Prelude Magazine Winter 2025/2026

Vivek

Creating Joy and a Brand New Concert with the Orchestra

Shraya

Prelude

WINTER 2025/2026 / VOLUME 50 NO. 2

ZOLTAN VARADI

EDITOR

OMAR JEHA

ART DIRECTOR

JANET BWITITI

EDITORIAL ADVISOR

CONTRIBUTORS

Elizabeth Chorney-Booth

Jun-long Lee

Charlotte Lilley

Stephania Romaniuk

David Sussman

on the cover:

Vivek Shraya by Vanessa Heins

Cover story on page 26

Hullo everyone,

Well, you've helped us kick this season off with an almighty bang! Several sold-out concerts already, and 15,000 people enjoying the Calgary Phil just in the first week. Thank you and we trust you're enjoying music, community, and making indelible memories with your Calgary Phil.

We're also over the moon to welcome National Bank as the 2025/2026 Season Sponsor, helping us to bring you these incredible events and connecting across our communities.

The unforgettable moments continue this winter, going from "KEVIN!?!" all the way to When Instruments Roamed the Earth! Let's celebrate the holidays together with Home Alone (and our first visit to the iconic WinSport Centre), Handel's Messiah, Steven Page, and more. In the new year we have iconic film music by Hans Zimmer (already selling at Interstellar speeds — act quickly!) and an inspiring collaboration with the exuberant Calgary Youth Orchestra led by Fawzi Haimor. That one is in partnership with One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo, as is the concert with this issue's cover artist Vivek Shraya.

We're back at the Bella with Baroque, and in the Jack (which celebrates its 40th birthday in 2025) with music of the Beatles; and if you're feeling in the mood for Valentine's Day, please join us, conductor Natalia Ponomarchuk, and Canadian superstar pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear for Romantic Ravel.

We can't wait to welcome you back again and again. It finally dawned on me recently that I'm completely addicted to the incredible music that orchestras are capable of producing — the range, the complexity, the beauty, the impact! I hope you experience the same.

205 8 Avenue SE, Calgary AB T2G 0K9

Box Office: 403.571.0849

For advertising inquires, please email Zoltan Varadi at zvaradi@calgaryphil.com

Prelude is published three times a year by the Calgary Philharmonic Society. Copyright 2025 by Calgary Philharmonic Society. No part of this publication may be reproduced without express written consent of the publisher. calgaryphil.com

Marc Stevens President + CEO Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

SEASON SPONSOR

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 Otipemisiwak Métis Government Districts 5 and 6. We honour this land and all those who share it in a spirit of peace, friendship, and respect.

JEAN + JOHN PARTRIDGE

FAWZI HAIMOR

A PILLAR OF CALGARY'S VIBRANT ARTS COMMUNITY SINCE 1955.

For seven decades, the Calgary Philharmonic has been bringing communities together through the power of music. A pillar of the Calgary arts scene and one of Canada's most celebrated live music ensembles, the Calgary Phil presents more than 60 concerts a season across a wide range of programming — epic classics, thrilling collaborations, rockin' pops, family fun, and much more. The Calgary Phil also engages thousands of children each season through innovative and accessible Education and Outreach initiatives.

In addition to 66 full-time orchestra musicians, the Calgary Phil has its own chorus of over 140 volunteer singers. In a typical season, the Calgary Phil welcomes over 100,000 visitors, connecting audiences to live music experiences and serving the city of Calgary by fostering creativity and belonging.

Learn more about the Orchestra and Chorus at calgaryphil.com.

FAQs

Where will I park? What if I clap at the wrong moment?

Can I wear Crocs? Taking in a performance at the Calgary Phil is meant to be a joyful — not stressful — experience. So don't worry, we've got you covered with these handy answers to a few of our most frequently asked questions (and, yes, you can wear Crocs).

What do I wear to the Orchestra?

You'll see everything from designer gowns to business casual to jeans 'n tees at Calgary Phil performances. We have no formal dress code and just want you to feel happy, comfortable, and relaxed!

What is your mobile phone policy?

While we hope everyone has the chance to experience live music without distractions, we realize that there are times when you don't want to miss an important message. If you need to leave your device on, please turn the brightness down, the sound off, and be considerate of other audience members.

Where can I find parking?

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

Are drinks allowed in the concert hall?

Aside from the occasional concert, drinks are permitted! You're invited to arrive a little early, mingle with your fellow music fans, and enjoy a beverage in the lobby before the show begins. You can also pre-order a round for pick up from the bar at intermission.

Can I take photos in the concert hall?

For most concerts, you can take a quick photo, but don't use flash — it can interfere with the musicians' performance. Don't forget to tag us in your favourite moments! You can find @calgaryphil on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.

When do I clap?

Did you know that the 'no clapping' rule, in which audiences are expected to hold their applause between movements, only really started to take hold in the mid-19th century? Prior to that, concerts were pretty boisterous affairs. Today, orchestras still largely follow the tradition as a way of respecting the focus of performers 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?

Sometimes even the best laid plans 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?

For more useful tips, visit calgaryphil.com/FAQ

While the length varies, most evening performances are about two-hours long including intermission (shorter concerts may forgo the break). Symphony Sundays for Kids concerts are usually one hour long with no intermission.

Orchestra

Karen Kamensek

PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR

Juliane Gallant* RESIDENT CONDUCTOR + ARTISTIC ADVISOR, POPS

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

Eric Auerbach

Jeongah Choi

Edmund Chung

Danielle Greene

Olga Kotova* Genevieve Micheletti

Maria van der Sloot* Hojean Yoo

Second Violins

Lorna Tsai* PRINCIPAL

Stephanie Soltice-Johnson* ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Erin Burkholder

Jeremy Gabbert

Hyewon Grillet-Kim*

Craig Hutchenreuther*

Minnie Min Kyung Kwon*

Theresa Dumbrique

Adriana Lebedovich*

Steven Lubiarz

Elisa Milner

Roberta Yee

Violas

Laurent Grillet-Kim** PRINCIPAL

Marcin Swoboda ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Alexander Beggs

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*

Robyn Neidhold

Daniel Poceta

Basses

Jonathan Yeoh ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Matthew Heller

Trish Bereti-Reid

Patrick Staples

Flutes

Sara Hahn-Scinocco* PRINCIPAL

Gwen Klassen ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Piccolo

Gwen Klassen*

Oboes

David Sussman ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

English Horn

David Sussman*

Clarinets

Laurie Blanchet ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Bassoons

Antoine St-Onge PRINCIPAL

Michael Hope ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Horns

Nikolette LaBonte PRINCIPAL

Jennifer Frank-Umana ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

Peter Clark ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Maxwell Stein 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

Chris Sies* PRINCIPAL

Harp

Emily Melendes PRINCIPAL

REPERTOIRE OFTEN REQUIRES EXTRA MUSICIANS:

Lidia Haeju Lee, Violin

Christine Chen, Violin

Dean O'Brien, Viola

Ronelle Schaufele, Viola

Patricia Higgins, Viola

Janet Kuschak, Cello

Sheila Garrett, Bass

Daniel Nava, Bass

Sarah MacDonald, Flute

Emily Phernambucq, Flute

Katrina Kwantes-Oliveira, Oboe

Lief Mosbaugh, Oboe

Aura Pon, Oboe

Stan Climie, Clarinet

Ilana Dahl, Clarinet

Natalia Peric, Clarinet

John Feldberg, Bassoon

Heather Wootton, Horn

Laurie Matiation, Horn

Richard Scholz, Trumpet

Gareth Jones, Trumpet

Nikki McCaslin, Trombone

Mark Harding, Trombone

Greg Burns, Trombone

Tyler Cairns, Bass Trombone

Sean Buckley, Percussion

Graeme Tofflemiere, Percussion

Rolf Bertsch, Piano

Darren Young, Guitar

Kodi Hutchinson, E. Bass

Tyler Hornby, Drums

Gerry Hebert, Saxophone

Jeremy Brown, Saxophone

Richard Harding, Saxophone

KAREN KAMENSEK

PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR

Grammy Award-winning conductor Karen Kamensek's expansive artistry coupled with her deep commitment for championing composers of the 20th and 21st centuries is reflected in her work in both the opera house and on the concert stage. Frequently in demand as a guest conductor with many of today's most prominent opera companies, Karen's recent opera highlights include her performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca; the English National Opera in Philip Glass' Akhnaten and Satyagraha; the Welsh National Opera in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking and Leonard Bernstein's Candide; the Metropolitan Opera in Glass' Akhnaten, Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, and Jake Heggie's Moby Dick; the Houston Grand Opera in Giacomo Puccini's La bohème, and the San Francisco Opera in Poul Ruders' The Handmaid's Tale, among others. Karen's recent symphonic work has brought her to the podia of such orchestras as the London Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Orquestra Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, and the Orchestre Chambre de Paris, among others. Karen served as the Music Director of the Staatsoper Hannover from 2011 to 2016. She has also served as 1st Kapellmeister at the Volksoper Wien (2000–2002), Music Director of the Theater Freiburg (2003–2006), and Associate Music Director at the Staatsoper Hamburg (2008–2011). Karen joins the Calgary Philharmonic this season in the role of Principal Guest Conductor.

