, too.

Through live orchestral music, the Calgary Phil welcomes people together and inspires our communities. It is our mission to foster a love for orchestral music across all generations, and we are especially thrilled to do this through our growing education and community outreach programs, providing opportunities to introduce young people to the Orchestra.

From school programs like PhilKids to interactive performances like our Symphony Sundays for Kids series (with Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches, this fall), we are committed to creating opportunities for every child in our communities to experience the Orchestra — opening doors to discovering new worlds and lifelong enjoyment of orchestral music and community.

Thank you for joining us on this journey exploring orchestral music and its power to change lives. I’m looking forward to seeing you — be sure to come say hi in the lobby!

Marc Stevens President + CEO

Courtney Ilie | Associate Director, Sales

Omar Jeha | Graphic Designer

Lisa Korolyk | Events Coordinator

Dagny MacGregor | Sales Manager

Simon MacLeod | Communications Manager

Tayla Mapatac | Front of House Coordinator

Derek Muzyka | Director, Finance + Administration

Daniel Pelton | Operations Assistant

Chris Petrik | Director, Development

Ziga Poromon | Box Office Support

Kristyna Rempel | Grant Writer

Megan Robertson | Assistant to the President + CEO

Barbara Soles | Senior Development Officer

Crystal L Spicer

| Production Manager

Jason Stasiuk | Manager, Artistic Operations

Marc Stevens | President + CEO

Jessica Szeto

| Information Systems + Technology Specialist

Tianna Therriault | Artistic Coordinator

Michael Thomson | Director, Orchestra Operations

Calgary Philharmonic Foundation Trustees

Courtney Burton | Secretary

David Daly | Vice President

Joel Douglas | Treasurer

Samuel Hayes

Jim Hughes

Letha MacLachlan KC

Eileen Marikar | Assistant Treasurer

Byron Neiles

Ellen Parker

Ryan Stasynec | President

Board of Directors

Glenn Bontje

Monica Cheng

Fern Cyr

Niki Dunne

Rebecca Finley-Schidlowsky | Board Secretary

Corinne Grigoriu

| Governance Committee Chair

Samuel Hayes | Finance + Audit Committee Chair

Don Herman

James Kusie

Dr. John Lacey

Christine Macnab

Elizabeth Middleton

Tracy Seaman | Human Resources Sub-Committee Chair

Donovan Seidle

Casey Smith

Marc Stevens | Ex-officio

Lorna Tsai

Janet Yuchem | Board Chair

For an up-to-date list on administration, trustees, and board members, visit calgaryphil.com/about

What do I wear to the Orchestra?

Whatever you want! At the Calgary Phil, there is no formal dress code. We want you to feel happy and relaxed so you can enjoy the performance. Most attendees wear business-casual attire, but you will see everything from jeans to cocktail wear. Dress in your own style and what makes you most comfortable.

What is your mobile phone policy?

One of the joys of a live concert is you can sit back and experience the music without distractions, but we also know you don’t want to miss an important message or call. So, if you leave your mobile device on, we simply ask that you turn the sound off, turn the brightness down, and be considerate of your neighbours.

Where can I find parking?

There are several parking lots in the area but leave yourself time to find a spot as they fill up fast. Underground parking is available at Arts Commons and the nearby Civic Plaza and TELUS Convention Centre parkades. If you take the CTrain, the stations are located one block from Arts Commons. Also, bike racks can be found on Stephen Avenue in front of the Jack Singer Concert Hall.

Are drinks allowed in the concert hall?

Yes! All drinks are permitted in the concert hall, with the exception of the occasional concert. Many people arrive early to enjoy a drink in the lobby before the performance. You can also pre-order your drinks before the concert and pick them up from the bar at intermission.

Can I take photos in the concert hall?

We'd love for you to share your Calgary Phil experience and capture your favourite moments. For most concerts, you can take a quick photo, but don’t use flash — it can interfere with the musicians’ performance.

When do I clap?

This is our most common question. Traditionally, in classical music culture, audiences hold their applause until the end of an entire piece (there can be multiple movements, with short breaks between them, in one piece). This is intended to respect the performers’ focus and the flow of the music. You’ll know when the piece is finished because the conductor typically puts their arms down completely and turns to the audience. But, if you do happen to clap before the piece is finished, that’s okay! The musicians will be happy to know you’re enjoying the performance.

What happens if I’m late?

We realize even the best laid plans sometimes go sideways. Ushers do their best to seat latecomers at appropriate breaks in the performance, but in some cases, this may not be possible until the completion of an entire work. We don’t want you to miss anything, so you can listen to the music and watch the screens in the lobby.

How long is a concert?

Concert length varies, but a typical performance starting at 7:30PM is about two hours long including a 20-minute intermission. Shorter concerts may not feature an intermission. Symphony Sundays for Kids concerts are held on select Sundays at 3PM, and are usually one hour long with no intermission.

For more useful tips, visit calgaryphil.com/plan-your-visit

Whether you are new to the Calgary Phil or you've been coming to concerts for years, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions to make your experience as enjoyable as it can be.

Orchestra

Rune Bergmann | Music Director

Juliane Gallant | Resident Conductor

Cris Derksen | Artistic Advisor

Roberto Minczuk | Music Director Laureate

Hans Graf | Music Director Laureate

Mario Bernardi | Conductor Laureate

Cenek Vrba | Concertmaster Emeritus

First Violins

Diana Cohen | Concertmaster

John Lowry

| Associate Concertmaster

Donovan Seidle | Assistant Concertmaster

Edmund Chung

Hangyul Kim

Olga Kotova

Bonnie Louie

Genevieve Micheletti

Maria van der Sloot

Hojean Yoo

Position to be filled

Position to be filled

Second Violins

Lorna Tsai

| Principal

Stephanie Soltice-Johnson | Assistant Principal

Erin Burkholder

Jeremy Gabbert

Hyewon Grillet-Kim

Craig Hutchenreuther

Minnie Min Kyung Kwon

Theresa Lane

Adriana Lebedovich

Steven J Lubiarz

Violas

Laurent Grillet-Kim

| Principal

Marcin Swoboda

| Assistant Principal

Arthur Bachmann

Jeremy Bauman

Peter Blake

Michael Bursey

Alisa Klebanov

Jesse Morrison

Cellos

Arnold Choi | Principal

Josué Valdepeñas

| Assistant Principal

Clare Bradford

Kathleen de Caen

Thomas Megee

David Morrissey

Daniel Poceta

Position to be filled

Basses

Sam Loeck | Principal

Position to be filled

| Assistant Principal

Matthew Heller

Trish Bereti-Reid

Patrick Staples

Jonathan Yeoh

Flutes

Sara Hahn-Scinocco | Principal

Gwen Klassen | Assistant Principal

Piccolo

Gwen Klassen

Oboes

Alex Klein

| Principal

David Sussman

| Assistant Principal

English Horn

David Sussman

Clarinets

Slavko Popovic

| Principal

Jocelyn Colquhoun

| Assistant Principal

Bassoons

Antoine St-Onge

| Principal

Michael Hope

| Assistant Principal

Horns

Position to be filled | Principal

Jennifer Frank-Umana

| Associate Principal

Position to be filled

| Assistant Principal

Maxwell Stein

| Assistant Principal

Heather Wootton

| Assistant Principal

Trumpets

Adam Zinatelli

| Principal

Miranda Cairns

| Assistant Principal

Trombones

James Scott

| Principal

Kristofer Leslie

| Assistant Principal

Bass Trombone

David Reid

| Principal

Tuba

Tom McCaslin

| Principal

Timpani

Alexander Cohen | Principal

Percussion

Position to be filled

| Principal

Harp

Position to be filled

| Principal

Learn more about our musicians at calgaryphil.com/ musicians.

The Calgary Phil is proud to perform live symphonic music for Alberta Ballet, Calgary Opera, and the Honens International Piano Competition.

Repertoire often requires extra musicians including:

Rolf Bertsch, keyboard

Jeremy Brown, saxophone

Sean Buckley, percussion

Stan Climie, clarinet

Aidan Dugan, oboe

John Feldberg, bassoon

Gareth Jones, trumpet

Janet Kuschak, cello

Malcolm Lim, percussion

Sarah MacDonald, flute

Nikki McCaslin, trombone

Elisa Milner, violin

Emily Phernambucq, flute

Richard Scholz, trumpet

Eva Sztrain, violin

Doug Umana, horn

Georgia Vogeli, violin

The members of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra are members of The Calgary Musicians Association, Local 547 of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.

Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann is Music Director of the Calgary Philharmonic, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Szczecin Philharmonic in Poland, Music Director of the Peninsula Music Festival, and Music Director of Switzerland’s Argovia Philharmonic. Guest engagements in the 2023/2024 Season bring

Rune once again to the Baltimore, Colorado, and Utah Symphony orchestras and also for debuts to the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Sarasota Orchestra.

Rune’s recent guest engagements include concerts with the Baltimore, Colorado Detroit, Edmonton, Houston, New Jersey, and Pacific symphony orchestras in North America, and the Bergen Philharmonic, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Orquesta Sinfonica Portuguesa, Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, Orquesta de Valencia, Malaga Symphony Orchestra, ADDA Simfonica, Staatskapelle Halle, Wrocław Philharmonic, and the Risor Festival in Europe, to name a few. Rune has also led performances of Il barbiere di Siviglia and La Traviata at the Norwegian National Opera and he made his US operatic debut in Yale Opera’s production of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as staged by Claudia Solti. Previous guest engagements have led him to such auspices as the Oslo Philharmonic, New Mexico Philharmonic, Munchner Symphoniker, Mainfranken Theater Wurzburg, Philharmonie Sudwestfalen, as well as the symphony orchestras of Malmo, Helsingborg, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Trondheim, Karlskrona, and Odense.

Juliane Gallant Resident Conductor

New Brunswick-born conductor Juliane Gallant is the Resident Conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic, and one of two fellows in the inaugural cohort of Tapestry Opera’s Women in Musical Leadership program. She has appeared as guest conductor with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Kingston Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony New Brunswick, and as assistant and cover conductor with many orchestras and opera companies across Canada. Initially a collaborative pianist, répétiteur, and vocal coach, Juliane began her conducting career in opera. She has led productions of Carmen, La Bohème, Tosca, Eugene Onegin, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, and numerous others, both in Canada and in the United Kingdom. In 2021, she made her Royal Opera House debut in Mami Wata in collaboration with Pegasus Opera. Juliane is a graduate of the National Opera Studio, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique de Montréal, the University of Ottawa and the Université de Moncton. In London, Juliane was one of only 12 conductors selected for the first Women Conductors Course: Conducting for Opera, run by the Royal Opera House, the National Opera Studio, and the Royal Philharmonic Society, and has received continued support from the Royal Opera House throughout her training.

Cris Derksen Artistic Advisor

Juno nominated Cris Derksen is an internationally respected Indigenous cellist and composer. Originally from Treaty 8 in Northern Alberta, she comes from a line of chiefs from North Tallcree reserve on her father’s side and a line of strong Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s side. She is in high demand as a composer and performer with symphonies and chamber groups across Canada. Cris’ strength lies in her diversity as a composer for all arts fields, including dance, theatre, film and television, animation, fashion, and podcasts. Cris founded the Indigenous Classical Gathering at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and is Chair of the Equity Committee for Orchestra's Canada, all in hopes of opening doors for other BIPOC composers and performers, asking the question: how do we make classical music look and sound more like Canada? Cris performs nationally and internationally as a soloist and in collaboration with some of Canada’s finest, including Tanya Tagaq, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Naomi Klein, and Laakkuluk WilliamsonBathory, to name a few. Recent concert destinations include Norway, Chile, Hong Kong, Australia, Mongolia, Europe, and a whole lot of Canada: the place Cris refers to as home.

Rune Bergmann

Music Director

Your Phil. Your Style.

Add a splash of colour to your morning coffee or afternoon tea with this fun commemorative mug celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus.

Available at the merch table at concerts or online at calgaryphil.com/shop

Mark Bartel Chorus Director

Mark Bartel is in demand as a versatile conductor and music educator. He is known for his musical, educational, and community collaborations and has established a reputation as a successful builder of choirs and choral programs. Mark is a passionate advocate of the impact of music on the lives of choristers, audiences, and communities. He has conducted university choirs for over 20 years and has extensive experience leading a wide range of community choirs in both the United States and Canada. After a 16-year tenure in the US, he returned to Canada in 2019 to join the faculty at Calgary’s Ambrose University as Associate Professor of Music. Since arriving in Calgary, he has also served as Director of the Spiritus Chamber Choir. In addition to his interest in choral-orchestral works and choral music of the baroque era, he brings expertise as a singer and teacher of voice to his work with choirs. His current research focuses on how choirs around the world engage in active peacebuilding through the choral experience. Originally from Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Mark is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg. He holds Master of Music and Master of Sacred Music degrees from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

Chorus

About the Chorus

Established in 1963, the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus is one of only two choruses in Canada that is part of a major professional symphony orchestra. The Chorus performs a wide variety of repertoire, including oratorio, opera, light classics, contemporary music, pops, and commissioned new works. In a typical season, the acclaimed ensemble is featured in four to eight concerts with the Orchestra. The Chorus is made up of more than 120 dedicated volunteer singers from Calgary and surrounding communities who come from all walks of life. Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023, the Chorus delivers excellence in the performance of choral music and promotes the enjoyment and development of choral singing in Calgary communities.

