Program: Best of Broadway (Saturday)

Best of Broadway 5 + 6 November 2021 / 7:30PM Jack Singer Concert Hall

calgaryphil.com | 403.571.0849

Phantom of the Opera (Overture) Love Changes Everything (Aspects of Love)

Lucas Waldin Conductor

All I Ask Of You (Phantom of the Opera)

Lucas Waldin is a dynamic and versatile conductor whose performances have delighted audiences across North America.

He has collaborated with some of today’s most exciting artists including Carly Rae Jepsen, The Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds, The Canadian Brass, and Buffy Sainte-Marie, in addition to conducting presentations such as Disney in Concert, Blue Planet Live, Cirque de la Symphony, and the groundbreaking symphonic debut of R&B duo Dvsn as part of the global Red Bull Music Festival. Waldin has been a guest conductor for numerous orchestras in the U.S. and Canada, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Dallas Symphony, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Waldin holds degrees in flute and conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Starlight Express (Starlight Express) Interlude: Buenos Aires (Evita) Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Evita) The Last Night of the World (Miss Saigon) I Dreamed A Dream (Les Misérables) Macavity (Cats) Maybe This Time (Cabaret) Too Darn Hot (Kiss Me Kate) 'Piano' (Cats) Pie Jesu (Requiem) Phantom of the Opera Reprise Think of Me (Phantom of the Opera) Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera)

Michael Hope Vocals

Michelle Todd Vocals

Michael Hope joined the bassoon section of Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in 1982, and is one of Calgary’s most respected artists through his musicianship and his dedication to the life of our musical community. In addition to playing the bassoon, he has a remarkable second career as a highly praised vocalist. He first sang a symphonic pops show with the Calgary Phil in 1990.

Since then, he has appeared as a popular soloist with nearly every Canadian orchestra. As a singer, he first gained recognition as the winner of the 1984 Calgary Kiwanis Music Festival Rose Bowl, and First Prize Winner in the 1988 CMC International Stepping Stones Competition. A prolific recording artist, he has made a number of critically acclaimed albums, and his latest CD of Classic inspirational songs, Hallelujah, won a Covenant Award Nomination for Inspirational Album of the Year.

Born in Toronto, Michael is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

In addition to making music, he is obsessed with NHL hockey. He also enjoys repairing his old Toyota Camry and vintage episodes of Dallas on TV with his Mom! Learn more about Michael by visiting his website at www.michaelhope.net.

Michelle Todd is an award-winning soprano and actress of critically acclaimed versatility in art song, oratorio, opera, musicals, and plays.

Born in England, she made her prize -winning London recital debut in the Purcell Room, followed by solo performances in Queen Elizabeth Hall, and guest soprano for BBC’s Friday Night is Music Night with the BBC Concert Orchestra. Her major roles in London theatres include The Sound of Music (with Petula Clark), H.M.S. Pinafore, Little Me, Twelfth Night, and the multiaward production of Follies with Stephen Sondheim, Julia McKenzie, and Dame Diana Rigg. Regional leading roles include Little Shop of Horrors, Bless the Bride, Pravda, and Desiree in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. After emigrating to Canada she joined the Shaw Festival, appearing in Good News and Cole Porter’s Nymph Errant, and toured across Canada in Masterclass, Hello Dolly, The Guardsman, Oklahoma, Cinderella, My Fair Lady, Into the Woods, and Side by Side by Sondheim. In addition to international recitals, recent performances include the intimacy of Handel’s house in London and debuts at the Royal Albert Hall (released on CD and DVD) and Carnegie Hall. Previous Calgary appearances include The Andrew Lloyd Webber Experience and her one-woman show The Tales of Beatrix Potter. www.michelletoddsoprano.com

Michael Hope Assistant Principal Bassoon

You’re best known for playing Assistant Principal Bassoon in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, but for Best of Broadway in November, you’re in the spotlight as a vocalist. How long have you been singing?

Since I was a teenager and had an adult male voice. I first took vocal music as an extra course credit so I could graduate from high school two years early and go to music college. It was so much fun that I just kept it up!