JULIANE GALLANT RESIDENT CONDUCTOR + ARTISTIC ADVISOR, POPS

New Brunswick-born Juliane Gallant is the Resident Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Pops of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Following a decade working in the UK, her relocation to Canada has led her to appear as guest conductor with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, PEI Symphony Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Kingston Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony New Brunswick. In 2025/2026, she will be returning to Ottawa and New Brunswick and will make her début with the Regina Symphony Orchestra and Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. 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, in Canada, the United States, and the UK. In 2021, she made her Royal Opera House conducting début in Mami Wata in collaboration with Pegasus Opera. In symphonic Pops, she has performed a wide array of genres, from musical theatre and film scores to the music of Tina Turner and Nirvana. She has collaborated with a variety of artists, such as Chantal Kreviazuk, Kiesza, Serena Ryder, and Brett Kissel. 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. She is an alumna of Tapestry Opera's Women in Musical Leadership Fellowship.

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 NorthTall Cree Reserve on her father's side and Mennonite homesteaders on her mother's. Cris' composition strength lies in their diversity for all artistic fields including dance, theatre, film, television, animation, fashion, podcasts, symphonic, chamber, choral, and installations. She performs as soloistcomposer for symphonies and chamber orchestras across Canada and has been commissioned by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony, and Orchestre Metropolitan. Cris was the composer for the Canadian Pavilion for the World Expo in Dubai in 2022 and in Osaka, Japan 2025. They are the founder of the Banff Indigenous Classical Residency at the Banff Centre, and Artistic Advisor for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Her work on the Podcast Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's by Connie Walker and Gimlet media won both a Pulitzer and Peabody. Recent achievements include: her Carnegie Hall Debut with a new symphonic piece, Controlled Burn, with Orchestra Metropolitan conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin; a collaboration with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra of a new ballet, Tel Wild Man of the woods; and scoring a National Geographic documentary. Cris is always up for the challenge of bringing an Indigenous perspective to all aspects of sonic storytelling.

© YOSSI ZWECKER

© HARDERLEE PHOTOGRAPHY

Chorus

Mark Bartel* CHORUS DIRECTOR

Evan Mounce

ASSISTANT CHORUS DIRECTOR

Sopranos

Heather Allen

Karine Baumgardner

Ellen Borak

Michelle Bozynski

SECTION REPRESENTATIVE

Tricia Bray

Carolyn Byers

Christina Candra

Tanya Chow

Twylla Jayne Conn

Laura A Davis

Ina Dobrinski

Barb Dolter

Anne Marie Espiritu

Diane Fenton

Sue Galcher

Sim Galloway

Nairilys Garcia Sogamozo

Carolyn Hatt

Robyn Hauck

Rachelle Henkel

Dale Hensley

Linda Janzen

Amy Jensen

Amethyst Klintberg

Shelby Lake

Melody Littel

Allison Marquette

Chantelle Nelson

Helen Nesbitt

Kathleen Pierson

Gillian Posey

Colleen Potter

Brier Reid

Lisa Schalk

Lisa Sears-Walsh

Joan Simmins

Barbara Soles

Becky Standing

Crystal Jing Wen Tan

Carol Topley

Tamara Vardomskaya

Norma Webb

Chelsea Woodard

SECTION PRINCIPAL

Betsy Woolner

Altos

Margaret Anderson

Jessica Baedke

Kayla Bazzana-Adams

Susan Bell

Barbara Boland

Elizabeth Bowers

Rhea Buckingham

Michelle Cariou

Kelsey Chambers

Indrani Chatterjee

SECTION REPRESENTATIVE

Breanne Coady

Bernie Constantin

Joanne Cosentino

Yvonne Courtney

Ruth A. Cross

Shirley Cumming

Sharon Fehr

Rebecca Frederick

Kiana Gardner

Sabine Gilch

Jo Griffin

Alexandra Guebert

Karen Hanlon

Kay Harrison

Pat Heitman

Julie Heyland

Helen Isaac

Aigerim Kaliyeva

Cynthia Klaassen

Heather Klassen

Marlene L Krickhan

Catherine Lasuita

Carol Latter

Betty Liu

CALGARY PHIL YOUTH CHORISTER

Shawna MacGillivary

Emma MacKay

Barbara Mathies

Julia Millen

SECTION PRINCIPAL

Patty Mino

Lucinda Neufeld

Britt Odegard

Mara Osis

Anastasiya Petruk

Andrea Radford

Anne Rodger

Liv Sawyer

Patti Vaillant

Corné van Nierop

Julia Vanden Heuvel

Alexandra Wang

Emma Woo

Karen Yackel

Tenors

Tim Ahrenholz

Dean Allatt

Neil Bazzana-Adams

Tim Bell

SECTION REPRESENTATIVE

Keevin Berg

Stephen Burke

Rob Burns

Gabriel Castro

Christopher Chiemejonam

Tristram Chivers

Fergus Crawford

Philip Dano

Pat Favaro

Lorna Gilfedder

Richard Harding

Katt Hryciw

CHORUS ADMINISTRATOR

James Hume

Jungsoo Kim

Diana M Klaassen

Joycelyn Kristoff

Caroline Lambert

Juan Manuel López

Brian Mol

Darrell Morden

Abraham Ortega

Alexander Pacunayen

Michael Pierson

Jason Ragan

SECTION PRINCIPAL

Peter Rilstone

Dennis Voth

Joel Wabo

Basses

Archibald Adams

Aaron Bartholomew

SECTION PRINCIPAL

Pearson Berko

Cam Bischoff

Glenn Bontje

Maxime Chambers-Dumont

SECTION REPRESENTATIVE

Ian Charter

Hymns Chu

Mauro Cimolai

Chad Conrad

Lloyd Crosby

David Daly

Kevin Di Filippo

Arthur Dick

Carel du Toit

Mark Dumbrique

John Ghitan

Allan Huber

Adam Kennedy

Drew Kotchan

Darcy Krahn

David Kroeger

Mark Louie

David Mark

Keith Odegard

Kori Patrick

Dave Pattison

Dana Salter

Daniel Sanguinetti

David Schey

Albi Sole

Vinu Varghese

Richard Wanner

Jim Weisert

Peter Wong

Keith Wyenberg

* ENDOWED CHAIR (PAGE 64)

MARK BARTEL

CHORUS DIRECTOR

Where Passion Meets Performance

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 in the lives of choristers, audiences, and communities. He has conducted university choirs for over 25 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 U.S, he returned to Canada in 2019 to join the faculty at Calgary's Ambrose University as Associate Professor of Music and Chair of Ambrose Arts. 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 voice pedagogue to his work with choirs. His current research focuses on how choirs around the world engage in active peacebuilding through the choral experience. A native of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Mark is a graduate of the University of Winnipeg and Canadian Mennonite University. He holds the Master of Music and Master of Sacred Music degrees from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. AVAILABLE TO RENT OR OWN JANUARY 2026

A Gift for Generations to Come

The Lasting Impact of the Calgary Phil's Legacy Giving program

By Stephania Romaniuk

This season also marks the first time that the Calgary Philharmonic will include public recognition of Legacy Giving: a discreet but vital form of contributing to the financial health and sustainability of the organization. Legacy Giving includes bequests in a will or other donations that are collected upon an individual's passing, ensuring that their interests and values continue to benefit future generations. The suggestion to include this category of donor recognition in Prelude magazine was John Partridge's own, a reflection of not only his commitment to the arts in Calgary, but also a deep understanding of the financial needs of the organization.

In 1996, after a four-year term on the Orchestra's Board of Directors a decade prior, John Partridge was recruited for what was to be a short-term contract as the Director of Finance and Administration — at a time when bankruptcy threatened the Calgary Phil. For the next four years, he worked diligently to improve the organization's finances and relationships with its major public funders. For the following two decades, he served the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation in various capacities, including Treasurer and President, and oversaw the growth of its endowment fund from $600,000 to over $36 million.

"The artistic game is a very tough one financially," he shares. "I know how difficult it is to raise money annually, and, recently, governments have chosen to moderate to some extent their support of the arts."

The Foundation was created in 1984 to ensure the existence of the Orchestra in perpetuity. Since then, donations, matched to some extent by Federal and Provincial grants, plus investment returns, have fueled the significant growth of the endowment. As a result, the Foundation has become the Orchestra's largest annual funder.

In December 1976, a month after moving to Calgary from London, Ontario, John and Jeanie Partridge attended their first Calgary Philharmonic concert — a holiday pops program conducted by Richard Hayman at the Jubilee Auditorium. Nearly fifty years later, the champion donors are celebrating a half century of involvement with the organization, just as the Orchestra celebrates its 70th year.

The management and distribution of endowment funds, however, are typically subject to regulations. "Generally, when people donate to a foundation, only a portion of their gift — 5% as prescribed by CRA regulations — is distributed on an annual basis," explains Chris Petrik, the Calgary Philharmonic's Director of Development. "Annual giving to the Orchestra, on the other hand, benefits the operating expenses of the organization and covers recurring, or pressing, shortterm needs. Understanding how to balance the needs of both is vital."