Mark Bartel

| Chorus Director

Evan Mounce

| Assistant Chorus Director

Katt Hryciw

| Chorus Administrator

Sopranos

Heather Allen

Karine Baumgardner

Ellen Borak

Michelle Bozynski

Tricia Bray

Carolyn Byers

Christina Candra

Twylla Jayne Conn

Sheila Cook

Laura A Davis

Ina Dobrinski

Larissa Donnelly

Megan Duckett-Sutton

Gail Feltham

Sue Galcher

Sim Galloway

Carolyn Hatt

Robyn Hauck

Rachelle Henkel

Dale Hensley

Jessica How

Melody Littel

Freya Melax

Alicia Nesbitt

Gillian Posey

Colleen Potter

Brier Reid

Becky Salmond

Mackenzie Schaan

Lisa Schalk

Barbara Schneider

Lisa Sears-Walsh

Joan Simmins

Barbara Soles

Becky Standing

Chantelle Stevenson

Crystal Tan

Norma Webb

Chelsea Woodard | Principal

Betsy Woolner

Altos

Margaret Anderson

Susan Bell

Barbara Boland

Elizabeth Bowers

Michelle Cariou

Kelsey Chambers

Indrani Chatterjee

| Section Representative

Tanya Chow

Breanne Coady

Bernie Constantin

Yvonne Courtney

Ruth A Cross

Shirley Cumming

Gillian Forster

Rebecca Frederick

Hilary Gordon

Alexandra Guebert

Kay Harrison

Pat Heitman

Candace Hiebert

Helen Isaac

Allison Johnson

Cynthia Klaassen

Heather Klassen

Marlene Krickhan

Catherine Lasuita

Megan Lundrigan

Barbara Mathies

Julia Millen

| Principal

Patty Mino

Lucinda Neufeld

Britt Odegard

Mara Osis

Anastasiya Petruk

Anne Rodger

Liv Sawyer

Patti Vaillant

Julia Vanden Heuvel

Tenors

Tim Ahrenholz

Tim Bell

| Section Representative

Philip Dano

Pat Favaro

Richard Harding

Katt Hryciw

James Hume

Juan Manuel López

Eric Ma

Will Parker

Jason Ragan | Principal

Peter Rilstone

Vitalii Semion

Dennis Voth

Basses

Archie Adams

Bamise Banwo (Bamzy)

Aaron Bartholomew | Principal

Cam Bischoff

Glenn Bontje

Ian Charter

Chad Conrad

Timothy Cooke

Kevin Di Filippo

Arthur Dick

Alan Dornian

Mark Dumbrique | Section Representative

John Ghitan

Allan Huber

Brady King

Eric Klaassen

Drew Kotchan

Mark Louie

David Mark

Martin Mobach

Keith Odegard

Kori Patrick

Dave Pattison

Dana Salter

Anton Siaotong

Albi Sole

Daniel Tablazon

Greg Wagland

Richard Wanner

Jim Weisert

Keith Wyenberg

THE GIFT of a LIFETIME

BY STEPHANIA ROMANIUK

For Calgary Philharmonic patron and visionary supporter Judith Kilbourne, being introduced to orchestral music is inseparable from the people who were a part of the experience. A long-standing advocate for volunteerism with a diverse background and skillset, Judy was invited to join the Board of Directors of the Calgary Philharmonic Society in 1992, shortly after moving to Calgary with her late husband, Bill. Family and work obligations in Toronto had focused her time for the better part of 25 years, and with her adult children grown, she was thrilled to attend concerts more regularly — an excitement, she says, that hasn’t dissipated. “I feel transported when I sit in my seat and listen. I grew up playing piano and have classical music going on all day long in my house, but to be able to go and see a performance — it’s the human contact, the extraordinary exchange between audience and performers.”

For the following two decades, Judy continued to serve the Orchestra in various volunteer positions when an opportunity presented itself to invest significantly in the organization. She couldn’t bear the thought of capital gains earnings on the sale of a property being taxed and looked for a way to invest them locally in an important cause. With an irresistible carte blanche for the Orchestra, the PhilKids after-school music education program was born. “With the absolute dynamic help of [Assistant Principal Horn] Heather Wootton, we got the program together and launched,” recalls Judy. “It was just such an exciting way to build something with the Calgary Phil team and create an opportunity for kids who would not experience music otherwise.”

Judy would sit in on the PhilKids classes and final concerts, which included “Show What You Know” recitals in jam-packed school gymnasiums and even performances at the Jack Singer Concert Hall

and Lobby. And she noticed that as the children progressed on their instruments, their behaviour also began to change. “They were talking with each other. They were performing better in their classes. They were excited and proud of themselves and taking responsibility for their own learning,” Judy beams. Parents and school communities served by PhilKids were very supportive and saw the benefits of the program on academic and socioemotional learning outcomes for their students. Teachers at middle schools even commented that the instruction students received helped them as they progressed in later grades.

With children surrounded by screens and digital sounds, introducing elementary students to orchestral music through music-making is vital now more than ever. “If you’ve been to PhilKids, then you know how valuable this music is to the children, how it stirs their souls, and how it makes them proud. That’s the greatest outcome I could ask for,” Judy shares. PhilKids is entering its eighth consecutive year, having served approximately 2,500 elementary students (including online during the pandemic) in highneeds communities.

Judy and Bill were awarded the Golden Baton — the Calgary Phil’s highest honour for non-musicians — in the 2009/2010 Season for their remarkable contributions together. Since her husband’s passing in 2013, Judy continued building on their legacy together through PhilKids and securing funding to buy the Orchestra’s new Hamburg Steinway concert grand piano. Even after learning about the significant costs involved, Judy, undeterred, committed to the project and secured funding partners within two weeks. “I’ll never forget the day when the new piano was delivered to the stage in Calgary. It was magic,” she says.

Alysha Armanious, Education + Outreach Manager for the Calgary Phil, underscores the impact of Judy’s contributions to the lives of young people. “Participating in music education is not only integral to student achievement and social-emotional learning but prepares students for a lifetime of music participation. Like Judy’s own experience shows, students who have positive encounters with musical mentors in childhood develop creative and personal benefits that last a lifetime.”

World-class pianists like Katherine Chi, Krzysztof Jabłoński, Janina Fialkowska, and Kevin Chen have performed on the new Steinway, and hundreds of young PhilKids students who are just discovering the world of orchestral music have benefitted from Judy’s ability to identify a need and her willingness to listen to and serve those around her. “It’s a fantastic adventure,” she says. “It’s been a sheer joy. None of it’s been work. And if I can help, that makes it even better.”

To make a donation to support PhilKids, visit calgaryphil.com/philkids

“ It was just such an exciting way to build something with the Calgary Phil team and create an opportunity for kids who would not experience music otherwise. ”

Never Break The Chain: The Music of Fleetwood Mac

Friday 8 September / 7:30PM

Saturday 9 September / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Pops

Supported by

Concert Supporter: Dominique + Réal Doucet Program

Geneviève Leclair, conductor

Jeans 'n Classics, band

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Performing songs from the list below

As Long As You Follow / Big Love / Don’t Stop / Dreams / Everywhere / Landslide / Leather and Lace / Little Lies / Oh Daddy / Over My Head / Rhiannon / Sara / Say You Love Me / Songbird / Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around / The Chain / You Make Lovin’ Fun

Concert includes a 20-minute intermission Program and artists subject to change without notice

More than Rumours:

FUN FACTS ABOUT FLEETWOOD MAC

LOOKING FOR A CHANGE

Musicians often work other jobs before their big break, and the Fleetwood Mac members were no exception. Mick Fleetwood was supposed to be a window cleaner before helping found the band. John McVie was already training to be a tax inspector when his opportunity came, and Christine McVie was working as a window dresser while studying sculpture to become an art teacher. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band as a package deal, since they had been making music together (and dating) since high school.

ROMANCES and BITTER BREAK-UPS

Though Fleetwood Mac’s music made them famous, the band’s relationships are something of legend. Christine McVie married John McVie but divorced in 1976. By the time Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band, their relationship was slipping. Dreams was written by Nicks about the end of their relationship, and Go Your Own Way addressed Buckingham’s own side of the split.

CAN’T FAKE IT

Before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined the band, Fleetwood Mac cut their American tour short in 1974. Their manager used the band’s name and sent a group of musicians on the road in the band’s place in order to fulfill touring commitments, calling them The New Fleetwood Mac. Audiences and the Rolling Stone noticed the deception, and the real Fleetwood Mac pursued a lawsuit over the name, and ultimately decided to manage themselves.

PART OF THE FAMILY

Given Fleetwood Mac’s success and Stevie Nicks’ undeniable talent, it was only a matter of time before she went solo. But, according to Nicks, she didn’t even think about going solo until 1981, and when she did decide to record a solo album, she didn’t want to leave Fleetwood Mac. In 1981, Nicks released her first solo record, Bella Donna, a chance to release songs she had written while in Fleetwood Mac, like Edge of Seventeen and Leather and Lace

Geneviève Leclair

Conductor

Geneviève Leclair is an active guest conductor with organizations across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Principal Guest Conductor with Orchestre Classique de Montréal and Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, where she has been teaching since 2016. Highlights of her 2022/2023 Season included debuts with l’Orchestre Métropolitain, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Sherbrooke, and the Lowell Chamber Orchestra, as well as return performances with the Guelph Symphony, Spartanburg Philharmonic, and Ballet Spartanburg. In recent years, Geneviève has stepped on the podiums of various orchestras, including the National Ballet of Canada, Northern Ballet (UK), Boston Ballet, Winnipeg Symphony, Saskatoon Symphony, Jeunesses musicales Canada, Symphony New Brunswick, Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-StJean, Symphony New Hampshire, and New England Conservatory Chamber and Youth Philharmonic Orchestras. Her performances have been hailed as “impeccable” (Boston Phoenix), “ravishing” and of “exemplary pacing and reading” (Hugh Fraser), while her conducting style is praised for its “verve and precision,” “confident dynamics and tempos, crisp rhythms, and crystalline phrasing creat[ing] powerful forward momentum” (Carla DeFord).

Kathryn Rose Vocals

Kathryn Rose is a busy artist and music industry multitasker known for her artful brand of cinematic pop over the course of five solo albums. She’s also a top voice in demand, working in voiceover, jingles, television, and film scores, and live on the albums of many other artists: Barenaked Ladies, Sarah McLachlan (world tour), Kinnie Starr, Kevin Breit, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Melanie Doane, Patti Labelle, Sir Tom Jones, Anne Murray, Martin Fry (ABC), Ian Thomas, and many more. In addition to being a long-time core artist with symphonic rock touring company Jeans 'n Classics, Kathryn’s organizational skill set is put to good use as Office Manager, Administrator, and Tour Coordinator. As a typically hardworking single mom, Kathryn spends a great deal of time making school lunches or thinking about making school lunches, looking and laughing at her two gorgeous growing kids, and feverishly digging with her bare hands to find more hours in the day to make her long-awaited sixth solo album.

Rique Franks Vocals

Best known for her four duets with Dan Hill (In Your Eyes, Hold Me Now, Sometimes When We Touch, and Can’t We Try), Rique Franks has sung, toured, recorded, and written with many recording artists, including Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Alannah Myles, Alexander O’Neal, Martin Fry (ABC), Alan Frew/Glass Tiger, Bruce Guthro, Glen Lewis, Eddie Schwartz (writer for Pat Benatar), Lisa Dalbello, Ronnie Greenfield (The Ronettes), Lorraine Segato (Parachute Club), Alfie Zappacosta, Stephan Moccio, Marc Jordan — the list goes on and on. This core artist and featured soloist with Jeans 'n Classics is a busy session singer and voice actor in Toronto. Rique has lent her voice to many original projects and has sung and read thousands of memorable commercials for countless products. Unlike most singers, Rique started late, after being discovered in her mid-twenties by Marvin Dolgay (Tambre Productions) and Doug Paulson (TV’s Thrill of a Lifetime). She joined the ACTRA union and sang her first jingle the very next day. That jingle (for Thrifty’s jeans) won an award, and the work suddenly snowballed. Rique still considers many of the people she first worked with in those early days (Lisa Dalbello, Neil Donell, David Blamires, Johnny Rutledge, and others) as major influences. Rique recently ended a 20-year run as the on-air speaking voice of Showcase television, saying, among other things, “Viewer discretion is advised “ a lot...

© Dina K Photography

Johnny Rutledge Vocals

Based in Chicago but born and raised in Toronto, this talented guitar player and gifted singer’s career has been quite the journey. Before becoming a pre-eminent studio session singer in constant demand, Johnny Rutledge performed in numerous bands in clubs and venues across Canada. Once he began singing in radio and television commercials, he quickly became a recognized voice in households everywhere. A recording artist in his own right, Johnny has recorded and performed with greats such as Kenny Loggins, Celine Dion, Diana Ross (Oprah Show), The Temptations, Peter Cetera, Gordon Lightfoot, Mavis Staples, and Anne Murray, to name a few. Johnny moved to Chicago in 1989, where his gifts and talents as a singer continue to be in high demand. He also co-partnered his own music composition/production company, writing and recording music for major brands and clients. In 2005, he cowrote and produced the music for The Doodlebops, which became a SOCAN award-winning, number-one children’s show across Canada and the United States. Drawing upon his Canadian roots and love of hockey, Johnny also took on the challenge of becoming his son Jared’s goaltending coach. Studying under top NHL goaltending coaches at camps in the US and Canada, he coached Jared to a spot on the gold medal-winning US National Development Team. Johnny has become a well-known and sought-after goaltending coach in the American Midwest.