When you’re performing with the Orchestra, how is singing different from playing bassoon?

When you’re playing in the Orchestra, you’re a part of a big beautiful organism that collectively melds the efforts of 66 souls to create gorgeous music.

That’s quite the rush, because you’re doing that as a member of an awesome team.

As a singer, you’re performing strictly an individual, creating a much more intimate presentation which is way more exposed! It’s pretty nerve wracking, but exhilarating in different and fun way.

What is your favourite style of music to sing, and what singer do you admire most?

What is the best part of being a musician, and what is most challenging?

I really like Broadway show tunes and American Standards.

All the songs are about love. I’m also crazy about how the melodies — when combined with the most silly and wonderful rhymes — can really make people think about their own emotions, hopes, dreams and all that good stuff! My favourite singer is Frank Sinatra. With the beauty of his voice and his intimate natural stylings he could make every song sound like he was singing it just to you. I also really admire Tony Bennett, who always sang with such feeling and just stopped performing this year at the age of 95. What a career. I went to see him live and learned so much watching him connect with the audience and making everyone feel so special and appreciated for being there.

The challenging part is maintaining a professional standard all the time. I think this is a crucial part of the privilege that goes with being able to make one’s living this way. The best part is just singing and playing music for the simple joy of making people happy.

You’ve been a member of the Calgary Phil for almost 40 years and have made Calgary your home. How do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?

I’m always working!

But when I’m not, I like fixing my own car, and constantly obsessing about NHL hockey and the Calgary Flames!

At some point, did you have to choose between pursuing a career as a vocalist versus a bassoonist?

Not really. I always loved doing both, but one of my biggest goals when I was younger was to have a steady job. Playing the bassoon could provide that. A singer’s life is a little more volatile in that regard. I feel really lucky to have been able to do both and have a really enjoyable twopronged career.

Orchestra 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 TBD TBD

Second Violins

Celli

Horns

Arnold Choi Josue Valdepenas Kathleen de Caen Thomas Megee David Morrissey Daniel Poceta TBD TBD

Robert McCosh Jennifer Frank-Umana TBD Maxwell Stein Heather Wootton

Basses Sam Loeck Kyle Sanborn Mathew Heller Trish Bereti-Reid Patrick Staples Jonathan Yeoh

Lorna Tsai Stephanie Soltice-Johnson Erin Burkholder Jeremy Gabbert Hyewon Grillet-Kim Craig Hutchenreuther Minnie Min Kyung Kwon Theresa Lane Adriana Lebedovich Steven J. Lubiarz

Flutes

Violas

David Sussman

Laurent Grillet-Kim Marcin Swoboda Arthur Bachmann Jeremy Bauman Peter Blake Michael Bursey Alisa Klebanov Jesse Morrison

principal associate principal assistant principal

Sara Hahn-Scinocco Gwen Klassen

Piccolo Gwen Klassen

Oboes Alex Klein David Sussman

English Horn Clarinets Slavko Popovic Jocelyn Colquhoun

Bassoons Antoine St-Onge Michael Hope

Trumpets Adam Zinatelli Miranda Cairns

Trombones James Scott TBD

Bass Trombone David Reid

Tuba Tom McCaslin

Timpani Alexander Cohen

Percussion TBD

Harp Tisha Murvihill

Librarian Rob Grewcock

Assistant Librarian TBD

Personnel Manager Michael Thomson

About the Calgary Phil The Calgary Philharmonic celebrated 65 years as a pillar of Calgary’s vibrant arts community in 2020 and has grown to be one of Canada’s most celebrated live music ensembles.

Led by Music Director Rune Bergmann, the Calgary Phil presents classical standards, pop favourites, bold collaborations, and cutting-edge new works, and attracts world-renowned guest artists and conductors. In a typical Season, the Orchestra welcomes over 100,000 visitors to the concert hall and reaches audiences around the world through its free and accessible digital programming and live-stream initiative —an immersive, online concert experience that launched in 2017.

Follow the Calgary Philharmonic @calgaryphil on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and sign up for email updates at calgaryphil.com/newsletter.