For these reasons, Legacy Donors have started choosing to support both the Orchestra's annual costs as well as the

Foundation's endowment. "I compare this to having a strong savings and chequing account," says Petrik. "Ultimately, it is up to the donors themselves, in consultation with their financial advisors, to determine what is the right fit for their bequests. All Legacy Giving, however, allows individuals to continue to create positive change in their community and ensure a lasting impact where it's needed most."

The Partridges knew early on that they would become Legacy Donors, which for them also resonates on a personal level: "If you can give back when you're not here anymore, then that's truly supporting the community," explains John Partridge.

Plus, both Partridges want the proceeds from their wills to stay with local charitable organizations they trust and individuals they consider to be family.

"I call it a people connection," shares Jeanie Partridge. Particularly during their most intense years of involvement in the organization, the Partridges developed close bonds with the musicians, conductors, and other individuals involved with the Philharmonic.

"We were there so often that one of the musicians asked, 'Do you sleep here, too?'" she says, chuckling.

This year, the Calgary Philharmonic celebrates its 70th anniversary — and looks toward another 70 years and beyond. "We're very fortunate to benefit from the foresight of individuals such as John and Jeanie, who are helping ensure the growth and sustainability of the Philharmonic," says Petrik.

For his part, John Partridge feels blessed to have been so involved in the musical world, a venture that began as a family connection while still a child. "My parents put me in the cathedral choir in Kingston, Ontario as a young boy, and that led to many wonderful experiences in the musical world," he notes.

"Now one of our grandsons, who is 21, calls us and asks if we will go with him to an upcoming concert," shares Jeanie Partridge. "Music is something we all need in our lives. It connects us together."

Legacy Giving will help ensure these experiences, built over a lifetime, continue for generations to come.

To learn more, visit calgaryphil.com/legacy-giving

28 + 29 November

Friday: 7:30PM

Saturday: 2:30PM

WinSport Event Centre

Home Alone in Concert

Concert Sponsor: Calgary Co-op

Andrew Crust, conductor

UCalgary Chorus

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Kickstart your holiday season with the beloved comedy classic Home Alone, now 35 years young! Featuring renowned composer John Williams' delightful score performed live by your Calgary Phil, the film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an inventive eight-year-old boy who, after accidentally being left alone over Christmas, must defend his home against two bungling thieves. Hilarious and heart-warming, Home Alone is holiday fun for the whole family!

Williams Home Alone

CONCERT INCLUDES A 20-MINUTE INTERMISSION PROGRAM AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

ANDREW CRUST CONDUCTOR

American-Canadian conductor

Andrew Crust has a versatile international career as a conductor of orchestral, opera, ballet, film, and pops programs. In his third season as Music Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Andrew programs and conducts a diverse array of performances throughout the state, and collaborates with world-class soloists such as Sir Stephen Hough, Béla Fleck, Bella Hristova, Simone Porter, Joshua Roman, Adam Tendler, Jennifer Koh, and Tracy Silverman. Under his leadership as Music Director of the Lima (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra, Andrew has led collaborations with soloists such as Charles Yang, Amit Peled, Sandeep Das, Awadagin Pratt, and Laquita Mitchell. Now in his sixth year there, his commitment to diversity has led to more than a 35% increase in programming of BIPOC and female composers. Among several prestigious awards, Andrew received the Vienna Philharmonic's Ansbacher Fellowship, which included a residency at the Salzburger Festspiele, and the 2020 Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award. In the United States, Andrew has performed as guest conductor with the symphony orchestras of San Diego, Arkansas, Hartford, Memphis, Billings, Mostly Modern Festival and others. Canadian guest conductor performances include National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic, and symphony orchestras nationwide from Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island. International performances include l'Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, the Hamburger Symphoniker, the Moravian Philharmonic, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Chile.

UCALGARY CHORUS ENSEMBLE

The UCalgary Chorus is the largest choir at the School of Creative and Performing Arts and provides an opportunity for all university students, staff, faculty, and community members to be involved in a choral experience. With approximately 85 singers, the Chorus performs a variety of music including major collaborative works, Classical, Folk, Contemporary Choral, World, Pop, and a cappella.

7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Handel's Messiah

Concert Sponsor: Sunesis

Chorus Supporter: The Borak Forte Program

Stephen Stubbs, conductor

Anna-Sophie Neher, soprano

Nicholas Burns, countertenor

Isaiah Bell, tenor

Jonathon Adams, baritone

Calgary Philharmonic Chorus

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

George Frideric Handel Messiah, HWV 56

CONCERT INCLUDES A 20-MINUTE INTERMISSION PROGRAM AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

Messiah, HWV 56

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

George Frideric Handel composed his masterpiece Messiah in just three weeks. The 53-movement oratorio — tracing the life and afterlife of Jesus Christ — had an original runtime of close to three hours; it was a massive amount of work to accomplish in so short a time. Charles Jennens, who had compiled the libretto from the King James and Coverdale Bibles, thought so as well: he believed Handel's work too hasty for such an exalted project and encouraged him to make improvements — to no avail: according to Jennens, Handel was too "lazy and obstinate." In later years Handel did end up tweaking and revising the work, and today we have many versions — all of them magnificent. Messiah premiered in Dublin on 13 April 1742. The current practice of playing it around Christmas was a later modification: the oratorio was originally performed around Easter. It was received with enthusiasm and praise, though that was not to be repeated in London, Handel's city of residence (the German-born composer became a British subject in 1727). Messiah was first performed in London at the Covent Garden Theatre on 23 March 1743. Handel had arranged for a series of concerts; he cancelled the remaining performances after the third. Between objections in the press about performing an "Act of Religion" in a theatre — not in a church — and the audience's lukewarm response, Handel found reason enough to put Messiah aside for the time being. A story arose from those early London performances regarding the tradition — continued to this day — of standing during the Hallelujah chorus: it was said that King George II, transported by the music, rose to his feet, obliging everyone to follow suit. There is, however, no record of the King's attendance at any performance of the work.

PROGRAM NOTES © JUN-LONG LEE (2025)

STEPHEN STUBBS CONDUCTOR

Stephen Stubbs, who won the Grammy award as conductor for Best Opera Recording in 2015, maintains a busy calendar as a guest conductor specializing in Baroque opera and oratorio. Stephen began his career as an opera conductor with Stefano Landi's La Morte d'Orfeo at the 1987 Bruges festival, which led to the founding of the ensemble Tragicomedia. Since 1997, Stephen has co-directed the bi-annual Boston Early Music Festival opera and is the permanent artistic co-director. BEMF's recordings have been nominated for six Grammy's. Following a successful debut conducting the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, he was invited back to conduct the Symphony's performances of Messiah, a work he has also conducted with the Houston, Edmonton, and Alabama symphonies. As a guest conductor of opera, he has made multiple appearances with Opera Omaha including George Frideric Handel's Agrippina, Semele, and in the 2019/2020 season was booked there for Alessandro Stradella's San Giovanni Battista. Other recent opera engagements include Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo, and Claudio Monteverdi's Tancredi et Clorinda and Tirsi et Clori with Seattle Opera, and Stefano Landi's La Morte d'Orfeo for Los Angeles Opera. Stephen was born in Seattle where he studied composition, piano, and harpsichord at the University of Washington. In 1974 he moved to England and then Amsterdam, and soon became a mainstay of the burgeoning earlymusic movement there, working with Alan Curtis on Italian opera in Italy, William Christie on French opera in France, as well as various ensembles in England and Germany.

ANNA-SOPHIE NEHER

SOPRANO

Canadian-German soprano AnnaSophie Neher, a former member of the Ensemble Studio of the Canadian Opera Company, is impressing audiences as a Mozart, Baroque, and French repertoire specialist. This season, Anna-Sophie returns to the C.O.C. as Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice and to the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal and Yannick NézetSéguin as the soprano solo in Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Last season Anna-Sophie appeared as the soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Orchestre Métropolitan and Yannick NézetSéguin, as well as with the Orchestre Symphonique de Gâtineau. She joined the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec for Mozart's Requiem and I Musici for a Christmas celebration concert. As a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, she appeared as Gretel, the Sandman, and the Dew Fairy in Hänsel und Gretel; the First Woodsprite in Rusalka; and she created the role of Lavia in the world premiere of Rufus Wainwright's Hadrian. Anna-Sophie was the first prize winner of the OSM Manulife Competition (2017), the Wirth Vocal Competition (2017), the Christina and Louis Quilico Competition (2019), and the Prix Étoile Stingray (2017). She earned her master's degree from McGill University and her bachelor's degree from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. She also perfected her art for a year at Bard College. Anna-Sophie has also received many scholarships including the Sylva Gelber Foundation (2018–2019) and the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation (2016–2017–2018).