Dave Dunlop Guitar

Dave has been a guitarist, songwriter, singer, and educator for the past 30 years. Currently, Dave balances his studio work with his touring life as a member of the award-winning duo with Rik Emmett, and Jeans 'n Classics. Emmett and Dunlop won Smooth Jazz Album of the Year and Duo/Group of the Year in 2007 on the strength of their debut album, Strung-Out Troubadours. Dave has been an integral member of the Jeans 'n Classics band since 2005, winning rave reviews for his handiwork in many shows, including the music of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton, among others. Dave was lead guitarist and writer in rock band The Full Nine, signed to Disney’s Mammoth Records in 2001. They had chart success with the single, Not Over. He’s also been a faculty member at the National Summer Guitar Workshop, and has had sideman stints with Bo Diddley, Mike Reno (Loverboy), Ron Sexsmith, and many others. In 2008, Dave joined the re-formed Hall of Fame act Triumph, supporting the original line-up of Rik Emmett, Gil Moore, and Mike Levine. In 2005, he established Room 9 studio in his Toronto home, where he has been busy recording and producing projects non-stop ever since. His 2016 debut album, Monarch Girl spent five weeks at number one on the Maple Music charts. Of late, he has up-and-comers Lyric Dubee, and The Launch finalist Trevor LaRose in his studio.

Jeans 'n Classics Band

Peter Brennan’s Jeans 'n Classics is a winner! For 23 years, the Jeans 'n Classics approach to combining world-class rock musicians and symphonies has been a game changer for orchestras to attract new and more expansive audiences. Jeans 'n Classics is a group of musicians who understand orchestra culture and are committed to helping build younger, loyal audiences for symphony orchestras across North America. Jeans 'n Classics appeals to an age group from, but not limited to, 25 to 65. While most definitely not a tribute act, Jeans 'n Classics faithfully interprets the music of legendary rock and pop albums and artists with their own special and signature flair. Symphonies far and wide have heralded the quality of their orchestral scores for providing lush, fully realized arrangements of rock and pop classics for rock band and symphony, and topnotch, easy-to-work-with performers who truly know how to deliver a great rehearsal and live show experience with professionalism, humour, and finesse. Jeans 'n Classics works with over 100 orchestras in venues throughout North America and has created almost 1,000 original rock and pop orchestrations, presented across 45 unique and exciting productions.

Support Your Phil

Every donation to your Calgary Philharmonic makes a difference for the Orchestra and in our communities. We offer a series of donor benefits to demonstrate how grateful we are for your support.

Donor events take place throughout the season and will give you a deeper understanding of your Calgary Phil and a greater appreciation of orchestral music. Depending on your level of support, you will have the opportunity to attend events with Calgary Phil musicians, exclusive donor rehearsals, donor recitals, our popular music and lecture series Music To My Ears, post-concert receptions, access to the Founders' Room, and more.

Your generosity is at the heart of the Calgary Phil as we ensure your financial support is more impactful than ever. Thanks to your dedication and enthusiasm, the Calgary Phil will continue to connect our communities and celebrate the transformative power of orchestral music.

For more information on benefit details and how you can support your Calgary Phil, visit calgaryphil.com/support.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Saturday 16 September / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Specials

Supported by

Chorus Supporter: Borak Forte Program

Commission Supporter: Ellen + Allen Borak, Cristina + Allan Huber, and Joan + Geoffrey Simmins in celebration of the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus’ 60th Anniversary

Music Director Endowed Chair Supporter: Ted + Lola Rozsa

Program

Rune Bergmann, conductor

Calgary Philharmonic Chorus

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

(arr. Maurice Ravel)

I. Promenade

II. Gnomus

III. Promenade

IV. The Old Castle

V. Promenade

VI. Tuileries

VII. Bydlo

VIII. Promenade

X. Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells

X. Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle

XI. Limages

XII. Catacombs

XIII. Cum mortuis in lingua mortua

XIV. The Hut on Fowl’s Legs

XV. The Great Gate of Kiev

Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72B

Ludwig van Beethoven

(1770 to 1827)

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote a single opera, Fidelio, in the earliest days of the 19th century. It’s a political thriller about a wife who dresses up as a prison guard in order to save her husband, who is on death row in a political prison. Fidelio premiered in Vienna in 1805, when the city was under French occupation. Reaction to the early performances was said to be muted, as the audience was mostly French soldiers, who reportedly weren’t very interested in a thriller about a German. Beethoven struggled to write the overture, which he revised four times, primarily because its huge theatricality was thought to overshadow the more nuanced opening scenes. The best of his rewrites is thought to be Leonore Overture No. 3, which opens with a scene in a dungeon where Fidelio has been consigned to spend his life. It climaxes with Fidelio realizing it’s his wife who is responsible for springing him from prison.

Pictures at an Exhibition

Modest Mussorgsky

(1839 to 1881)

Pictures at an Exhibition was St. Petersburg-born Modest Mussorgsky’s attempt to translate visual art into music. It was inspired by Mussorgsky’s visit to an exhibition celebrating the work and life of his friend, progressive painter Victor Hartmann, who died suddenly at the age of 31 of an aneurysm. When a mutual friend arranged a retrospective as a tribute to Hartmann, Mussorgsky lent the two Hartmann paintings he owned. He reportedly was so moved by the exhibition, he wrote Pictures at an Exhibition in its entirety in 20 days. The piece itself is a piano suite in 10 movements, with each movement representing a different painting by Hartmann. They are linked together by a promenade bridge, which is meant to be the musical equivalent of walking from one painting to the next. While he was alive, Hartmann is reported to have loved Mussorgsky’s compositions, and when Mussorgsky removed one of them from the libretto of his opera Boris Godunov, Hartmann is said to have begged him to put it back in, which he did, in 1872. Boris

This concert has no intermission Program and artists subject to change without notice

Godunov premiered in St. Petersburg in 1874 and all nine performances sold out, but the opera was initially poorly-received, most particularly by members of Russian royalty, who were thought to be underwhelmed by Mussorgsky’s representation of themselves. Those days were a golden age for art in Russia and in particular, St. Petersburg. At the same time Hartmann was creating paintings and Mussorgsky composed Pictures at an Exhibition, Fyodor Dostoyevsky was a St. Petersburg novelist who published Crime and Punishment in 1866 and The Idiot in 1869. Together with The Five — a group of composers including Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, César Cui, and its leader Mily Balakirev — St. Petersburg was one of the cultural capitals of the world in the late 19th century.

Program notes by Stephen Hunt © 2023

High Flight

John Estacio

(b. 1966)

The choice of John Gillespie Magee’s poem High Flight — poetry celebrating the indomitable human spirit and the exhilaration of soaring to new heights — is a suitable selection to acknowledge the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus’ 60th anniversary. The first line of the poem, “I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth,” is, for me, how I feel whenever I enter a concert hall to hear a concert — the experience of hearing a live performance lightens my spirit and transports me away, far from the worries of the world, and the Chorus has provided this experience to its audiences for the last 60 years. The poem’s vivid and dynamic language allowed me opportunities to create an exhilarating sense of ascension, suspension, and momentum in the music. The second stanza suggested a more reflective and serene mood for the music — a contrast to the rush of the opening section. To me, the poem is not necessarily only about flight, but also about the indomitable human spirit and its unending quest to pursue new heights, excellence, and joy. May the Chorus continue to soar to excellence with another 60 years of thrilling concerts, elevating the spirit of all who listen.

John Estacio ranks as one of Canada’s most frequently performed composers. His works, both symphonic and operatic, have been praised for their assured command of lyricism, depth of expression, and brilliant dynamism. He has served as Composer in Residence for both the Calgary Philharmonic and the Edmonton Symphony. His music has been performed in Singapore, China, Europe, the United Kingdom, and throughout the United States. His opera Filumena, commissioned by Calgary Opera, was filmed for television and was commemorated on a stamp issued by Canada Post. His orchestral writing has caught the ear of choreographers and the film world; the Cincinnati Ballet commissioned a full-length score for King Arthur’s Camelot, and his music for The Secret of the Nutcracker earned him an AMPIA Award for best original film score. His Trumpet Concerto, commissioned by an unprecedented consortium of 19 Canadian orchestras, was recently recorded by the Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra in France. He has recently completed his fifth opera, The Cipher Clerk, commissioned by Calgary Opera. The five-time Juno nominated composer was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2021 and is a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Award for Arts.

CLASSICAL CLASSICAL CLASSICAL

Program note by John Estacio © 2023 Rune Bergmann biography on page 7

John Estacio Composer

Tour De Force: Cheng + Cello

Saturday 23 September / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Curated Series 3

Supported by Guest Artist Supporter: MacLachlan/Ridge Emerging Artist Program Program

Charles Olivieri-Munroe, conductor Bryan Cheng, cello Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Bedřich Smetana String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, JB 1:105

' (From My Life) for Orchestra

I. Allegro vivo appasionato

II. Allegro moderato a la Polka

III. Largo sostenuto

IV. Vivace

Intermission

Camille Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33

I. Allegro non troppo

II. Allegretto con moto

III. Allegro non troppo

Antonín Dvořák A Hero’s Song, Op. 111, B. 199

Program and artists subject to change without notice

'

String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, JB 1:105 (From My Life)

(arr. Szell for Orchestra)

Bedřich Smetana

(1824 to 1884)

Bedřich Smetana was a Czech composer who wrote during the latter decades of the 19th century, with his artistic sensibility firmly rooted in the liberal, even radical sensibilities that dominated Prague and Bohemia in the mid-to-late 19th century. At its 1878 premiere in Prague, one of the violinists performing Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 was Antonín Dvořák. The piece itself is a four-movement chamber composition experts say was both a political meditation about Smetana’s own contradictions, as an ethnic Czech living — and composing — during the height of the AustroHungarian empire. Smetana was a musical prodigy but at the same time, someone who grew up having to fight to gain acceptance among the elite. He was an outsider whose patrons were likely imperialistic insiders. He also contracted syphilis at age 50, which led to complete deafness a few years later. Sadly, his work was very much inspired by trying to work through a number of sad events in his own personal life: his daughter’s death inspired one piece, Piano Trio in G Minor, while his wife’s death was said to be the inspiration behind the second movement of String Quartet No. 1.

Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 to 1921)

In an art form that likes them to start young, Camille Saint-Saëns was an earlier riser than almost anyone. Born in Paris in 1821, Saint-Saëns’ first song was composed at the age of three, and he publicly performed a Ludwig van Beethoven violin sonata at four. Saint-Saëns made his official public debut at the age of 10, performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Beethoven. Of SaintSaëns, one critic — Harold Schonberg of the New York Times wrote: “It is not generally realized that he was the most remarkable child prodigy in history, and that includes Mozart.” Cello Concerto No. 1 premiered in early January 1873, performed by a cellist and instrument maker named

© Andrej Grilc

Auguste Tolbecque. While he wrote Cello Concerto No. 1 during a period of musical experimentation — the 1870s — Saint-Saëns was a composer who treasured classical lines and melody, which earned the ire of some contemporary critics of the day, who did not approve of his old-school ways. As Saint-Saëns himself once wrote, “An artist who does not feel a deep sense of personal satisfaction with elegant lines, harmonious colors or a perfect progression of chords has no comprehension of true art.”

A Hero’s Song, Op. 111, B. 199

Antonín Dvořák (1841 to 1904)

Antonín Dvořák wrote A Hero’s Song in the summer of 1897. It has been noted for containing more autobiographical leanings than other Dvořák compositions, so what was happening in his life in 1897? Two big things: one, his daughter Otilie married his student, Joseph Tuk. And two, his friend and mentor, Johannes Brahms, died in April of 1897. In 1896, Brahms tried to convince Dvořák, who had just returned to Europe from several years of living in the United States, in New York and Iowa, to come to live in Vienna — and offered to finance all of it, as he had no other family to spend his money on. Dvořák was deeply touched by Brahms’ offer, but said he could never live anywhere but his beloved Bohemia, where he was born and grew up. The hero in the title is not however a soldier. It’s more a reference to an artist, or a traveling ‘bard’. It’s been described as a ‘symphonic poem’ written within the framework of a four-movement symphony. It was Dvořák’s last orchestral work and the final of his five symphonic poems. It’s said to not tell a story but to tell two distinctly different moods: despair and triumph.

Charles Olivieri-Munroe Conductor

Born in Malta, Charles Olivieri-Munroe grew up in Canada and is one of today’s most distinguished and muchtravelled conductors. Charles has conducted many of the world’s major orchestras like the Israel Philharmonic, l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Munich Symphony, Danish Radio Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Hungarian Philharmonic, and many others. He has worked with world-class soloists including Angela Gheorghiu, Krystian Zimerman, Joshua Bell, Maxim Vengerov, Sol Gabetta, Joseph Suk, Mischa Maisky, Shlomo Mintz, Ivan Moravec, Gabriela Beňačková, Joseph Calleja, and Ramon Vargas, amongst others. With a regular presence in the Asia Pacific region, he frequently leads concerts in Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam, and Thailand. Charles is a recognised specialist in the works of composers Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, Leoš Janáček, Bohuslav Martinů, and the wider Slavic repertoire, and he is equally well known both for his mastery of the standard repertoire and adventurous programming. Charles is currently Artistic Advisor and regular guest conductor with the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor with the Thüringen Philharmonie in Germany, and Honorary Chief Conductor of the North Czech Philharmonic with whom he was formerly Chief Conductor between 1997 and 2014. He is also Resident Conductor at the Texas Round Top Festival Institute, the longest continuously running music festival of its kind in the United States.

Bryan Cheng Cello

Following recent prize-winning successes at some of the world’s most prestigious international competitions, including Queen Elisabeth, Concours de Genève, and Paulo, Canadianborn, Berlin-based cellist Bryan Cheng has established himself as one of the most compelling emerging artists on the classical music scene. He made his sold-out Carnegie Hall recital debut at age 14, his Elbphilharmonie debut at age 20 with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, and in 2022, was the first cellist to be awarded the coveted Prix Yves Paternot in recognition of the Verbier Festival Academy’s most promising and accomplished musician. As a member of the Cheng² Duo, CelloFellos, and as a chamber musician, Bryan performs extensively globally. He has worked with partners such as Angela Hewitt, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, and Antje Weithaas. Over the years, Bryan has accumulated a concert repertoire spanning five centuries, and is equally committed to both traditional classics and the music of his time. He has commissioned and given eleven world premieres, including two pieces by Canadian composer Alexina Louie at his second Carnegie Hall recital, the North American premiere of a cello concerto by British-Russian composer Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of Sergei) at Koerner Hall with the Esprit Orchestra, and a multimedia project featuring five new Canadian works by composers from all regions of the country at the National Gallery of Canada. Bryan plays the “Dubois” Antonio Stradivarius cello (Cremona, 1699).

