Classical music has long since had a looming reputation over it in the modern day. Elite, old-fashioned, and even outdated have all been prejudices that have been routed deep into the genre, however, that makes it all the more surprising to hear it’s been having a comeback in the younger generation out of everyone. A…
This past Sunday, I had the pleasure to attend Kensington Sinfonia’s 25th season closer concert at the intimate and acoustically-rewarding Hope Lutheran Church. For those not familiar, the Kensington Sinfonia (KS for short) was founded in 1988 by John Lowry of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the musical directorship has been passed on to other…
{Source} Another month comes to a close and we are that much closer to going back to school. Although I can hear your groans loud and clear, I hope we’re all too busy to think about it until mid-August. But if your definition of “busy” is watching Netflix all day, take a well-deserved break by…
When I first heard about Mount Royal Conservatory’s Morningside Music Bridge (MMB) program from friend and participant Yan Li a few years back, I thought, “Wow, that sounds too good to be true.” That was back in my unseasoned days of both musicianship and citizenship so I decided to sit back and listen to her stories of…
Cellists all across the city rejoiced on the 9th after a virtuositic performance of the quintessential Dvorak Cello Concerto by Johannes Moser with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. If you must know one thing about me, it should be that I absolutely love cello music and, let’s not try to bypass this, cello players. This experience was…
The Mount Royal University Conservatory’s long awaited Bella Concert Hall and new facilities opened its doors to the public for the first time last Saturday in a lively open house that featured performances by members of their various choir programs, the Calgary Youth Orchestra, chamber groups from the Advanced Performance Program, and much more. Among the…
On Thursday, Oct. 30, I attended a concert featuring Joshua Bell, a famous professional violinist, playing Violin Concerto No. 1 by Max Bruch. This piece is played widely among classical music students. (In fact, my own sister has been playing this piece for a while, so it has been cutting through my ears lately). No…
What comes to mind when you think about Calgary? Sure, we have a booming oil and gas industry and host the annual Calgary Stampede, but that only touches the surface of what our city has to offer. From numerous productions of plays and ballets to art exhibits featuring works by Dali and Turner, the arts are…
Have you ever heard an organ in action before? I know I haven’t. So that made me even more excited to attend Calgary Civic Symphony’s first concert of the season, titled: “The Mighty Carthy Organ.” The pipes you see at the back of Jack Singer Concert Hall are not just for decoration, but rather part…
A few weeks back I had the absolute privilege of seeing classical pianist Jan Lisiecki perform alongside the Calgary Philharmonic in a dazzling display of ability and virtuosity. If you’re a classical pianist residing in Calgary, then you’ve probably heard a thing or two about Jan Lisiecki, the local Polish-Canadian pianist who captured the attention of the…
I had the amazing opportunity to go to an advanced screening of the new movie If I Stay last weekend, and being an old fan of the book, I was ecstatic to see the end result of this film. Because I saw the movie early, that also means I heard the soundtrack for this film early.…
The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC) is recognized for being a strong bridge between music education and a music career…
Exceptionally talented and gifted musicians from all across Canada, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, is on their national tour and performed yesterday at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. A great bill included Wagner’s Overture to the Flying Dutchman, Britten’s Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes and Debussy’s La Mer. I’ll interviewed two great local talents after…
I had the opportunity to go to the Voix Humaines & Charles Daniels concert at the Christ Church Elbow Park on Saturday, and it was amazing. First off thank you very much to Tokie Brideaux from Calgary Music Events for giving me the tickets! I went to the pre-talk show to learn a little history…
Have you ever had one of those moments where you’re watching a movie and the soundtrack comes on and you think: “where have I heard that before?”