NICHOLAS BURNS COUNTERTENOR

Possessing "a thrilling voice" (Olyrix) that "caresses the ear with its velvet" (Le Devoir), Canadian countertenor Nicholas Burns is "a major talent on the rise" (Ludwig Van Toronto). A multi-award winner of Carnegie Hall's New York Oratorio Society Competition, Les Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, the Vancouver International Music Competition, and Edmonton Opera's Rumbold Vocal Prize, he has performed with leading ensembles on both sides of the Atlantic, including Les Arts Florissants, L'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Vancouver Opera, I Musici, Early Music Vancouver, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Recent and upcoming performances include engagements with Opera Sofia, Ensemble Caprice, the Montréal Bach Festival, and returning appearances with Arion Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, L'Harmonie des saisons, and Tafelmusik. Such sought-after collaborations continue to highlight his versatility across the modern and historically informed spheres. On the operatic stage, Nicholas delivers commanding performances across centuries of repertoire. He has portrayed Cesare in George Frideric Handel's Giulio Cesare, Bertarido in Rodelinda, Polinesso in Ariodante, and Lichas in Hercules. Equally adept with contemporary works, he premiered the opera L'Orangeraie by French composer Zad Moultaka, a "moving" rendition that "dominated the stage" (La Presse+). Passionate about engaging with audiences both on and off the stage, Nicholas serves as Engagement and Musicology Curator at Vancouver Opera, where he hosts pre-show educational talks.

© MIRANDA LOUD

© ANDRÉANNE GAUTHIER

© TAM LAN TRUONG

ISAIAH BELL TENOR

Tenor Isaiah Bell first distinguished himself as an interpreter of Handel, Britten, and Bach's Evangelists (Lincoln Center, Edinburgh Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Toronto Symphony), and has found a further artistic home collaborating on new work and on re-interpretations of classic works. He brought "immense stage presence" and a "powerful, beautiful instrument" to the premiere of La Reine-garçon (Bilodeau/ Bouchard) at Opéra de Montréal, and premiered Rufus Wainwright and Daniel MacIvor's Hadrian at the Canadian Opera Company. On his queer pandemic-era English translation and modernized adaptation of Poulenc's La voix humaine, Opera Canada wrote, "Bell's finely tuned performance is so perfectly married to his own sensitive and intelligent adaptation that the viewer is irrevocably drawn into [its] unfolding." Isaiah also writes for the theatre, most notably in The Book of My Shames, a solo show built on his own words and music. The piece has elicited overwhelming audience response: "impossibly beautiful"; "broke my heart wide open with the pure honesty, raw vulnerability and humanity of it"; "I honestly thought this was one of the most compelling shows I've ever seen." Recent and upcoming engagements include a return to La Reine-garçon (Canadian Opera Company), The Turn of the Screw at Pacific Opera Victoria, Messiah with Nicholas McGegan and Trevor Pinnock, and Janáček's Jenůfa at Opéra de Montréal. He is also currently co-creating a new opera with composer Vanessa ChartrandRodrigue.

JONATHON ADAMS BARITONE

Jonathon Adams is a CreeMétis two-spirit baritone from amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta). They have appeared as a soloist under Masaaki Suzuki, Philippe Herreweghe, Laurence Equilbey, and Alexander Weimann, among others, with the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Washington Bach Consort, Tafelmusik, Ricercar Consort, B'Rock, Vox Luminis, the Netherlands Bach Society, and il Gardellino. In 2021, they were named the first artist-in-residence at Early Music Vancouver. They have lectured and led workshops at the Universities of Toronto, Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta (Augustana), Bard College, Festival Montréal Baroque, and the Juilliard School. Jonathon was featured in Against the Grain Theatre's 2020 film Messiah/ Complex, in Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui's Mea Culpa with Ballet Vlaanderen, and on Jessica McMann's most recent album, Prairie Dusk. They attended the Victoria Conservatory of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, studying with Nancy Argenta, Emma Kirkby, and Rosemary Joshua.

© AYAKO NISHIBORI

6 December

7:30PM

Jubilee Auditorium

Steven Page + the Calgary Phil: A Holiday Special

Resident Conductor Endowed Chair Supporter: Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Juliane Gallant, conductor (biography on page 11)

Steven Page, musician Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Spend an unforgettable evening with acclaimed singer-songwriter Steven Page, co-founder of The Barenaked Ladies, as he performs with the Calgary Phil! Enjoy many of the iconic songs he wrote for the band, plus holiday music that's guaranteed to make you feel merry and bright!

Performing songs from the list below:

A New Shore / Brian Wilson / Call and Answer / Cheese Log / Christmas in Toronto / Entourage / Gravity / Hanukkah Blessings / Jane / Linda Ronstadt In The 70s / No Song Left To Save Me / The Old Apartment / The Power of Love / What A Good Boy / Xylorimba

STEVEN PAGE MUSICIAN

Canadian Music Hall of Fame

inductee Steven Page has established himself as one of the most recognizable and enduring voices in entertainment. So far in 2025, Steven has been touring almost non-stop across Canada and the US and with new music releases on the horizon, Steven has no plans to slow down anytime soon. As a co-founder, vocalist, and songwriter for Barenaked Ladies, Steven sang and wrote classics like Brian Wilson, If I Had a Million Dollars, What a Good Boy, It's All Been Done, and many more. With the band, he sold over 15 million albums and scored multiple JUNOS, Billboard Music Awards, SOCAN awards, Gemini Award's, and two Grammy nominations. After leaving the band in 2009, Steven embarked on a solo career that has produced five solo albums. His last release, 2022's Excelsior, saw him tour worldwide, from folk festivals to cabarets and theatres, all the way to packed arenas on his string of dates opening for rock legends The Who as well as a run of shows with Billy Bragg. Steven has performed arrangements of some of his bestloved songs from his long career with orchestras including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony New Brunswick. Additional orchestral shows are booked for 2026 including the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra in St. John's, as well as more to be announced.

© DAVID BERGMAN

7:30PM

Grace Presbyterian Church

Janna Sailor, conductor Mountaintop Gospel Choir

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

Isaac Watts

arr. Dan Galbraith

Traditional

arr. David Willcocks

Kirk Franklin

Jeffrey LaValley

arr. Dan Galbraith

Ralph Vaughn Williams

Traditional

arr. David Willcocks

Carol Cymbala,

Onaje Jefferson + Jason Webb

arr. Chris McDonald Leroy Anderson

arr. Jack Bullock

JANNA SAILOR CONDUCTOR

Hailed by critics as "charismatic, crisp, precise, and elegant", Janna Sailor has firmly established herself as a conductor, violinist, and groundbreaking visionary on the Canadian music scene. Originally from rural Saskatchewan, Janna is the Director of Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region. Recent engagements for Janna include Sojourn with Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and Torch Songs with Julie Nesrallah and Saskatoon Symphony. A champion of contemporary music, she also conducted YXE Divas with Saskatoon Symphony, showcasing the best female pops, rock, blues, and jazz singers in Saskatoon. Janna kicked off her 2025/2026 season with the Calgary Philharmonic at Alpine Park, debuts with Kamloops Symphony, and returns to Saskatoon Symphony for YXE Holiday Divas and Sonia Reed Pops. Listed in 2023 on the Women in Music Canada's "Honour Roll — 10 Female Artists to Watch," and winner of the Betty Webster Award for Orchestral Innovation from Orchestras Canada, Janna combines diverse experiences on the international stage with a deep sense of community, equality, and social justice. Janna is the founder and Artistic Director of Vancouver's Allegra Chamber Orchestra, a vibrant ensemble of professional femaleidentifying musicians with a social action mandate to champion the works of female minority artists and to enact change through music. In Canada, Janna has conducted major orchestras and ensembles including Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, Symphony Nova Scotia, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Regina Symphony Orchestra, and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, among others.

MOUNTAINTOP GOSPEL CHOIR

What began as a small gathering of passionate singers quickly grew into a vibrant collective united by faith, joy, and the shared desire to uplift audiences through song. Mountaintop Gospel Choir honours the deep spiritual roots of gospel music and reflects the rich diversity of Calgary's music community. Under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director Brian Farrell and the Music Direction of Jon Day, Mountaintop Gospel Choir continues to evolve as a musical force that brings people together across cultures, generations, and beliefs. The choir is dedicated to performing and promoting the roots, culture, and significance of gospel music — roots that trace back to blues, R&B, soul, spirituals, and traditional hymns. Founded in the fall of 2023, the 25-member ensemble has already presented several large-scale concerts in Calgary, including Black History and the Underground Railroad; Brighter Day; One Way Home; and Raise the Roof: Hand Clappin', Toe Tappin', Good News Music. Mountaintop's repertoire spans a wide range of gospel traditions, from timeless spirituals to original compositions by choir members. Highlights include the music of Yolanda Adams, CeCe Winans, Ricky Dillard, Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Richard Smallwood, Mississippi Mass Choir, Maverick City, and The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Mountaintop Gospel Choir continues to share music that uplifts and inspires. Beyond the stage, its members bring the same spirit of inclusion and hope into every gathering, reminding us that harmony is not just something we sing but something we live.

Vividly Vivek

Multi-disciplinary powerhouse's Calgary Phil debut full of pop and purpose

By Elizabeth Chorney-Booth

Photo Vanessa Heins

When Vivek Shraya was growing up, she often turned to the female pop stars of the early '90s for guidance and inspiration. Artists like Tori Amos and Salt-N-Pepa helped young Shraya navigate and embrace her queerness, her ethnicity, and most of all, her bubbling creativity. Like so many kids of the era who didn't quite feel like they fit into the world around them, Shraya found acceptance and joy in the empowered and often vulnerable voices coming from her radio.