Program notes by Stephen Hunt © 2023

© Andrej Grilc

Serena Ryder Vocals

Serena Ryder tours her compelling latest album, The Art of Falling Apart, which invites listeners to join her mental wellness journey through a driving pop sound and the full range of her powerful voice. On The Art of Falling Apart, her eighth studio album and seventh Juno Award, she helps us understand the importance of sitting with the uncomfortable moments and the wisdom in their messages. Over a driving pop sound bursting with irresistible rhythms, pulsing bass lines, and the full range of her powerful and expressive voice, she pulls listeners through her own winding, transformational journey, detailing despair, toxic relationships, and breakdowns alongside hope, joy, and big, big love.

Serena Ryder with the Calgary Phil

Friday 29 September / 7:30PM

Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

Specials

Supported by

Resident Conductor Supporter: Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Program

Juliane Gallant, conductor

Serena Ryder, vocals

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Program to be announced from stage

Concert includes a 20-minute intermission Program and artists subject to change without notice

Juliane Gallant biography on page 7

BALLAD of ALBERTA

BY MICHA OOSTENBRINK and SIMON MACLEOD

In the summer of 1980, CBC produced Tones of Two Cities — a special project that saw the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra travel to Edmonton to rehearse and record with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Both orchestras produced the audio for a TV special commemorating the province of Alberta’s 75th birthday. Immediately after, both orchestras were transported to Jasper, where the orchestras played outdoors for broadcast cameras, synching video with the recorded sound.

Both orchestras have also previously collaborated by performing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 (The Symphony of a Thousand) at each other’s concert hall openings. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra was in Calgary for the opening of Jack Singer Concert Hall in 1985, led by Calgary Phil Conductor Laureate Mario Bernardi, and the Calgary Phil returned the favour during Winspearation — the 10-day festival which opened the Winspear Centre in 1997, led by ESO Music Director Grzegorz Novak — the last time the two orchestras performed on stage together.

In March 2020, 32 musicians from both orchestras came together from a distance to virtually record a video performance of Edward Elgar’s Nimrod from Enigma Variations — a joint effort to wish health and care to the people of Alberta, and around the world.

Now, after more than 25 years, the province’s two largest orchestras will unite to perform together on stage at Alberta In Harmony: Moving Mahler, a thrilling program featuring Gustav Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 3, led by Calgary Phil Music Director Rune Bergmann with the magnificent voices of mezzo-soprano Susan Platts, the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus, and Calgary Girls Choir. The orchestras will perform in Calgary at the Jack Singer

Concert Hall on Friday 10 November, as well as the following evening at the Winspear Centre in Edmonton.

“Annemarie Petrov, who runs the Winspear Centre and Edmonton Symphony, has been a mentor, friend, and inspiration since I arrived in Canada nine years ago,” says Marc Stevens, President + CEO of the Calgary Phil. “When I came to Calgary two years ago, we were determined to find a collaboration for our brilliant musicians, who are so excited to be working together again after such a long time.”

“It’s been wonderful to work with Marc and the Calgary Phil on this collaboration, and we’re thrilled to see it come to life,” says Annemarie Petrov, President and CEO of the Winspear Centre and ESO. “Much to my surprise, our orchestra has never performed Mahler's Third. It is a work of music for the ages and one of the most ambitious symphonies ever written. When you listen to it, you'll hear Mahler's influence on Hollywood film composers like John Williams. The last movement alone is one of the most exquisite in symphonic music — you’ll feel that you are floating.”

With two orchestras performing on stage together, it becomes a little more crowded than the musicians are used to. In preparation for these two concerts, the production teams at each hall need to work with extra diligence to ensure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. Mike Patton, Head of Stage Management at the Winspear Centre and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, shares there can be some challenges with having double the number of musicians he normally works with. “The production team has very detailed maps as to where everyone will sit. We also needed to think about details like a new emergency plan to accommodate for the large number of performers on stage.”

The rehearsals are just as important as the performances, for both the stage management teams and the musicians. This collaboration gives the opportunity for colleagues to connect (or in some cases, reconnect) and sit alongside each other while they perform one of orchestral music’s greatest symphonies.

While the two orchestras have experienced playing Mahler together in the past, the Third Symphony will be new territory for the tandem. With the number of musicians required to perform Symphony No. 3, a collaboration between orchestras is the perfect way to present such a challenging and monumental work. “This symphony requires large forces — eight French horns, a children’s chorus, adult chorus, and a soloist — the magnificent Canadian mezzo soprano Susan Platts,” says Annemarie. “All this to say, opportunities like this are rare and very special, and a greater occasion to bring our community and our province together.” With the Calgary Phil and ESO considered medium-sized orchestras (around 60 permanent members, compared to 100+ musician orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic), Marc Stevens says it works well for both orchestras to join forces for large works like Mahler’s Third Symphony.

“We’re far enough away from each other that we don’t compete for audiences, yet close enough for a partnership like this to work beautifully,” says Marc. “We see this as an opportunity to bring our cities closer, to celebrate the ties that bind us, and for our musicians to enjoy making incredible music together.”

The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra perform together on 10 November in Calgary and 11 November in Edmonton for Alberta in Harmony: Moving Mahler

The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss

Sunday 1 October / 3PM

Instrument Discovery Zoo / 2PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Symphony Sundays for Kids

Supported by

Resident Conductor Supporter: Mary Rozsa de Coquet Program

Juliane Gallant, conductor

Keshia Cheesman, narrator

Bianca Miranda, narrator

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Do you have a young music fan on your hands? Symphony Sundays for Kids concerts are about one hour long with no intermission and feature orchestral favourites every child should know.

Arrive early for the Instrument Discovery Zoo in the Jack Singer lobby, where they can visit different stations hosted by Orchestra musicians. Each station features an instrument or musical activity for children to try!

This fun, hands-on experience is the perfect way to indulge your child’s curiosity and excitement about visiting the Orchestra. The Instrument Discovery Zoo starts at 2PM and the performance starts at 3PM.

This concert has no intermission Program and artists subject to change without notice

Music by Lorenzo Palomo, text by Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss). Music commissioned by Dr. Sidney H. Sobel. The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. mtishows.com.

Juliane Gallant biography on page 7

Keshia Cheesman Narrator

Keshia Cheesman is a CaribbeanCanadian theatre creator, performer, and educator based in Moh-kíns-tsis (Calgary). She is passionate about experiencing, creating, and supporting art by diverse and marginalized communities and uplifting children and youth through the power of theatre performance and creation. Keshia’s play, Special, was featured in Obsidian Theatre (Toronto) and CBC Gem’s 21 Black Futures, which won a 2022 Canadian Screen Award for Best Web Program. In February 2023, The F Word — a play co-created and performed by Keshia and Bianca Miranda, had its world premiere with Downstage, presented by Alberta Theatre Projects.

Bianca Miranda Narrator

Born and raised in the Philippines, Bianca Miranda is a fat, queer, Filipino performer, playwright, and producer, grateful to be living and working in Treaty 7. She is the Associate Producer at Downstage — “theatre that creates conversation.” As a theatre-maker and playwright, her works most often start from a personal place and examine the intersections of her identities. She is the co-creator and performer of The F Word (world premiere by Downstage, presented by Alberta Theatre Projects in association with Handsome Alice and Theatre Calgary). As an actor and performer, she has worked with theatre companies across the city, such as the Shakespeare Company, One Yellow Rabbit, Major Matt Mason, and Pape and Taper. Bianca believes art can change the world but to do so, we must continue to centre marginalized voices to reimagine a future together. Upcoming performances include Kisapmata, a Filipinx queer love story, co-produced by Lunchbox Theatre and Chromatic Theatre in February 2024.

Hey, Calgary

For the latest news, events, restaurants, and hidden gems, we’ve got you.

© Mike Tan

© Mike Tan

Saturday

Disney + Pixar's Up in Concert

6PM

Susie Benchasil Seiter, conductor Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Michael Giacchino Up (Film with Orchestra) 115'

Conductor

Susie Benchasil Seiter is a prolific composer, conductor, and orchestrator for film, television, video games, and live concerts. She has conducted over 80 orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, National Symphony Orchestra, and Sydney Symphony. Susie excels in leading symphonic film concerts like Frozen Live, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Pixar in Concert, and Toy Story Live. Parallel to her conducting career, Susie works alongside her husband, composer Chad Seiter, conducting and orchestrating his music for video games, including Star Trek and Lego Jurassic World and Microsoft Studios’ ReCore. Also a frequent collaborator with Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory, Susie orchestrated The Banner Saga series and his BAFTA-nominated score for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Susie was on the orchestration team for The Book of Life and Star Trek: Picard, Disney’s Encanto, Universal Pictures’ Minions, and Guillermo Del Toro’s Crimson Peak. She was recently a co-composer for Netflix’s Thai Cave Rescue. Susie believes orchestral music should be shared and celebrated by all generations, and she takes great pride in her contributions as a composer, conductor, and orchestrator. Originally from Baltimore, Susie calls Los Angeles home, where she lives with Chad and their sons Samuel and William.

Concert includes a 20-minute intermission Program and artists subject to change without notice

Susie Benchasil Seiter

7 October / 11AM +

Jack Singer Concert Hall Specials Program

Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts © All rights reserved

© Disney

© Stephanie Dana

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

AND THE BEAST

Dramatically transforming Calgary’s creative future

The Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) project is breaking down barriers, opening doors, and ensuring equitable access to the arts.

Nearly 40 years ago, Calgary invested in its arts and culture community with the original Arts Commons. Now, with an aging facility and growing programming needs, the time has come to reinvest in our commitment to a city with a vibrant arts and culture sector. ACT will expand the Arts Commons campus with a new 1,000-seat theatre and a 200-seat studio theatre, and will modernize the existing Arts Commons facility, creating more opportunities for citizens and visitors to not just experience the arts –but to experience Calgary.

The future starts now: artscommons.ca/ACT

The Last Night of the Proms ... Ever!

Friday 13 October / 7:30PM

Rainer

Program to be announced from stage

Rainer Hersch is a conductor, pianist, comedian, and broadcaster who has performed in over 30 countries around the globe and worked with hundreds of orchestras, from the St. Petersburg Philharmonic to the Tasmanian Symphony. He has fans worldwide — YouTube videos of his routines have had over 65 million views. Rainer graduated from Lancaster University in 1985 and started working in concert agencies, managing some of the world’s great artists. At the same time, he developed a hobby — performing stand-up comedy on the London circuit. Short, unpaid slots led to longer, paid appearances which gradually developed into a parallel career. In time, Rainer realized that this was his true vocation and gave up his last straight musical job, Touring Manager of the London Festival Orchestra, to enter the world of professional comedy. Almost 30 years later, this unique training has kept him in constant demand — combining laughter with music. In addition to conducting orchestras across the world, he has built up a considerable reputation as a broadcaster and presenter in the United Kingdom for BBC and Classic FM. He delights his audiences with witty, interactive, and fun entertainment, ranging from classical-themed sets with his Orkestra, corrupting well-known works with hilarious effects, to pop singalongs based on classic rock hits.

Rainer Hersch Conductor

Concert includes a 20-minute intermission Program and artists subject to change without notice

Jack Singer Concert Hall Specials Program

Hersch, conductor Nicholas Allen, baritone Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Baritone

Nicholas Allen is a Calgarian who endeavoured into a life of music at an early age. He has played piano as well as sung in a variety of choirs for the last 25 years, including two years with the prestigious Vienna Boys Choir. He completed his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Victoria, studying voice with Benjamin Butterfield and singing with the UVic Chamber Singers and UVic Vocal Jazz. Upon his return to Calgary, he was the Bass section representative of the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus for seven years. As a classical soloist, he has performed with Early Music Voices, the Calgary Bach Society, Mount Royal Kantorei, and sings often with Luminous Voices. He currently teaches band and choir at a junior high and high school in Chestermere.

Nicholas Allen

MUSICAL ROOTS

WELCOMING CALGARY ' S KIDS TO THE WONDERS OF ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

BY AUTUMN FOX

© HarderLee Studios

How many people do you know can claim Yo-Yo Ma taught them the cello in their afterschool music class? Be it through movies, cartoons, lullabies, parents, older siblings, or an in-person tutorial with Yo-Yo Ma himself, early exposure to music provides a vast number of developmental benefits — be it cognitive, intersocial, motivational, emotional, or physical.

However, faced with evolving challenges, schools often have the difficult task of juggling core curriculum with opportunities for skilled expression. Students in marginalized communities are even more at risk of losing access to music education, as cost of living expenses trump extracurriculars like music lessons.

Through their education programs, the Calgary Philharmonic offers ways for parents and educators to bridge these gaps, creating opportunities for children and young adults to learn and experience orchestral music firsthand.

Launched in 2015, PhilKids is modeled after El Sistema, a Venezuelan music

program developed to teach atrisk youth how to play a musical instrument, while concurrently offering a safe space for them to express themselves and develop effective interpersonal skills.

“I love the idea of connecting with kids and giving those kids a chance that they might not have otherwise,” says Heather Wootton, Lead Teaching Artist of the PhilKids program and Assistant Principal Horn with the Calgary Phil. “We were talking about doing something of that kind, bringing music to the more disadvantaged schools in some way, and this idea came up.”

Currently, the PhilKids program is offered at no cost every week throughout the school year to 100 students from grades one to six and runs out of two Calgary schools; Keeler Elementary in Forest Lawn and Falconridge School.

First and second-grade students — ‘pizzicatos’ — learn music fundamentals in each session through singing, ‘bucket band’ drumming and using Orff instruments — non-pitched rhythm instruments like shakers and sticks.

The ‘glissandos’ — students from grades three to six — are then free to select an instrument to learn, free of charge, throughout the school year; with flute, trumpet, violin, and cello as options.

In addition to music fundamentals, they receive instruction from Calgary Phil musicians on their chosen instrument. And in some cases, they get the opportunity to learn from world-class instrumentalists, like cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

“He’s a huge proponent of music education for kids and exposure to classical music,” says Heather. “And he volunteered to visit the program when the Calgary Phil presented him in 2017. He observed some of the classes, played for the kids, and worked with the cellos.”

Heather says watching students find their voice with an instrument is gratifying. Some stick with one throughout the program, while others like the challenge of learning something new each year. Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding the right fit. “Some kids who struggle with one instrument really flourish with another.”

T’Svon, 12, just finished his final year with PhilKids. He started playing violin in grade three but switched to flute the following year.

“I just liked the way the violin looked, and I liked the way it sounds. So, I wanted to try it out. But I wasn’t that good of a violin player. I tried the flute, and I was surprisingly good at it,” he says.

So good that he was performing in weddings by age 10. He’s now easily playing compositions by ear and is enrolled in an arts-focused junior high school in the fall.

“ I always loved music. But when I joined, that love grew ”

YO-YO MA VISITING PHILKIDS STUDENTS AT KEELER ELEMENTARY IN DECEMBER 2017

Bea-Marie, also 12, played the violin all three years. “I like how it sounds, and also like the way it sits in your arms and how you can play multiple notes at once.”

Both students have developed a deeper appreciation for music and say they now notice music everywhere around them, especially in films.

T’Svon cites Who Will Know, an operatic piece by Shirō Sagisu for the 2016 Japanese reboot, Shin Godzilla, as his favourite piece of music, while Bea-Marie fell in love with Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi’s MerryGo-Round of Life from Howl’s Moving Castle “I always loved music. But when I joined, that love grew,” says Bea-Marie.

Both young musicians’ parents came from musical families; BeaMarie’s grandfather was a touring musician, while T’Svon’s grandfather was a disc jockey. T’Svon’s mother, Debralee, was a multi-instrumentalist as a student — also settling on the flute.

Debralee says there was always an assortment of new pop records in her home growing up, as well as reggae, owing to their Jamaican background.

Heather says one of the goals of PhilKids is to commit to presenting a broader spectrum of music and cultures to students.

The program introduces orchestral music from the likes of Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, but PhilKids aims to also incorporate a wider culture of music into their curriculum.

Heather notes the systemic underrepresentation of orchestral musicians from minority groups and marginalized communities at the professional level.

“If we want to have more diversity in orchestral music, we need to start at the very, very root of where you start to learn.”

Having two kids enrolled in the program, Debralee can’t speak highly enough about PhilKids.

“The program has evolved so much since when they first started. Evolved in the sense that it’s incorporated more individuality — so, understanding where your place in music is. It’s not just your standard playing the notes and playing the music. It’s about feeling the music, understanding the rhythm, learning about the melodies and harmonies, and coming together as a unit.”

Rehearsals are all accessible and affordable options for parents and educators to introduce children and young adults to the orchestra.

“Symphony Sundays for Kids is a great avenue for families wanting to take their little ones to the orchestra for the first time,” says Alysha. “We have an Instrument Discovery Zoo in the lobby, so kids can try a variety of instruments. We always have strings; we always have percussion. We’re trying to reintroduce some wind instruments. There are also composition stations where kids come around with bingo daubers and smack some colours onto a staff, then take it to a musician, and they imagine a melody from what the kids have put on the paper. It’s just a cacophony of the most wonderful noise you’ve ever heard in your life.”

This season’s Symphony Sundays for Kids series features a performance of Dr. Seuss’ The Sneetches, a drag story time narration of Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, The Da Vinci Code’s Dan Brown’s zoological introduction to each family of instruments, Wild Symphony, and a time-travelling escapade to 18th-century France with Saint-Georges’ Sword + Bow.

“We’re not trying to create little Beethovens,” says Alysha Armanious, the Calgary Phil’s Education + Outreach Manager. “We’re interested in social development and creating more opportunities and avenues for self-expression. The data shows that students continue to go to school — especially in some of these high-risk areas — when they have classes that allow for self-expression and creation.”

But PhilKids isn’t where the Calgary Phil’s mandate to enrich and engage students through music ends. Symphony Sundays for Kids, Education Concerts, and Open

The Calgary Phil’s Education Concerts series allows schools and educators to experience the symphony firsthand at a reduced cost and in an educational context. The 2023/2024 Season’s already in-demand performances include a collaboration with the Alberta Ballet School, a journey through the world of orchestral music featuring pieces from Beethoven, Antonìn Dvořák, and Iman Habibi, led by guest conductor and El Sistema alum, Andrés González, as well as Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony.

Open Rehearsals are geared towards middle and high school students, often partnering with schools with an orchestra or concert band program.

“ If we want to have more diversity in orchestral music, we need to start at the very, very root of where you start to learn. ”

The series is a behind-the-scenes look at the Calgary Phil’s main stage features — beginning with Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and some of the upcoming season’s highlights, ranging from classic jazz, to Spanish guitar, to Beethoven’s Seventh.

Students have the opportunity to engage with the space in-person — often visiting the Jack Singer Concert Hall for the first time — and to experience the pace of a professional dress rehearsal.

Alysha says students will see firsthand “how quickly things need to change, and the agility at which the thought needs to be processed and translated into music.”

Accessibility is the priority for the Calgary Phil’s education programs — whether a child is new to Canada, from a marginalized background or underserved community, or living with a disability. At 210,000 students, Calgary is home to the second largest school district in Canada, and the Calgary Phil considers it their responsibility to contribute to music education for as many of those students as they can.

The Calgary Phil works closely with school boards to tie programming in with the provincial curriculum and can accommodate a variety of class types and structures.

“We’ve got lots of accessible options for whatever combination of needs is required. This last season, we had a group of deaf and hard-of-hearing students join us, which was just so incredible. We’ve never done that before,” says Alysha.

Interpreters were brought in to translate the story, and sound technicians worked to ensure children with cochlear implants were within range to pick up on all the sounds. Alysha says one of her favourite Calgary Phil memories comes from that performance — watching students respond to a high-energy chase scene.

“The kids who were part of that hardof-hearing group, they could feel the music, the vibrations. They started clapping to the beat, and it got the entire hall clapping to the beat as well. And that had never happened. They weren’t prompted to do it. It was just like you knew that they were experiencing it. I love that.”

“The program has given so much to my family. My other younger son, who’s autistic, he was in PhilKids as well. So, it has given so much to our family as far as something for them to do at home, or something that they can feel accomplished at,” says Debralee.

“There’s so much potential for good in this program, on all kinds of levels, for increasing diversity in orchestral music, and musicians in the arts, and in the audience. I just think it has so much potential to grow. I think it is an amazing program, but I think there’s so many more things that we can do. There are so many more kids that we can reach,” says Heather.

“It’s just the idea of music being a refuge, music being something that can help people. Music that you can bring to people and improve their lives in some way. And using music to help kids discover who they really are.”

KIDS CAN EXPLORE THE INSTRUMENT DISCOVERY ZOO IN THE LOBBY BEFORE SYMPHONY SUNDAYS FOR KIDS CONCERTS

STUDENTS ENJOYING A LIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE TRADITIONAL BLACKFOOT STORY OF NAPI AND THE ROCK IN APRIL 2023, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MAKING TREATY 7

Roman Rabinovich in Concert

Friday 27 October / 7:30PM

Saturday 28 October / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Curated Series 2

Supported by

Concert Supporter: Heather + Ian Bourne

Guest Artist Supporter: Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program

Music Director Endowed Chair Supporter: Ted + Lola Rozsa

Program

Rune Bergmann, conductor

Roman Rabinovich, piano

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Witold

Sergei

I. Largo – Allegro

II. Allegro molto

III. Adagio

IV. Allegro vivace

Program and artists subject to change without notice

Piano Concerto

Witold Lutosławski

(1913 to 1994)

Polish composer Witold Lutosławski’s life and career spanned the 20th century — from the invention of the radio, the rise of the automobile, through two world wars, all the way to the cusp of the Internet age. During the Second World War, after barely avoiding German capture, he made a living playing piano in Warsaw bars. His earliest compositions owe a debt to Polish folk music. Lutosławski, born in Warsaw in 1913, say musical historians, found ways to incorporate all of it into his compositions. He borrowed from romantic and neoclassical eras all while incorporating aspects of the avant-garde and improvisation into his creative work. Piano Concerto is a late work by Lutosławski, commissioned by the Salzburg Festival, he wrote it in 1987 and it had its premiere in 1988, where it was performed by pianist Krystian Zimerman and the Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra. It was a type of a work he had been wanting to create for decades that should have come easily for Lutosławski, who was a trained, touring pianist, but he kept getting interrupted by things like the Second World War. The inspirations behind the composition were iconic pianists. “I wanted to evoke Chopin, Liszt and Brahms in the Piano Concerto,” he said in 1990, four years before he died. “I think it worthwhile to maintain contact with such great spirits of the past. This helps to ascend to some better spheres.” In a 2011 blog, American composer, conductor, and cellist Kenneth Woods published a list of the top 20 greatest piano concertos of the 20th century. He placed Lutosławski’s Piano Concerto 15th. “In case you worried that the Piano Concerto had run its course,” he wrote, “this masterpiece of the late 20th century will delight and amaze.”

© Ryan HK

Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 27

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 to 1943)

“To hell with them! I do not know how to write symphonies, and besides, I have no real desire to write them.”

– Sergei Rachmaninoff

If ever a composer embodied the phrase, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again”, it was Sergei Rachmaninoff. The conductor’s first symphonic work, Symphony No. 1 was an unequivocal failure, garnering, not only a despairing sense of disappointment in himself but terrible reviews. In fact, things looked so bad, it is a wonder Symphony No. 2 was ever created. The pianist, composer, and conductor had given up on the second symphony while writing it several times. Tormented and driven by his own impossible standards, Rachmaninoff, the son of a musician, was an artistic polymath. He played the piano extraordinarily well, wrote an opera for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, was a successful conductor there for two years and was, despite his protestations, a brilliant composer — particularly, it turns out, on his second try. Roiling in political tumult, after being humiliated in a 1905 war with Japan, Russia embarked on the road to its first revolution, in 1905. In 1906, Rachmaninoff retreated to his inlaws’ home in Dresden, Germany, wife and baby daughter in tow to rewrite Symphony No. 2, after a frustrating experience with the first draft. In this more peaceful, domestic setting, away from the demands of his duties as a composer, not to mention the upheaval taking place in Russia, Rachmaninoff had the time and space to work through both his composition and constant self-doubt. His work was rewarded in full; he received universal acclaim for Symphony No. 2, and the coveted Glinka Award, for the second time. Symphony No. 2 was the first in a body of work confirming Rachmaninoff’s stature in the emotionally liberating tradition of romanticism in classical music.

Program notes by Stephen Hunt © 2023 Rune Bergmann biography on page 7

Roman Rabinovich Piano

Praised by the New York Times for his “uncommon sensitivity and feeling,” Roman Rabinovich won the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 2008. Roman made his Israel Philharmonic debut at age 10, having immigrated to Israel a year before from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A graduate of Curtis Institute of Music, he earned his master’s degree at the Juilliard School. His career has led him to perform as a soloist with orchestras including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Meininger Hofkapelle, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and Prague Symphony. In 2022, Roman made his Carnegie Hall concerto debut, stepping in at 24 hours’ notice with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9. Highlights of the 2023/2024 Season include Sergi Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada and performances with the Tallahassee and Bakersfield symphonies. With his wife, violinist Diana Cohen, Roman is co-director of ChamberFest Cleveland and ChamberFest West in Calgary. During the pandemic, the pair gave free weekly concerts from their front yard.

© Ryan HK

Classically Jazzed

Friday 3 November / 7:30PM

Saturday 4 November / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall Pops Program

Matt Catingub, conductor

Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin

Steve Moretti, percussion

Kait Shane, vocals

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Matt Catingub Conductor

Matt Catingub wears many hats: saxophonist, woodwind artist, conductor, pianist, vocalist, performer, composer, and arranger. He is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Macon Pops in Georgia. Previous posts include Artistic Director and conductor of the Glendale Pops in California, the Hawaii Pops in Honolulu, and the Festival Pops Conductor of the New Hampshire Music Festival. Additionally, he held the Principal Pops Conductor positions of the Honolulu Symphony, the Hawaii Symphony, and the New Mexico Symphony. The son of the great jazz vocalist and “Polynesia’s First Lady of Song,” Mavis Rivers, Matt regularly performed with his mom, and his most recent recording, From Samoa to Sinatra, is dedicated to and features Mavis Rivers — the first female vocalist signed by Frank Sinatra’s own Reprise record label. Matt also wrote and performed the music for the George Clooney film Goodnight and Good Luck, making an onscreen appearance as the leader of the band, creating all of the arrangements, and playing tenor saxophone in the movie and on the CD. The soundtrack for Goodnight and Good Luck, featuring Matt and vocalist Diane Reeves, won a Grammy Award.

Amy Schwartz Moretti

Violin

Amy Schwartz Moretti has a musical career of broad versatility as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and former concertmaster of the Florida Orchestra and Oregon Symphony. Since 2007, she has been Director of the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, developing and curating the Fabian Concert Series and teaching at the Townsend School of Music. Amy enjoys the opportunity to travel and perform concerts worldwide, premiering concertos written for her by Grammy Awardwinner Matt Catingub and composer Christopher Schmitz, collaborating with James Ehnes for Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata for Two Violins and Béla Bartók’s 44 Duos, receiving Juno Awards for Classical Album of the Year in 2014 and 2015, and performing with the acclaimed Ehnes Quartet. She received an Alumni Achievement Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Fanfare Award from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, was named one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals, and received the Macon Arts Alliance Cultural Award. Amy lives in Georgia with her husband and two sons, enjoying swimming and being at the soccer field, skate parks, and tennis courts with her boys. She performs on her treasured Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin, made in Paris in 1874.