Those early lessons in pop bravado paid off, leading Shraya towards a rich and varied career as a renowned author, musician, educator, visual artist, and Canadian trans icon. In 2020, she appeared in her first oneperson play (which later turned into a book and subsequent web series), the autobiographical and cheekily titled How to Fail as a Popstar. But despite not quite reaching Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter status in terms of fandom, pop music remains one of Shraya's great loves.

Working with orchestral arrangements is perhaps a bit outside her wheelhouse, but as her resume proves, Shraya is always up for a challenge. She was more than game when the Calgary Philharmonic's thenArtistic Operations Manager Jason Stasiuk reached out to her with an invitation to collaborate on a show for the Phil's current season.

Stasiuk dreamed up the idea of bringing Shraya and the Philharmonic together after hearing her 2017 album, the Polaris Prizenominated Part-Time Woman, recorded with the Queer Songbook Orchestra, a 14-piece chamber pop ensemble that has also supported artists like Orville Peck and Jeremy Dutcher. If a small orchestra could bring simultaneous heft and tenderness to the album's gentle songs of self-realization,

Shraya was certainly curious about what a larger orchestra like the Calgary Phil would add to her compositions almost a full ten years after she'd written them.

"It will be a very different beast with Calgary Phil," Shraya says. "It's definitely a bigger scale than anything I've ever played with. But the idea is to revisit this album as a central component of the show."

Even though Shraya considers herself a forward-thinking artist and doesn't spend much time looking in the rearview mirror, focusing on the songs from PartTime Woman made sense on multiple levels. First, as an orchestral-based album, there is plenty of content and existing arrangements that can easily be translated to the Philharmonic. Beyond that, the album was Shraya's first release after formally transitioning nearly a decade ago, capturing one of the most significant periods of her life. The new show gives her a chance to reflect on that time while also honouring it with even more spectacular instrumentation.

"I feel really grateful for the opportunity to revisit this material in a grander way," Shraya says. "Especially in this particular cultural climate where trans people are facing heightened scrutiny and discrimination all around the world."

She invited La-Nai Gabriel, who also worked on the original Part-Time Woman recording, to arrange the pieces for the Orchestra. Shraya is also working closely with other female artistic forces within the Calgary Philharmonic artistic team, including Andrea Davison, Director, Artistic + Education, and Resident Conductor Juliane Gallant, who will lead the orchestra, to make the show much more than a mere live performance of Part-Time Woman. Audiences can expect to hear other material from Shraya's vast catalogue, including songs from her brand-new album New Models, which was just released this past October.

To add some razzle-dazzle, Shraya will also incorporate some feel-good cover songs and, as a nod to fans of her literary output, will work in some readings and spoken-word pieces to be incorporated into the show in interesting and thought-provoking ways. While the result is very much a reflection of Shraya as a complete artist and a multi-faceted individual, she's also leaning into the spirit of collaboration and how others can add to the overall work.

"Throughout my artistic discipline, collaboration has been key," she says. "I really don't believe in the solo genius. I think that's a very white and male perspective. Making the best work involves as many people and as many collaborators and artists as possible."

Beyond that, this show is a homecoming of sorts for Shraya. The artist now lives full-time in Toronto, but she grew up in Edmonton and spent six years in Calgary as an associate professor in the Department of English at the University of Calgary, saying she continues to have "a deep connection" to the city. It's with that spirit that Shraya promises to make the performance a celebratory affair, complete with laughter and an elaborate costume. While there is certainly plenty she'd like to say as a trans artist living in a challenging political time, for this program she's choosing to let the songs speak for themselves, allowing the audience to absorb the music and bask in the glow of the performances.

"At the end of the day I want to create something that's entertaining and uplifting and joyful and surprising." Shraya says. "There are so many ways people can be affected and inspired. Hopefully that will be conveyed through little nuggets and moments here and there, as opposed to a central theme."

The Music of Hans Zimmer

Tristan Rais-Sherman, conductor Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

about the music

No. 1

Despite being one of the most celebrated and renowned composers of our time, Hans Zimmer's musical genius is largely self-taught. Born in Germany in 1957, Zimmer had very few formal piano lessons — he greatly disliked the discipline required. He taught himself the basics of composing without the help of a teacher or lessons.

No. 2

Hans Zimmer and director Christopher Nolan have worked together extensively throughout their careers. When Nolan began writing Interstellar, he knew he wanted Zimmer to compose the music. Nolan provided him with just two sentences of dialogue from the film and asked him to spend a day composing music. In one night, Zimmer wrote a fourminute piano and organ piece that can be heard at the conclusion of the film. Fun fact: a portion of the filming took place in Alberta towns including Nanton, Fort Macleod, and Okotoks!

No. 3

Zimmer has won an impressive number of major awards for his scores — 58 in total — including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and five Grammy Awards.

No. 4

For his work on Nolan's The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, Zimmer pushed the boundaries of sound design with bold, unconventional techniques. His score included scraping razor blades on piano wires and tapping pencils on tables to create a feeling of unease and tension for the audience.

No. 5

To prepare for work on Kung Fu Panda, Zimmer visited China to immerse himself in the culture and learn about traditional Chinese music. He brought in the China National Symphony Orchestra, and the score was recorded with mostly traditional Chinese instruments.

TRISTAN RAIS-SHERMAN CONDUCTOR

Tristan Rais-Sherman is rapidly emerging as one of the most exciting musicians of his generation, celebrated for his collaborative spirit, creativity, and joyful music-making. A three-time recipient of The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, he is recognized for his emotional directness and clarity on the podium and is committed to broadening the appeal of classical music by telling human stories in ways that anyone can feel and understand. Highlights of the 2025/2026 season include debuts with the Calgary Philharmonic and multiple returns to the San Diego Symphony and The Philadelphia Orchestra, where he has been a regular artistic partner since 2022. Recent engagements include performances with the Hohhot Philharmonic, a complete Beethoven concerto cycle with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, and assisting Maestro James Gaffigan in Manon at Les Arts Valencia. From 2022 to 2024, Tristan served as Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, leading education, family, and special programs and helping launch the orchestra's award-winning Orchestra After 5 series. In 2023, he led a historic performance at Beijing's National Centre for the Performing Arts during the orchestra's 50th-anniversary China residency — marking the beginning of his work as a cultural ambassador between the U.S. and China. He has collaborated with the New York Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Bamberger Symphoniker, and Billings Symphony, among others. Tristan is the only conductor to receive an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory.

and Outreach programs

Rogers Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink is a proud supporter of Calgary Phil's Education

18 January

Instrument Discovery Zoo: 2PM

Concert: 3PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery

Resident Conductor Endowed Chair Supporter: Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Juliane Gallant, conductor (biography on page 11)

Classical Kids LIVE!, ensemble

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery is a theatrical symphony concert production designed to introduce children and families to the life and music of Antonio Vivaldi. More than 30 excerpts of Vivaldi's best-loved works underscore two actors performing a fully-staged play in combination with an on-stage symphony orchestra and involving lighting, sound, scenic properties, and period costumes. This concert is 45 minutes long.

THIS CONCERT HAS NO INTERMISSION PROGRAM AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

Do you have a young music fan on your hands?

Symphony Sundays for Kids concerts are about one hour with no intermission and feature orchestral favourites every child should know.

Arrive early for the Instrument Discovery Zoo in the Jack Singer lobby, where kids 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.

CLASSICAL KIDS LIVE! ENSEMBLE

Classical Kids LIVE! is produced by Classical Kids Music Education, a Chicago-based non-profit with a mission to provide children with an exciting and educational point of entry into the world of classical music by humanizing the lives of the great composers, creating an emotional connection to their musical masterpieces, and inspiring personal excellence that leads to greater achievement and success in life. Its Classical Kids LIVE! symphony concert series serves as one of the world's best educational outreach and community engagement programs contributing to the long-term health of classical music. Having received more awards and honors than any other entity of its kind, Classical Kids is proud to say, "We're making a difference!"

CLASSICAL KIDS® IS A TRADEMARK OF CLASSICAL PRODUCTIONS FOR CHILDREN LTD., USED UNDER EXCLUSIVE LICENSE TO AND PRODUCED BY CLASSICAL KIDS MUSIC EDUCATION, NFP

CLASSICAL KIDS CDS/MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE AT CLASSICALKIDSLIVE.COM

FOLLOW US!