Steve Moretti

Percussion

Drummer/percussionist/producer

Steve Moretti is a two-time Grammy nominee, Juno nominee, and winner of two Telly Awards. Steve has become one of the most soughtafter drummers on the international stage and recording studio. His performances have been described as “powerful” (World-Herald) and “full of subtle nuance and excitement” (Cleveland Classic). Steve has had an extensive recording career playing on over 40 nationally released recordings and made his movie debut playing live in the Clint Eastwood film Jersey Boys. Because of his musical versatility, he has performed with artists like Josh Groban, Kenny Loggins, Rosemary Clooney, The Pointer Sisters, Kandi Burruss, Michael Brecker, Joe Henderson, and many others. Frequently engaged for symphonic drum set performances, Steve has performed with orchestras including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has also appeared at various music festivals, including Banff, Rome, Seattle, and Samoana (Samoa). Steve is co-founder, President & CEO of Macon Pops, an innovative pops orchestra he created in his hometown of Macon, Georgia, with his longtime collaborator, Matt Catingub. He is endorsed by Pearl Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Aquarian Drum Heads, Audix Microphones, Future Sonics Ear Monitors, and Vic Firth Sticks.

Kait Shane Vocals

Kait Shane has had the pleasure of performing with a number of Canada’s most respected artists. This list includes Order of Canada musicians, including Tom Jackson and Jens Lindemann. She has also performed alongside Juno Award recipient Alfie Zappacosta, and Juno nominee Al Muirhead, with whom she fronted a jazz quartet for many years at the beautiful Fairmont Banff Springs. Collaborations with Matt Catingub have been highlights over the last five years, including Matt’s highly regarded JazzPops Orchestra project Then is Now, recorded and performed in Banff, Alberta. In addition, Kait has been guest performer of Matt’s and the Omaha Symphony Orchestra and is now joining him in the city she’s called home for several decades.

JULIANE GALLANT

New Brunswick-born conductor Juliane Gallant is the new Resident Conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic, and one of two fellows in the inaugural cohort of Tapestry Opera’s Women in Musical Leadership program. We caught up with her to get to know her!

APPLES or ORANGES?

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO...

A lot of CHVRCHES, HAIM, and Jeremy Dutcher.

DANCING or KARAOKE?

Dancing!

NIGHT OWL or EARLY BIRD?

I love mornings. My first sip of coffee is one of my favourite parts of any day.

FAVOURITE THING about ALBERTA?

At the moment, I love how much of this wonderful province I have yet to explore FAVOURITE THINGS about NEW BRUNSWICK? The ocean, the seafood, and the people.

TRAVEL NEAR or FAR?

I always enjoy visiting new countries, but these days, I’ m loving discovering parts of Canada I’ve never seen!

COFFEE or TEA?

Both. When I’m on the road, I pack my AeroPress, and a few different kinds of loose-leaf teas.

MOUNTAINS or OCEAN?

The ocean is my happy place.

CALLS or TEXTS?

Texts.

READING or WRITING?

Reading, but I love words in general, and take a special pleasure in crafting the perfect program notes.

I often have both in my fridge, but neither can compete with mangoes.

FARMERS' MARKET or BOOKSTORE? There are few places I love more than bookstores!

CURRENTLY WATCHING...

I’ve very recently (finally!) finished the second season of The White Lotus

CATS or DOGS?

Dogs, every time.

FICTION or NON-FICTION? Both.

ART MUSEUM or HISTORY MUSEUM?

I love art galleries, especially modern and contemporary art.

CAKE or PIE?

My mom’ s carrot cake, please!

COMEDY or DRAMA? A mix of both!

TALK RADIO or MUSIC RADIO?

I have a bit of a podcast obsession. There’s always one playing when I’m cooking, cleaning, or at the gym!

FAVOURITE HOBBY?

CURRENTLY READING

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

FAVOURITE COMPOSER?

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote my favourite opera and my favourite symphony, but Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gustav Mahler and Francis Poulenc also have a special place in my heart.

SUNRISE or SUNSET? Sunset.

Cooking gives me a lot of joy. I also enjoy doing the New York Times crossword every day.

SUMMER or WINTER?

Either, as long as the sun is shining!

SWEETor SAVOURY? Savoury, but I never turn down dessert.

Alberta in Harmony: Moving Mahler

Friday 10 November / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Specials

Supported by

Guest Artist Supporter: Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program

Music Director Endowed Chair Supporter: Ted + Lola Rozsa

Chorus Supporter: Borak Forte Program

Program

Rune Bergmann, conductor

Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano

Calgary Girls Choir

Calgary Philharmonic Chorus

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 3 in D Minor 99'

I. Kräftig. Entschieden

II. Tempo di Menuetto Sehr mässig

III. Comodo (Scherzando) Ohne Hast

IV. Sehr langsam – Misterioso

V. Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck

VI. Langsam – Ruhevoll – Empfunden

Symphony No. 3 in D Minor

Gustav Mahler

(1860 to 1911)

The tempestuous surges of Gustav Mahler’s compositions are the musical mirror of the composers’ personal peaks and valleys. His peaks were centred around his stunning array of musical gifts both as a conductor and composer. His valleys stemmed from tragic losses: the psychological fallout from his father’s abuse, the deaths of six siblings, as well as Mahler’s status as a Jew in an era of anti-semitism. In his lifetime, Mahler was revered mostly for his success as a conductor, but over time, his composition work has been seen as a transitional moment in the evolution of classical music. He is considered equal in rank to Ludwig van Beethoven for building the musical bridge that connects romanticism and modernism. The native folk music of his Bohemian birthplace deeply influenced Mahler’s work. He considered himself a lifelong exile, saying he was “thrice homeless — as a native of Bohemia in Austria, as an Austrian among Germans, and as a Jew throughout the world. Everywhere an intruder, never welcomed.” Despite these obstacles — or perhaps fuelled by them — by the time he turned 20 years old, Mahler had already established himself as a conductor of note. He also continued to compose. He had experienced a tremendous amount of loss since childhood. Several siblings passed in infancy — of 12 Mahler children, only six survived — but after younger brother Ernst passed away in childhood, 13-year-old Gustav attempted to translate his suffering into an opera — Herzog Ernst von Schwaben — dedicated to his beloved sibling Ernst. Symphony No. 3 is Mahler’s longest and is one of the longest symphonies in the repertoire, usually clocking in at around 100 to 110 minutes long. A survey of conductors taken by BBC Music Magazine placed Symphony No. 3 in the top 10 symphonies of all time.

Program notes by Stephen Hunt © 2023 Rune Bergmann biography on page 7

Presented with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

Susan Platts Mezzo-Soprano

British-born Canadian mezzo-soprano

Susan Platts brings a uniquely rich and wide-ranging voice to the concert and recital repertoire. She has collaborated with many of today’s leading conductors, including Marin Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, JoAnn Falletta, Jane Glover, Vladimir Jurowski, Carlos Kalmar, Keith Lockhart, Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Peter Oundjian, Bramwell Tovey, Osmo Vänska, and Pinchas Zuckerman. Susan’s opera highlights include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at London’s Royal Opera House, Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and John Adams’ Nixon in China for BBC Proms. Orchestral highlights include Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde and the premiere of a new work by Howard Shore with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Edward Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius in Mexico City with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional and Mahler’s Third Symphony with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Susan appears on Naxos releases La Tragédie de Salomé (Florent Schmitt) and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (chamber version). She has recorded the full version of Das Lied von der Erde with the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, and Lieder of Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms on the ATMA label.

Calgary Girls Choir – Brava Ensemble

The Calgary Girls Choir is one of Canada’s most dynamic and celebrated choirs. The Choir inspires young girls and women to meet the artistic challenge of choral music performance by offering exceptional music education, premieres of commissioned works, recording, artistic collaborations, and outstanding performance and touring opportunities. Calgary Girls Choir –Brava is recognized internationally for its stunning sound, exceptional musicality, and artistry. Through a commitment to artistic and personal excellence singers develop leadership skills, independence, self-discipline, and confidence. Their lives are uplifted through a personal and meaningful connection to great music. The Calgary Girls Choir’s programs offer training to choirs ranging from age five to adults and recognizes the importance of quality repertoire and excellence in training, fostering and developing the personal and social development of its singers. Choristers push the boundaries of their abilities in the pursuit of excellence, express themselves through joyful singing, and carry their skills with them as they find their voice in all aspects of life. They experience the power the arts have to change lives and develop an awareness of the contributions they can make in our community, country, and world. They have a powerful voice and learn to use it with intelligence, heart, and compassion.

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Ensemble

The Edmonton Symphony Society was established in 1952, with Lee Hepner as the now-professional Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s first conductor. The Capitol Theatre was its performance home. Fast-forward to the 1990s, the ESO became the first in Canada to perform at a First Nations reserve. In 1997, the ESO moved into its new performance home, the Francis Winspear Centre for Music. In 2005, the ESO named American conductor William Eddins as Music Director. His tenure was highlighted by progressive, innovative programming, including the ESO’s 2012 debut at Carnegie Hall. In 2017, Alex Prior was named the ESO’s Chief Conductor. Cosette Justo Valdés joined the ESO for the 2018/2019 Season as Assistant Conductor and Community Ambassador and was named Resident Conductor in the 2022/2023 Season. Following Alex Prior’s tenure, in 2022, American conductor Michael Stern was named Artistic Advisor to the ESO. Now in its 72nd year, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is one of Canada’s foremost orchestral ensembles. Its roster includes musicians from Canada and around the world performing a wide-ranging repertoire, from classical masterworks to Hollywood scores to new works. The ESO is the resident artistic ensemble of the Winspear Centre, among the best acoustic concert halls in North America.

Brett Kissel with the Calgary Phil

Presented in partnership with The Taylor Family Foundation

Friday 17 November / 7:30PM

Bella Concert Hall

Saturday 18 November / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Specials

Supported by

Concert Supporter: Taylor Family Foundation

Resident Conductor Supporter: Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Program

Juliane Gallant, conductor

Brett Kissel, vocals + guitar

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Program to be announced from stage

Concert includes a 20-minute intermission Program and artists subject to change without notice

Brett Kissel

Vocals + Guitar

It all Started With A Song over 10 years ago, and ever since, Brett Kissel has had an extraordinary rise to superstardom in the Canadian country music scene. With three platinum and 10 gold singles, two gold-certified albums, and 16 top-10 radio hits, he has become one of the country’s most celebrated artists. Having toured with legends such as Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley and completing recordbreaking runs across the country, Brett has firmly planted himself as one of Canada’s most beloved entertainers. He has also become well known for his genre-defying collaborations, which have led to some iconic duets featuring Grammy winners Charley Pride, Dave Mustaine, Nelly, and the iconic R&B group, 98 Degrees. At the top of 2023, Brett embarked on his most ambitious endeavour yet with The Compass Project — a fourpart album experience showcasing various themes, and Brett’s versatility as a musician and songwriter. The project’s first album, South Album, showcases Brett’s signature style of commercial country hits. This past spring, he released East Album, a collection of stripped down, heartfelt, acoustic songs inspired by Brett’s love of Canada’s east coast and features a new level of emotional depth in his songwriting. Fans can anticipate the compass to swing towards the West Album later this year, while the North Album, filled with live recordings of Brett performing his greatest hits across Canada, will be available in Fall 2023.

Juliane Gallant biography on page 7

Photo: Danish String Quartet, Caroline Bittencourt

Price + Schumann2

Saturday 25 November / 7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Curated Series 1

Supported by

Concert Supporter: Valerie + Allen Swanson

Music Director Endowed Chair Supporter: Ted + Lola Rozsa

Guest Artist Supporter: Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program

Program

Rune Bergmann, conductor Anna Fedorova, piano Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Florence Price

Clara Wieck Schumann

Andante Moderato

7'

Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 7 21'

I. Allegro maestoso

II. Romanze: Andante non troppo, con grazia

III. Finale: Allegro non troppo –Allegro molto

Intermission

Andante Moderato

Florence Price

(1887 to 1953)

Florence Price’s life was changing in 1929, the year she composed Andante Moderato. She had relocated from her childhood home of Little Rock in Arkansas, to Chicago with her husband Thomas Jewell Price, an attorney. But the Depression and racism in Chicago caused the jobs to dry up and Thomas grew frustrated and angry, and in 1930, Florence granted him a divorce. Florence was 42 years old, a Black woman who composed classical music and there was a depression. Price’s Andante Moderate blends classical influences such as Antonín Dvořák and other late romantic composers, and blends them with melodies that carry an unmistakable stamp of African-American origins. Price went on to win several awards for her compositions including a top prize offered by the Chicago Symphony for her First Symphony, but her race and her gender both shut her out from being commissioned by the top orchestras. Her main benefactor, German emigre Freidrich Stock, was the Chicago Symphony’s musical director but war broke out and Stock was exiled from his position. Price’s work has been undergoing a revival in recent years after a number of compositions were discovered in her old summer house in St. Anne, Illinois.

Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 7

Clara Wieck Schumann

(1819 to 1896)

20'

Robert Schumann Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, 32' Op. 97 (Rhenish)

I. Lebhaft

II. Scherzo: Sehr mässig

III. Nicht schnell

IV. Feierlich

V. Lebhaft

Program subject to change without notice

Clara Wieck Schumann completed a single concerto that had its world premiere in Leipzig in 1835. It was a single movement Konzertstatz — a concert piece — written for the piano. She started working on it as a 13-year-old, under the tutelage of a fiercely demanding teacher — her dad, Frederich Wieck. In 1834, with the help of her future husband Robert Schumann, she expanded her Piano Concerto, adding two movements, with the Konzertstatz becoming the climactic third movement. Clara’s Piano Concerto had its world premiere in 1835, 12 days before she turned 16. Clara might have been a woman competing in a male-dominated cultural universe, but her talent as a pianist made her stand out from

a very early age. She was touring internationally by the age of 11. Her father Frederich was a piano salesman, repairman, and teacher — and by all reports, a tyrant. When they married at 21, Robert was a struggling composer and Clara was a star touring pianist. Clara managed to publish her compositions throughout her life, but winning respect for her compositions equal to the notoriety she enjoyed as a pianist remained a challenge.

Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)

Robert Schumann (1810 to 1856)

Robert Schumann’s life changed in several ways when he went to study piano with Friederich Wieck, who believed he had the talent to become one of Europe’s great pianists. Then, he injured a finger that turned into a life crisis. He fell in love with Wieck’s daughter Clara, who was a piano prodigy and a touring star in her own right. Friederich hated that, but Clara married Schumann in 1840. By then, Schumann had largely given up the piano for composition, which he turned out to have talent for. By 1841, his first major work, Symphony No. 1, premiered in Leipzig, Germany. It was the introduction of a major voice of the romantic movement, even if it took a hand injury to get him there. Symphony No. 3 was said to have been inspired by a road trip Schumann took with Clara to the Rhineland — a happy experience — leading the composer, who was prone to major mood swings suggestive of someone with major mental health issues, to reflect on life. He composed Symphony No. 3 over five weeks at the end of 1850 right before Christmas holidays, and it debuted barely eight weeks later, in 1851, in Dusseldorf, with Schumann conducting.

Program notes by Stephen Hunt © 2023 Rune Bergmann biography on page 7

Anna Fedorova Piano

Anna Fedorova’s playing is “unfailingly sensitive, poetic and tasteful” (Gramophone). From an early age, the Ukrainian-born pianist Anna Fedorova showed an innate musical maturity and amazing technical abilities. Her live recording of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 has more than 35 million views on YouTube making it the most-viewed concerto video on the platform. In addition to her busy performing schedule, Anna is devoted to raising funds through benefit concerts for the victims of the war in Ukraine. Together with her colleagues and friends, she raised over €500,000 for humanitarian aid organizations in March and April 2022 alone. In July 2022, Anna performed with the Verbier Festival Orchestra at the opening of the Verbier Festival. A week later, she made her debut at La Roque d’Anthéron with a solo recital, to much acclaim. In 2022, Anna Fedorova and double bassist Nicholas Santangelo Schwartz founded the Davidsbündler Music Academy in The Hague. Highlights in 2023 include performances of Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, 3, and 4 with various orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the ADDA Symfónica, the Malaysian Philharmonic, and the New Japan Philharmonic.

YI, JODI HUGHES, JEFFERSON HUMPHREYS & ADRIANA ZHANG

The Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program

Your Calgary Phil is thrilled to welcome these guest artists to perform with the Orchestra in the 2023/2024 Season thanks to the generous support of the Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program.

In addition to the prestigious Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program, the Lacey Family is pleased to have Endowed the Principal Cello Chair in Honour of Philip Hansen. They are delighted Principal Cello Arnold Choi currently occupies this chair and encourage other families to consider endowing an orchestra chair to support the Calgary Phil.

Support the Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program by scanning the QR code below

* Denotes guest artists who have appeared with the Calgary Phil as a Lacey Virtuoso Artist in a previous season

ROMAN RABINOVICH*

ANNA FEDOROVA

THOMAS MESA

DIANA COHEN*

SIR STEPHEN HOUGH*

SUSAN PLATTS*

DANIEL BOLSHOY

ALEX CUBA

PHILIPPE QUINT*

CAPATHIA JENKINS

x p e r i e n c e t h e G r a n d e s t o f F e e l i n g s a t F a i r m o n t P a l l i s e r ' s H a w t h o r n D i n i n g R o o m & B a r H a w t h o r n ' s n e w c u l i n a r y t e a m r e - d e f i n e s

a l g a r y ' s d i n i n g e x p e r i e n c e w i t h a c u r a t e d m e n u f r o m A l b e r t a s m o s t t r u s t e d p r o d u c e r s , f a r m e r s a n d s u p p l i e r s H a w t h o r n i s a p l a c e f o r o l d s t o r i e s t o b e t o l d a n d n e w m e m o r i e s t o b e m a d e

THE IMPACT of a TICKET

BY HADYA AZEEM

There is nothing quite as magical as seeing your first live performance, the energy of sitting in the concert hall in anticipation, hearing the cheers of an audience, and getting to watch a concert, a play, or even an orchestra performance of your favourite movie soundtrack. These are the memories that inspire dreams and are carried on forever, told for generations to come.

In 2000, Kids Up Front Founder John Dalziel went to a sporting event and saw how many seats go unused. He realized at that moment there were many kids and families within our city who would love to be in those seats but may never get the chance. So, he created the Kids Up Front Foundation, a charity where people could donate their unused tickets and give them a new life by sending deserving kids and families in their place.

Over the last 23 years, Kids Up Front has grown a lot, distributing tickets through partnerships with over 150 agencies within the city and now offering some of its own programming and events, including fundraising initiatives such as the annual All-In-

For-Kids poker tournament. But one thing has stayed the same, its focus on providing kids and families with opportunities to get out and enjoy enriching experiences together.

Kids Up Front believes every kid should have the opportunity to experience the magic of a live performance, sports game, concert, festival, or local attraction.

For many kids and families these opportunities are not just a magical night out, but they are often a safe haven. With all the challenges they may be experiencing in everyday life, these opportunities allow them to have a couple hours to escape. Not having to worry about their financial, social, physical, or family situations, but just being able to live in the moment and enjoy. The donations

Kids Up Front receives provide a sense of hope, joy, and fulfillment for families.

“It has been a child, taken into care, separated from their siblings and reunited at a sports game to create a memory together during such a difficult time. It has been a child who returns to their family from foster

care and is able to share the wonders of a play they attended. It has been children with the most unimaginable stories, being able to laugh and giggle at a movie together,” says an agency partner. “For some, it has been the first time they heard an orchestra, saw a ballet, or enjoyed a performance, to become aware of worlds they had never been introduced to before. I truly believe Kids Up Front allows for those who receive tickets, a bridge for families to visit, caregivers to bond with children who just arrived at their homes, and for kids for just a moment to be children and play and feel wonder.”

“We are so grateful for our partnership with the Calgary Philharmonic and all the wonderful individual donors who champion our cause and support our programs. Your donations have more of an impact than you could ever imagine,” says Nicky Nash, Executive Director of Kids Up Front. “Thank you for fueling the minds, imaginations, and nourishing the spirits of all our kids and families, ensuring these experiences are accessible for all and that all children can have a seat in the crowd.”

+ DICK

Join our community of visionary supporters

The Calgary Philharmonic Foundation is the largest annual supporter of your Calgary Phil, exceeding all levels of government support, and ensures the permanence of the Orchestra and that future generations have access to the power of orchestral music.

This program has been bringing world-class artists to perform with your Calgary Phil since 2008, enhancing musical presentations for both audiences and musicians. Many Virtuoso artists also perform at donor recitals or teach masterclasses to aspiring young musicians in our communities.

Founded by Ellen and Allen Borak, this program helps elevate the art of choral music by supporting and nurturing the development of the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus. This program provides more than 100 volunteer singers with the opportunity to grow in their performance of choral music and promotes the enjoyment of choral singing in our communities.

Elaine and Jeremy Clark, along with their daughters Keiko and Chloe, support several projects designed to empower curiosity for the Orchestra in its fullness. Adult education projects like chamber music recitals, Music To My Ears events, and pre-concert chats are meant to encourage the next generation of enthusiastic Calgary Phil supporters.

Irene and Walt DeBoni created this program to support the commissioning of new Canadian works necessary for the continued development and vitality of orchestral music. Thanks to this program, the Orchestra premieres enticing and trailblazing new works each season.

Celebrating 10 years, the MacLachlan/Ridge Emerging Artist Program helps provide outstanding young Canadian musicians with opportunities to advance their careers by performing with the Orchestra to develop Canada’s next generation of artists.

This philanthropic program was created in memory of Joyce and Dick Matthews, who were dedicated and generous supporters of your Calgary Phil for more than 50 years, providing the opportunity to recognize someone special.

Founded by Judith Kilbourne, PhilKids is an after-school program for students aged 5 to 11, bringing music to the hands and hearts of children who otherwise would not have access to such artistic development, fueling the empowerment of children through the exploration of music.

Support one of these programs that make a difference, or donate to our Greatest Needs fund at calgaryphil.com/support.

Sponsors + Supporters

Our Donors

Leadership Giving

The Calgary Philharmonic expresses its deep gratitude to the passionate and dedicated supporters whose significant lifetime giving to the Calgary Philharmonic Society and Calgary Philharmonic Foundation helps us achieve our vision.

$10,000,000 and above

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation

Joyce + Dick Matthews

$1,000,000 to $9,999,999

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Calgary Arts Development Authority

Canada Council for the Arts

Irene + Walt DeBoni

John + Ethelene Gareau

Government of Canada

Dr. John Lacey

Morningside Music Bridge Foundation

Drs. Ted + Lola Rozsa

Estate of Mario James Stella

One Anonymous Donor

$500,000 to $999,999

Estate of Marjory Barber

Irene + Bill Bell

Marg + Paul Boëda

Cenovus Energy Inc

CNOOC (formerly Nexen)

Carol + Frank Gray

Honens Calgary Philharmonic Society Fund at Calgary Foundation

Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Robbin Shandel

Taylor Family Foundation

One Anonymous Donor

$250,000 to $499,999

Said Arrata

Leslie + David Bissett

Ellen + Allen Borak

Heather + Ian Bourne

Andrea Brussa

Calgary Foundation

Calgary Herald

Norma Carroll

Corus Entertainment

Heather Edwards

Encana Corporation

Jan + Larry Fichtner

Liz + Tony Fricke

Lois + Richard Haskayne

Judith Kilbourne

KPMG LLP

Estate of Murray Lipsey

Letha MacLachlan KC

Deborah Yedlin +

Martin Molyneaux

Palmer Family Foundation

Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc

Rozsa Foundation

Muriel Stewart

Sunesis Consulting Inc

TELUS Corporation

TransCanada Pipeline Ltd

$100,000 to $249,999

Air Canada

ARC Resources Ltd

Jeff Arsenych

Jenny Belzberg

Beverly + Gerald Berkhold

BP Petroleum

Calgary Shaw Charity Classic Foundation

Canada Life

Elaine + Jeremy Clark

Judith + Terry Dalgleish

Dori Wood + James Doleman

Enbridge Pipelines Inc

Tibor Fekete

Estate of Geraldine Fish

Glasswaters Foundation

Estate of Winnifred Griffith

Elizabeth + Wayne Henuset

Imperial Oil Ltd

Jeanette King

Estate of Evelyn Christine Kings

HD Klebanoff Memorial Fund

Kool 101.5

Sir Jack Lyons Charitable Trust

Estate of Mary McIntosh

Macquarie Group Foundation

Allan Markin

Masters Gallery Ltd

Meludia SAS

Janice + James Morton

Nickle Family Foundation

John + Jean Partridge

Rabinovitz Family Fund

RBC Foundation

Seagram Company Ltd

Clarice Siebens

Margaret Southern

Carla + Klaus Springer

Josie + Trent Stangl

Mary Ann Steen

TC Energy

TD Canada Trust

Shirley Zielsdorf

Three Anonymous Donors

Endowed Chairs

Ted + Lola Rozsa Endowed Chair

Music Director: Rune Bergmann

Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Endowed Chair

Resident Conductor: Juliane Gallant

Ellen + Allen Borak Endowed Chair

Chorus Director: Mark Bartel

John + Ethelene Gareau

Endowed Chair

Concertmaster: Diana Cohen

Peter + Jeanne Lougheed

Endowed Chair

Associate Concertmaster: John Lowry

Hotchkiss Endowed Chair

First Violin Section Member

HD Klebanoff Endowed Chair

First Violin Section Member: Olga Kotova

Esther Violet Hall (née Young)

Endowed Chair

Principal Second Violin: Lorna Tsai

Debbie Lynne Hall (daughter of Esther Violet Hall) Endowed Chair

Assistant Principal Second Violin: Stephanie Soltice-Johnson

Dennis Sharp + Hélène Côté Sharp

Endowed Chair

Second Violin Section Member: Craig Hutchenreuther

Dalgleish Endowed Chair 66

Second Violin Section Member: Minnie Min Kyung Kwon

Eckhardt-Gramatté

Foundation Endowed Chair

Principal Viola: Laurent Grillet-Kim

Naomi Lacey Endowed Chair In Honour of Philip Hansen

Principal Cello: Arnold Choi

John + Jean Partridge

Endowed Chair

Cello Section Member: David Morrissey

Deborah Yedlin + Martin Molyneaux

Endowed Chair

Cello Section Member

Margaret + Paul Boëda in Memory of Jennifer Boëda-Dahl

Endowed Chair

Principal Flute:

Sara Hahn-Scinocco

Bill + Irene Bell Endowed Chair

Piccolo: Gwen Klassen

Judith + William Kilbourne

Named Chair In Recognition of the Kilbourne's long-term support

Assistant Principal Horn: Heather Wootton

Frank + Carol Gray Endowed Chair

In Memory of Vincent Cichowicz

Principal Trumpet: Adam Zinatelli

Frank + Carol Gray Endowed Chair in Recognition of Tim Rawlings' 42 years of service to Calgary Phil Principal Percussion

Joyce + Dick Matthews

Endowed Chair

Piano

2022/2023 Donors

The Calgary Philharmonic expresses its deep gratitude to the following supporters who made generous gifts to the Calgary Philharmonic Society and the Calgary Philharmonic Foundation between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023. For complete listing, visit calgaryphil.com/ support.