FACEBOOK @CLASSICALKIDSLIVE INSTAGRAM @CLASSICALKIDSLIVE

23 + 24 January

7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

It Takes Two: A Symphonic Collaboration

Presented in partnership with One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo

Guest Artist Supporter: The MacLachlan/Ridge Emerging Artist Program

Fawzi Haimor, conductor

Luka Coetzee, cello

Calgary Youth Orchestra

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Sergei Prokofiev

Sinfonia concertante, Op. 125 37'

I. Andante

II. Allegro giusto

III. Andante con moto – Allegretto –Allegro marcato

INTERMISSION 20'

Valerie Coleman Umoja: Anthem of Unity 10' (Calgary Premiere)

Alberto Ginastera Four Dances from Estancia, Op. 8a 13'

I. Los trabajadores agrícolas (The Land Workers)

II. Danza del trigo (Wheat Dance)

III. Los peones de hacienda (The Cattlemen)

IV Danza final (Malambo – Final Dance)

George Gershwin An American in Paris 16' arr. Frank Campbell-Watson

PROGRAM AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

Sinfonia concertante, Op. 125 Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953)

Sinfonia concertante was written during the last years of Sergei Prokofiev's life and during a period of personal and professional crisis. The Russian composer began work on the original version — then titled Cello Concerto No. 2 — in early 1950. A few years before, Prokofiev had been denounced for 'formalism' (described as "renunciation of the basic principles of classical music," and "atonality, dissonance, and disharmony") along with other prominent Soviet composers; many of his works were banned and his income put under strain. That same year, his first wife Lina was arrested for 'espionage.' Just one month before, Prokofiev had remarried. He was wracked with guilt: not only had he convinced Lina to move back with him to the Soviet Union (after living together in the United States and France), but his new marriage had started as an affair. Furthermore, serious health problems stemming from a fall in 1945 plagued his final years. The seeds of Sinfonia concertante were planted in 1947, when the composer saw a performance of his First Cello Concerto by Mstislav Rostropovich. That same evening, enraptured, Prokofiev went backstage and promised the young cellist that he would rewrite the concerto for him. In 1949 he began to fulfill that promise: he composed a cello sonata for Rostropovich. Shortly after, he began to rewrite his First Cello Concerto into a Second, which premiered in 1952. Prokofiev was not satisfied with the new work and set to revising it again — renaming it Sinfonia concertante. The piece we hear today is a stunning display of virtuosity on the part of the cello and is noted for its technical difficulty. Despite the dazzling voice of the soloist, a balance is kept between cello and orchestra.

Umoja: Anthem of Unity

Valerie

Coleman (b. 1970)

In its original form, Umoja, the Swahili word for Unity and the first principle of the African Diaspora holiday Kwanzaa, was composed as a simple song for women's choir. Almost two decades later from the original, the orchestral version brings an expansion and sophistication to the short and sweet melody, beginning with sustained ethereal passages that float and shift from a bowed vibraphone, supporting the introduction of the melody by solo violin. "This version honors the simple

melody that ever was but is now a full exploration into the meaning of freedom and unity. Now more than ever, Umoja has to ring as a strong and beautiful anthem for the world we live in today."

Four Dances from Estancia, Op. 8a Alberto Ginastera (1916–1983)

Alberto Ginastera's one-act ballet Estancia was commissioned by Lincoln Kirstein in 1941, when the Argentine composer was only 25 years old and just three years out of the conservatory. Kirstein led the American Ballet Caravan, which was touring through South America; unfortunately, the troupe disbanded in 1942, and the ballet would not be performed until a decade later. In the meantime, Ginastera extracted four of the dances from the ballet for orchestral performance and premiered the suite in 1943. These four dances — tracing the daily life of gauchos, the South American equivalent of a cowboy — culminates in the malambo, a competitive, masculine dance that in its original form saw two gauchos pitted against each other in a contest of virility and skill.

An American in Paris George Gershwin (1898–1937)

When American pianist and composer George Gershwin arrived in Paris in March 1928, he had high hopes of upgrading his already considerable abilities by studying with legendary music teacher Nadia Boulanger. Armed with a letter of recommendation from Maurice Ravel — who had turned him down as a student, citing Gershwin's already incredible talent — he was surprised, yet flattered, when she also declined: according to Boulanger, her famously strict approach might spoil his natural gift. But Gershwin had another Parisian project: a tone poem entitled An American in Paris, based on a fragment he had written on his last visit called "Very Parisienne." The resulting composition would be the first of Gershwin's purely orchestral works, what he described as a "rhapsodic ballet" that sought to "portray the impressions of an American visitor in Paris as he strolls about the city, listens to the various street noises, and absorbs the French atmosphere." It was first performed in Carnegie Hall on 13 December 1928.

PROGRAM

NOTES © VALERIE COLEMAN, JUN-LONG LEE, (2025)

FAWZI HAIMOR CONDUCTOR

Ushering in a new era of artistic leadership, Fawzi Haimor is the newly appointed Music Director of the Marin Symphony, a role he assumed in July 2025. He becomes only the fourth Music Director in the orchestra's distinguished 73-year history. Throughout the 2025/2026 season, Fawzi will lead nine programs showcasing a compelling range of repertoire — from symphonic masterworks to music by living and historically underrecognized composers — reflecting his deep commitment to both tradition and innovation. Praised for his "inspiring conducting," "sensitivity and ability to create a defined, transparent sound," and his "sense of drama and particular gift for strong, emphatic finishes," Fawzi has led major orchestras across the United States and internationally, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, and Pittsburgh Symphony. In the 2025/2026 season, he makes his debut with the Calgary Philharmonic and returns to Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music to conduct a production of Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortilèges. Fawzi served as Music Director of Germany's Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen (WPR) from 2017 to 2020. His extensive international engagements include performances with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, New Zealand Symphony, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Odense Symphony, Kyoto Symphony, and Qatar Philharmonic.

LUKA COETZEE CELLO

Canadian cellist Luka Coetzee "plays sublimely, with an interpretative grasp [and] phenomenal musicianship" (Fanfare Magazine). Having made her professional debut at age 11, Luka has appeared as soloist with Helsinki, Cape Town, and National Philharmonic Orchestras, Stuttgart Chamber, and more. Luka received First Prize in 7th International Paulo Cello Competition, the Pablo Casals International Award, and the 2022 Johansen International Competition in Washington, DC. As a member of the Echo Klassik-nominated LGT Young Soloists, Luka's critically acclaimed Naxos recording of Ludwig van Beethoven's A Major Cello Sonata reached Number 1 on the Apple Music Classical Video Charts in more than 40 countries. Luka is represented worldwide by Sheldon Artists. She plays on a Giuseppe Guarneri 'filius Andrea' cello, c. 1712–1715, with a bow by François Nicolas Voirin, both graciously provided by Canimex Inc., from Drummondville, Quebec. Luka is a Violin Channel Artist and an Endorsing Artist for Thomastik-Infeld strings (Vienna).

© ROB DAVIDSON

© J. HENRY FAIR

A COMPLIMENTARY OPENING ACT

The CYO was honoured to perform for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Calgary in May 2005, and for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, at the Saddledome in 2009. The orchestra has commissioned works from a number of CYO alumni composers, including Michael van der Sloot, George Fenwick, Scott Ross-Molyneux, and Donovan Seidle. The CYO has also presented the world premieres of works by Claude Debussy, completed and orchestrated by the renowned English musicologist Robert Orledge. The CYO has worked with such illustrious conductors as Roberto Minczuk, Mario Bernardi, Bramwell Tovey, Ivars Taurins, Jean Lamon, Andrés Cárdenes, Hans Graf, Rune Bergmann, among others.

Savour a complimentary appetizer* with your entrée, just steps from the Jack Singer Concert Hall.

*Present your Calgary Philharmonic ticket when dining to enjoy this offer. Some exclusions apply.

GREAT MUSIC. UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS.

Looking for a way to support Calgary's Orchestra while enjoying hot ticket performances and exclusive afterparties? Check out our Wolfgang Patron Program today! Your membership includes tickets to select concerts and access to fun-filled post-show events where you'll meet guest artists, Calgary Phil musicians, and your fellow music fans.

For mor information, visit calgaryphil.com/patron-programs

FOUR DECADES OF Sonic Perfection

Reflections on the Opening Anniversary of the Jack Singer Concert Hall

By Zoltan Varadi Painting Lauren Shipton

Just over forty years ago — in September 1985 — the Calgary Philharmonic kicked off its 30th season in an epic way with the gala opening of the Jack Singer Concert Hall, its brand-new home constructed specifically for orchestral performances. Performing Gustav Mahler's Eighth Symphony for the first time in Western Canada, the Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus, led by then Music Director Mario Bernardi, were joined by members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, a choral group from Vancouver, two Calgary-based children's choirs, and several vocal soloists. All told, some 500 musicians appeared on stage to celebrate this new chapter in the history of the Calgary Phil. The next day's headline in the Calgary Herald labelled the event a "stunning success," undoubtably bringing a sigh

of relief to both musicians and staff; just three days prior the Phil and the Jack were making news for entirely different reasons: "Fires, flood bring real-life drama to arts centre," rang the copy across the top of the Herald's City section.

The drama sprang from a series of mishaps during rehearsals for opening night. First, a hose in the sprinkler system in the canopy above the stage began to leak, giving the musicians below –including renowned Canadian opera singer Maureen Forrester — a bit of a soak. Shortly thereafter two separate fires broke out in electrical control rooms.

"I remember going to the security desk and the fire alarm panel was kind of lit up like a Christmas tree, which is not what you want to see," recalls Kay Harrison, who had the unique perspective of being a member of the Chorus while also working for the management team overseeing the

constuction of the Jack Singer Concert Hall and what was then called the Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts (now called Werklund Centre).

Once the issues were resolved and things calmed down, Harrison, who was due at Chorus rehearsal, quickly switched gears from her role as an on-site mechanicalelectrical coordinator. "I literally walked out the front of the building [on 8 Ave] and came round to the stage door [on 9 Ave]. "[I was like] 'Yeah, oh right, I'm just a member of the choir here," she chuckles.

Last-minute bumps aside, the Jack Singer was (and continues to be) a marvel in which even the smallest of details contributes to making the hall a stateof-the-art venue for the performance of symphonic sounds.

"The acoustic requirements were huge and also taking those requirements through absolutely every trade," says Harrison. "You don't want any background noise, so you're basically isolating the different areas so you don't have anything punching through from one area to another — even if it's just a nail through some insulation into the drywall, because you're transferring vibration and noise through that."

She explains that it is for this reason the duct work in the building is oversized, which prevents vibrations from coming through. Similarly, throughout the entire performing arts complex, there is a two-inch isolation gap in the concrete structures between all of the resident companies and the many backstage areas, as well as in places such as the elevators adjacent to the Jack Singer Lobby.

"There was a complete break in the structure, so there was no carry over of any vibrations from one structure to another," says Harrison.

By the time Harrison was assigned to work on the project in 1983, construction had begun in the Public Building in which the Jack Singer is situated, as it had for the Calgary Centre for the Performing Arts as a whole. Nonetheless, she saw the project evolve in various ways. This included ironing out technical details on matters such as humidification — an important detail given Calgary's climate — which hadn't been correctly accounted for at the outset of construction. But it all meant being a firsthand witness to how public support continued to be courted even after the foundations for the structure had been laid.

"It was obviously [due to] the input of some very special people that the centre even got up and running — if Martha Cohen & Co. hadn't put money in or hadn't had the guts to say we're going to go, it would have never got off the ground," Harrison says of Cohen, Vera Swanson, and Sandra LeBlanc, a groundbreaking trio who joined forces to create the Calgary Region Arts Foundation, which was responsible for realizing the vision of the multi-venue performing arts centre downtown. "It was very much a case of you had to get [the project] in the ground so that the public could see that something was happening. Without that, it wouldn't have happened, I don't think."

Among the more novel fundraising ventures to occur before the hall was completed was one in which musicians of the Calgary Philharmonic donned Calgary Phil-branded hard hats and performed in an embryonic version of the hall.

The Calgary Public Building, which houses the Jack Singer, circa 1940.

The Founders: Vera Swanson, Sandra LeBlanc, and Martha Cohen.

"The first concert that we had here was actually when it was still under construction," remembers Calgary Phil's longtime Music Librarian, Rob Grewcock, of the 'Hard Hat Concert' that took place a year before the Jack officially opened. "We didn't have flooring — it was all concrete."

For Grewcock, the benefits of the new concert hall extended beyond sonic considerations. Before it opened, the musicians, as well as the music library, were based at the Jubilee Auditorium, while the Calgary Phil's administrative offices were located downtown. The Jack Singer Concert Hall allowed for the integration of the entire organization under one roof.

"If I needed to go into the office, which seemed to be quite a bit those days, I'd have to drive downtown and park, submit

parking expenses — a bit of pain, really," he says. "This is much better."

Where Grewcock and Harrison's perspectives ultimately converge is over the superior sound of the Orchestra in the Jack. Both point out that the Calgary Phil's previous home base, the Jubilee, a fine venue where the Phil continues to perform several times a season, was designed as an all-purpose venue able to serve everything from opera to rock concerts. In contrast, every aspect of the Jack Singer, from materials used in construction to the adjustable acoustic canopy, was put in place to specifically enhance symphonic sounds.

The building's legacy of excellence continues to this day as new generations of audience members delight in

the complete package — acoustics, atmosphere, programming — that is the Jack.

Harrison, who remains a Chorus member to this day, reflects on the moving experience of performing on opening night, a feeling that for her had an added dimension because of her involvement in the construction of the building:

"As I had been working on it for two-and-a-half years before it opened, you'd be thinking, 'okay, this is where the choir is going to be.' I could stand there and look out to where the audience would be," she says. "[There was] a sense of achievement that everything was coming together for when you would actually perform. Opening night was very special to me."

Concert hall construction, 1984. The venue is named after the late business leader and philanthropist Jack Singer in honour of his commitment to the arts.

30 January

7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Vivek Shraya: One Night Only

Presented in partnership with One Yellow Rabbit's High Performance Rodeo

Resident Conductor Endowed Chair Supporter: Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Juliane Gallant, conductor (biography on page 11)

Vivek Shraya, artist

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Saddle up for the annual High Performance Rodeo as the Calgary Phil and One Yellow Rabbit join forces for this one-of-a-kind collaboration with Vivek Shraya. This multi-hyphenate Alberta-born phenom — recording artist-author-actor — channels pop's greatest artists, with the power of a full orchestra!

Program to be announced from stage

CONCERT INCLUDES A 20-MINUTE INTERMISSION PROGRAM AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

VIVEK SHRAYA ARTIST

Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, TV, film, and fashion. A three-time Canadian Screen Award winner, Vivek is the creator and writer of the CBC Gem Original Series How to Fail as a Popstar, which had its international premiere at Cannes. She was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize and has collaborated with musical icons Jann Arden, Peaches, and Jully Black. Her best-selling book I'm Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as "cultural rocket fuel." Vivek has been a brand ambassador for MAC Cosmetics and Pantene, a guest host on The Social and CBC's q, and she is a director on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation.

PHOTOS © VANESSA HEINS

5 February

7:30PM

Bella Concert Hall

Baroque at Bella with Camille Delaforge

Guest Artist Supporter: The Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program

Camille Delaforge, conductor/harpsichord

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Johann Sebastian Bach Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068

I. Overture

II. Air

III. Gavotte I & II

IV Bourrée

V Gigue

George Frideric Handel A Selection of Incidental Music

Entrance of the Queen of Sheba

Ariodante, Overture I

Ariodante, Overture II

Ariodante, Musette I & II

Ariodante, Entrée des songes agréables

Ariodante, Entrée des songes funestes

Ariodante, Allegro

Lascia ch'io pianga from Rinaldo, HWV 7

Jean-Phillipe Rameau Selections from Operatic Works

Les fêtes de Polymnie, Ouverture

Entrée de Polymnie from Les Boréades

Les Indes Galantes, Chaconne

Hippolyte et Aricie, Ritournelle

Dardanus, Tambourin

Les Boréades, Contredanse

Pigmalion, Contredanse II

Platée, Orage

Les Indes Galantes, Danse des Sauvages

Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)

The fame of Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 has been outstripped over the years by one of its movements: the second (Air), commonly referred to as Air on the G string. It earned its nickname after being adapted — over a century after its composition — by violinist August Wilhelmj as an arrangement for violin and piano. Wilhelmj transposed it down to C Major, so the movement could be played solely on the G string (the lowest string on the violin); the work retained its nickname, regardless of what version was being performed. Bach composed four numbered orchestral suites, each opening with a French ouverture, a musical form popularized in the 1650s by Jean-Baptiste Lully in the court of Louis XIV, characterized by its two-part structure: one slow and elegant, one faster and lively. Air is the only of No. 3's five movements that is not a French dance form; it is the only movement where the rest of the instruments drop out and the violins are left to play on their own. Though exact dates are not known, the orchestral suites would have been composed in the 1720s–1730s; some may have been composed during Bach's time in Köthen, and some certainly during his post as director of music in Leipzig, which he took up in 1723.

A Selection of Incidental Music

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

The German-British composer George Frideric Handel enjoyed tremendous success in his lifetime for his operas (he wrote over 40), oratorios (almost 30), and a panoply of choral and instrumental music. Shortly after the premiere of his first opera Almira at 19 years of age, Handel headed to Italy — traveling there between 1706–1710 — rubbing shoulders with the great Italian musicians of the time and gaining some acclaim of his own with operas such as Agrippina (1709). This Italian adventure would shape his musical style, which he brought to England with Rinaldo — the first Italian-language opera composed for a London audience. Rinaldo was enthusiastically received after its premiere at the Queen's Theatre in 1711, and Handel settled permanently in England shortly after. There, he continued to compose operas in Italian; Ariodante is a 1735 opera seria (in the 'serious' style, contrasting the comic opera

buffa) inspired by Ludovico Ariosto's 16thcentury epic poem Orlando Furioso. Handel is also equally — if not more — famous for his oratorios, many of whose librettos were in English; he stopped composing operas in 1741 but continued to write oratorio until his loss of sight in the early 1750s. Solomon (1749), while not amongst his most popular, lives on in the instrumental passage from Act Three entitled Entrance of the Queen of Sheba — now one of his most wellknown works — which is often played at wedding ceremonies

Selections from Operatic Works

Jean-Phillipe Rameau (1683–1764)

Jean-Philippe Rameau didn't begin his operatic career until he was around 50 years old. The French composer had previously concentrated on musical theory — his Treatise on Harmony (1722) was a revolutionary success, whose influence is still felt today — compositions for harpsichord, and his work as an organist. Around the time of the publication of Treatise on Harmony, after contriving his release from a 29 year contract as an organist in Clermont (stories tell of Rameau intentionally botching his playing during an important service), he moved to Paris, where he settled for the rest of his life. There, under the patronage of Alexandre Le Riche de La Pouplinière, he flourished. In 1733, he debuted his first opera, Hippolyte et Aricie, an immediate sensation that split the French musical establishment into two camps: the cutting-edge 'ramistes' and the traditionalist 'lullistes' (followers of Jean-Baptiste Lully, a leading composer of a previous generation whose influence still dominated French opera). The 'lullistes' found Rameau's music difficult, overly-complex, too baroque; the master musical theorist also distinguished himself from his predecessor by his rich and often strange use of harmony. Each subsequent Rameau opera ignited the controversy anew; it peaked with Dardanus, eventually quieting down as Rameau became accepted as the new norm. Les Boréades, his final opera, was not performed in his lifetime. Loosely based on the Ancient Greek myth of Abaris the Hyperborean, the opera was performed once after Rameau's death, then was mostly forgotten until the mid-20th century.