Gifts to the Calgary Philharmonic Foundation

Ad Astra Campaign

10 years or more of lifetime giving

20 years or more of lifetime giving

Fanfare:

Gifts of $500,000 and above

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Canada Council for the Arts

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation

Government of Canada

Fanfare:

Gifts of $100,000 to $499,999

Estate of Marjory Barber

Calgary Arts Development Authority

Carol Gray

Honens Calgary Philharmonic Society Fund

Taylor Family Foundation*

Fanfare:

Gifts of $50,000 to $99,999

Irene + Walt DeBoni

Globe and Mail

Government of Alberta

Letha MacLachlan KC

One Anonymous Donor

Fanfare: Gifts of $10,000 to $49,999

Irene Bakker

Jenny Belzberg

Berkhold Family Foundation

Ellen + Allen Borak

Heather + Ian Bourne

Brookfield Properties

Kim Bruce

Calgary Foundation

Alan D. Castle Endowment for the Arts

CH Financial

Community Foundations of Canada

Terry Dalgleish

Heather Edwards

Estate of Jack Ferguson

Annie Freeze

Liz + Tony Fricke

Glasswaters Foundation

Jacky + Geoff Granville

Ryan Green

Jan + Brian Grier

Angela + Sam Hayes

Denise + Don Herman

Juli Hegg + Bill Hogg

James Hughes

Judy Kilbourne

Michael Lipnicki Fine Pianos

Sharon Martens

The Honourable Lois E Mitchell

Janice + James Morton

Jill + Brian Neufeld

Anne Marie Peterson

Legacy Fund

Janet Poyen

RBC + RBC Foundation

Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Rozsa Foundation

Shaw Charity Classic Foundation

Cheryle Sherwood +

Sherwood Associates

Margaret Southern

Claire + Marc Stevens

Valerie + Allen Swanson

TD Canada Trust

Palmer Family Foundation

United Active Living Inc

Viewpoint Foundation

Four Anonymous Donors

Ensemble:

Gifts of $5,000 to $9,999

Andal Family Foundation

Marian + Paul Beer

Blakes, Cassels & Graydon LLP

BMO Nesbitt Burns

Eleanor + Lawrence Bryan

James + Patricia Burns

Calgary Airport Authority

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd

Deloitte Consulting

Amy Dryer

Mary Duthie

Franklin Templeton Investments

Cristine + Allan Huber

Imperial Oil Ltd

Keyera

Jeanette King

Dr. Marilyn Mooibroek +

David Lau

Masters Gallery

Roderick + Jean McKay

Marilyn Moldowan

Rabinovitz Community Fund

Sonia Reynolds

Rogers together with Shaw

Shine FM

Clarice Siebens

Joan + Geoffrey Simmins

Catherine + Marvin Waiand

Welty Family Foundation

Michelle Bailey + John Whelan

Gloria Wong + Arthur Hibbard

Bing Wu

Deborah Yedlin +

Martin Molyneaux

Zenato

Dynamic:

Gifts of $2,500 to $4,999

Dinesh + Rajendra Agrawal

Belinda + Tom Boleantu

Brad Boychuk

Gloria + Walter Chayka

Rae + Phillip Cram

Fern Cyr

Paula Davies

Walter + Ute Dilger

Dori Wood + James Doleman

Tibor Fekete

Mark Ferrier

Denis Fonteyne

Shirley Foster

Joan + Don Greenfield

Pamela Grigg Charitable Gift Fund

Daniel Heng

Herman Family Foundation

Valerie + Craig Johnstone

Mary Anne Katzenberg

Madeleine King + Bob Taylor

Dr. John Lacey

Anita Loeck

Chris MacKimmie

Janet + Rick Matthews

Rene + Mark McManus

Elizabeth + Ross Middleton

Rosemary Moore

Tae Nosal + John Reid

Tim Onyett

Joaquina + Fritz Painsi

John + Jean Partridge

Maureen Payne

Phil Chong Flower Bar

Leanne Ritter + Peter Paauw

Blake Senini

Marie + Nathan Smith

Agatha Starczyk + Mike Miller

Llyn L Strelau

James D Ulrich

Janet Yuchem

Anne + Frank Zinatelli

Two Anonymous Donors

Celebration:

Gifts of $1,000 to $2,499

John Abbott

Anne Howard Human Resource

Consulting

Art Space & Design

Barb Atnikov +

Albert Rosengarten

Matthew Atwood

Roy, Hazel + Nancy Austin

Andrew Azmudeh

Barbara R Beaton

Black Cat Metal

John Bonnycastle

Adrian Burns

Marion R Burrus

Eleanor + Richard Byers

Centini Restaurant

Barbara Chang

Monica Cheng

Georgina Clark

Catherine Glaser-Climie +

Stan Climie

Côté Sharp Family Foundation

Ruth Cross Fund at The United Church of Canada Foundation

Dawn + Rao Darsi

Alexandra De Freitas

Miriam Diamond

Ernest Enns

Lisa Evren

Lawrence Fan

Philippa FitzGerald-Finch

Stephanie Fowler

Galileo Wine & Spirits Ltd

Coppi + Seamus

Glen & Nancy Charitable

Gift Fund

Cecilia Gossen

Danelle Hames + Matthew Law

Harry & Martha Cohen

Foundation

Lois + Richard Haskayne

David Henley

J.E. Hodgson Family Fund

Joan + Gordon Holland

Sandra + Kris Smith

Dr. Helen Isaac

Carrol Jaques + Bob Loov

Arlene + Glen Johnston

Eva Kaiser

Barbara + Hugh Klaassen

Alice de Koning + Yrjo Koskinen

Robert Kulhawy

Chethan Lakshman

Karen Neary + Robert Langill

Oscar + Jennifer Larios

Ann + Tony Luppino

Dr. Jonathan Liu

Alison + Andrew Love

Diane + David Macdonald

Simone MacRae

Cynthia Makara

Zai Mamdani

Patricia + John Martin

Laurie Matiation

Elizabeth + Gene Maurice

Vickie + Russell McKinnon

Joan + Dale S. Meister

Dorothy + Graydon Morrison

Mike Morrow

Shelagh + Faiz Nadir

Peter Paauw

Patricia + Robert Peabody

John Steve Poceta

Ruth + Garry Ramsden-Wood

Karin Richter

Louise + J Norman Rokosh

Marley Rynd Foundation

Herny Schultz

Wendy + Rod Schultz

Hedy + Clark Seaborn

Dr. Tony Settari

Helen Young + Don Smith

Alfred Sorensen

Spirits with Smoke

Ryan Stasynec

Betty J Stein

Patti Stevenson

Barbara Storwick

Wood Pittman Fund

Susan Swan

John W Thompson

Nadine Tratch + Tyler Cumberford

Heather Treacy KC +

Joe Nahman

Frank + Cathy Van Humbeck

Grant + Rita Vogeli

Walsh LLP

Julie Westgate

Westjet

Anne + Terry Wilson

Reginald Worsley

Maria Wu

Four Anonymous Donors

Bravo:

Gifts of $500 to $999

Gwen + Ian Anderson

Rheta Borgal

Bridgette Bar

Eileen Butler

By Jean Michel

Cadillac Fairview

Callow & Associates Management

Consultants Inc

Sandy + Marie Cameron

Campbell-Stone United Church

Sylvia + Bob Carey

Mei Ann Chen

Dorothy Chisholm

Tom Christie

The CORE

Tim Crawshaw

Daniel Culcea

cSPACE

David Daly

Judy Dofoo

Jane Ebbern

Fairmont Banff Springs

Dianne + Thomas Ferguson

Ferrari of Alberta

Fortune Industries Ltd

Audrey + John Fry

Helen Goodman

Michele Gunn

Dr. David Hanley

Ian Hawkins

Holt Renfrew

Instrumental Society of Calgary

Mary Jo Leslie and Joseph

Dallaire Endowment Fund

CONTINUED ON PAGE 52

Bravo: Gifts of $500 to $999 (cont.)

Marion + Federico Krause

Roland Labuhn

Loch Gallery

Ken Martens

Rolf Martin

H Matsune

Jo-Anne McCulloch

Liz McFetridge

Chef Darren McLean

Kent Milani

Kathleen + Keith Nicholson

Tatianna O'Donnell

Richard Olver

Onna Boutique

Smita Patel

Dan Philips

Anita Poscente

Ranchmen's Club

River Café

Jane Robarts

Margaret + Donald Stinton

Nick Suche

Suncor Energy Foundation

Jody Sutherland +

Marco Baldasaro

Julie + Adam Unick

Ingrid Vicas

Patricia + Richard Wanner

Dixie + Tony Webb

Norma + Ron Westcottt

Philippa White

Renate Willson

Agnes + Ray Woods

Five Anonymous Donors

Our Volunteers

Gifts made In Honour of Andrew Azmudeh

Mary Bobey

Arlene Christie

Dawn Darsi

Sharon Arelen Jung

Joyce + Dick Matthews

Nora Morrow

Hugh Woolner

Gifts made In Memory of Gordon Brown

Dawn Darsi

Leslie Diamond

Susan K Hanley

Sharron Arelene Jung

Dennis H Sharp

Stacey Christina Worsley

These volunteers contributed their precious time in the 2022/2023 Season — we celebrate them and their ongoing dedication.

Mariah Atkinson

Cecilia Armada

Priscilla Babunga

Catalina Barboza

Partow Bayzaee

Frances Bradley

Celia Burns

Peggy Chan

Carole Clement

Steve Clement

Maggie Couper

Julie Docken

James Doney

Carole Dunn

Graham Edwards

Amanda Ferguson

Lorna Fulsom

Prasad Ganesan

David Grant

Larry Hamm

Gloria Hare

Robin Harwig

Shane Kidd

Amethyst Klintberg

Wendy Kunsman

Yuliia Lebid

Elizabeth Leitz

Shawna MacGillivray

Moira MacPherson

Marina Milovanova

Balmore Ramon

John Schlichting

Doug Smith

Roy Stuart

Noah Urquhart

Prasad Vishwasrao

Larry Wagner

Louis Warners

Gayna Wong

Cork + Canvas Committee

Tim Onyett, Chair

Mark Chester Dumbrique

Elizabeth Middleton

Maydelin Nuñez

Allison Onyett

Lucy Pei

Christy Pierce

Lauren Ridge

Michelle Yee

Yang Zhang

Ad Astra Cabinet

Dr. John Lacey, Honourary Chair

Elizabeth Evans, Co-Chair

Elizabeth Middleton, Co-Chair

Michelle Bailey

Ann Calvert

Ellen Parker

Ryan Stasynec

We're grateful for the gifts received through:

Aqueduct Foundation

Benefaction Benevity

Calgary Foundation

Canada Helps

GiftFunds Canada

Raymond James Canada Foundation

Strategic Charitable Giving Foundation

United Church of Canada Foundation

United Way of Calgary & Area

WCPD Foundation

Stakeholder Relations Committee

James Kusie, Chair

Courtney Cathcart

Bettina Pierre Gilles

Samuel Hayes

Almas Kassam

Elizabeth Middleton

Colleen Potter

We also thank the Boards of Directors of the Calgary Philharmonic Society and Foundation, and members of the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus, listed on page 4 and page 9 respectively.

Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy on the above lists. Please email any errors or omissions to volunteercoordinator@calgaryphil.com.

IT ' S A ZOO OUT THERE!

BY DAVID SUSSMAN assistant principal oboe

Our Symphony Sundays for Kids concerts come with a wonderful pre-show activity — the Instrument Discovery Zoo. An hour before the start of the concert, kids can see some of the instruments being played up close and even try their hand at making a sound on some of them.

Calgary Phil musicians are stationed around the main floor and first balcony lobbies with string and percussion instruments, generously provided by Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, for kids to try as our musicians guide them in making perhaps their first musical sounds. It is incredibly enjoyable to see the smiles erupt from surprised faces and witness the sheer pleasure at creating a musical sound (something I still experience to this day when I play). Even musically savvy kids seem to really like trying a new instrument! Because brass and woodwind instruments are difficult to sanitize well enough for kids to try them, we instead have a station for kids to compose their own music. Bingo daubers and paper with large musical staves are provided so kids can create a tune. They pass it along to myself or another Calgary Phil musician to interpret the melodies they have created using our instruments

(we get a lot of interpretive leeway with rhythm!) It is striking to see the ‘aha’ moment when young composers hear the dots on the page as actual musical sounds.

In addition to keeping kids engaged before the concert begins, I love the wonderful connection this creates with the audience. A short time later, they get to see me and my fellow Calgary Phil musicians on stage together, and they may have an additional level of interest in the concert performance. Maybe they will listen for the sound of the oboe, looking to see where I am seated in the Orchestra, or maybe they will watch the percussionists and string players on their instruments, listening to how their sound blends with the rest of the Orchestra.

It’s clear many parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or other supportive adults are having as much fun as the kids and are also learning about the Orchestra. Seeing myself and my colleagues play up close gives a much different perspective. They get to see our fingers and bows move and hear us breathe, gaining a real sense of the sound of each individual instrument alongside of their younger companions. In the past, we’ve even offered Instrument Discovery Zoos for adults!

I have helped with the Instrument Discovery Zoos for several decades, and what a joy it is to witness musical appreciation in young people. It is wonderful to make that experience as fun as possible. We can only hope that some of those who have come through the Instrument Discovery Zoo have gone on to become musicians themselves or become lifelong supporters of orchestral music!

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OBOE DAVID SUSSMAN LEADING THE COMPOSITION STATION AT AN INSTRUMENT DISCOVERY ZOO