PROGRAM NOTES © JUN-LONG LEE (2025)

CAMILLE DELAFORGE CONDUCTOR / HARPSICHORD

Hailed as "dynamic and inspired" by Forum Opera, Camille Delaforge is a French conductor and harpsichordist, specializing in the Baroque repertoire. In the 2025/2026 season, Camille will embark on a diverse range of projects, including a staging of Orphée et Eurydice with Capella Cracoviensis, her North American debut with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in a Baroque program featuring JeanPhilippe, George Frideric Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach, and multiple European engagements with Ensemble Il Caravaggio, including appearances at Musikfest Bremen (Germany), Festival de Sablé, Festival de Pâques Aix-en-Provence and Théâtre Sénart (France), De Bijloke (Belgium), Festival La Folia (Switzerland) and Stockholm Early Music Festival (Sweden). Previous season's highlights included Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with Netherlands Chamber Orchestra at Dutch National Opera, Johann Sebastian Bach's St John Passion with Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and Rameau's Pygmalion at Opéra Royal de Versailles, alongside engagements at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Grand Théâtre de Provence inter alia. Camille conducted over fifty performances last season at prestigious venues including Opéra de Rennes, Opéra Angers Nantes, La Seine Musicale, and Festival SaintDenis. Keen on developing sociocultural exchanges through music education, she has initiated a number of humanitarian projects, including teaching underprivileged children in Ecuador and leading cultural mediation projects for disadvantaged groups in the regions of Val d'Oise, Essonne, and Plaine Saint-Denis.

PHOTOS © ÉMILIE BROUCHON

7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Revolution: The Music of The Beatles

Resident Conductor Endowed Chair Supporter: Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Juliane Gallant, conductor (biography on page 11)

Rick Brantley, vocals

Aaron Lavigne, vocals

Colin Smith, vocals

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

The Beatles come to life in Revolution, the new authorized symphonic tribute to the Fab Four, featuring top vocalists and musicians accompanied by Grammywinner Jeff Tyzik's new arrangements transcribed and arranged from the original master recordings at Abbey Road.

Performing songs from the list below:

Because / Blackbird / Come Together / Drive My Car / Eleanor Rigby / Get Back / Gnik Nus / Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End / Got to Get You Into My Life / Hello, Goodbye / Here Comes the Sun / Hey Jude / I Am the Walrus / If I Needed Someone / In My Life / Lady Madonna / Let It Be / Maxwell's Silver Hammer / Paperback Writer / Penny Lane / She's Leaving Home / Something / The Fool on the Hill / Ticket to Ride / Tomorrow Never Knows / Twist and Shout / With a Little Help From My Friends / Yesterday

CONCERT INCLUDES A 20-MINUTE INTERMISSION PROGRAM AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

about the music

No. 1

Over The Beatles' eight-year career, they spent an estimated 2,652 hours together in the recording studio. Some albums took more time than others, with Please Please Me only taking just a little more than 24 hours in total, while The Beatles took more than 700 hours to record.

No. 2

As the 1960s progressed, social tensions grew during an era of change. During this period, people — particularly youth — spoke out about civil rights issues. With alternative lifestyles emerging in the rise of this cultural phenomenon, The Beatles played a key role in the anti-establishment counterculture movement, embracing the creative and carefree culture that inspired a wide range of activist movements.

No. 3

The Beatles' 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper, has a widely recognized album cover with dozens of celebrities like Mae West, Bob Dylan, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Albert Einstein, and of course, the Fab Four. Even German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen makes an appearance!

No. 4

The Beatles referenced many different types of food and beverages in their songs — from eggs, cornflakes, and honey to coffee, octopus, turkey, marmalade, coconut, mustard, and pies. There is no mention of scrambled eggs, however, which was Paul McCartney's working title as he was composing Yesterday

No. 5

The Lennon-McCartney partnership is still considered to be one of the most celebrated writing duos in music history, but they didn't just have fun with the lead vocal lyrics. If you listen closely to the background vocals on Paperback Writer, you can hear John Lennon and George Harrison softly singing the lyrics to the classic French nursery rhyme, Frère Jacques

RICK BRANTLEY VOCALS

Hailing from the musical mecca of Macon, Georgia, and raised in the deep Southern roots of blues music, classic rock 'n roll and the fire and brimstone hymns of his father's Southern Baptist church, for Rick Brantley, a life making music was never really a choice. Teenage bar bands gave way to a move to Nashville, Tennessee where he established himself as one of the most in demand young writers on Music Row, with cuts ranging from Meat Loaf to David Nail. An artist and dynamic performer as well as a songwriter, Brantley cut his teeth early and secured a well-earned reputation as a consummate 'road dog' touring virtually nonstop all over the world for the next decade, opening for everyone from John Hiatt to Kiefer Sutherland to Zac Brown and Brandy Clark, as well as headlining his own shows from Ontario to Hamburg and back. Now some fifteen years into his career, Brantley has only added to his impressive portfolio, producing acclaimed records with artists like Rob Baird and Justin Halpin, among others, and directing music videos in his down time.

AARON LAVIGNE VOCALS

Aaron LaVigne grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio where his love of music started before he could speak. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Motown Artists taught him the language of music while inspiring him to sing, pick up multiple instruments, and write songs. Aaron has performed on Broadway (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), Off-Broadway (RENT), Broadway tours (Jesus Christ Superstar, RENT), with symphonies, in Lower East Side rock clubs, on the high seas, and in concert halls across multiple continents. He recorded and released two original studio albums in Brooklyn and Cincinnati. He recently performed the iconic role of Jesus in the Olivier Award winning 50th Anniversary revival tour of Andrew Lloyd Weber's Jesus Christ Superstar. It was a true honour. He is always looking to create, collaborate, perform, and write with like-minded artists. Keep an eye out for his concert project Radio Recall launching soon: (Instagram: @radio_recall).

COLIN SMITH VOCALS

With a career spanning over 20 years, Irish born Colin Smith has led a musical life as varied as it is impressive. With his former band MrNorth, while on RCA, they toured extensively with the likes of The Who, Van Halen, Sheryl Crow, and Journey, among many others. As a solo artist, songs from his two records have been licensed to movies and TV alike. Colin has been seen in live collaborations with Alicia Keys and has worked multiple times on Saturday Night Live as the featured vocal talent. Colin has most recently been seen touring with Christina Aguilera, duetting with her on the Grammy-winning Say Something to audiences across the globe, as well as performing background vocals for the show. Colin splits his time between New York City and Los Angeles

THE FIRST NOTES WILL CHANGE YOU

Step out of the everyday and escape into something extraordinary. Now with new matinee showtimes and half-price youth tickets, find live magic for all ages.

Little Red Riding Hood NOV 28–30 and DEC 4–7, 2025

Hansel and Gretel JAN 31–FEB 6, 2026

The Barber of Seville APR 18–24, 2026

Featuring the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

PATRON PROGRAMS

Develop a deeper connection to your Calgary Phil and its musicians with our Wolfgang, Amadeus, and Mozart Patron Programs!

Enjoy 12 months of exclusive benefits, access to one-of-a-kind events, and a tax receipt for the majority of your donation while providing critical support for the Calgary Phil's annual operations through your membership donation.

WOLFGANG

+ 14 February

7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Romantic Ravel

Guest Artist Supporter: The Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso Program

Chorus Supporter: The Borak Forte Program

Natalia Ponomarchuk, conductor

Stewart Goodyear, piano

Calgary Philharmonic Chorus

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103

(Egyptian)

I. Allegro animato

II. Andante

III. Molto allegro

INTERMISSION

Maurice Ravel Rapsodie espagnole

Daphnis et Chloé: Suite No. 2

I. Lever du jour

II. Pantomime

III. Danse générale

Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103 (Egyptian)

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)

Camille Saint-Saëns was an inveterate traveler who visited 27 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia on 179 trips. Lifelong problems with his lungs, a taste for the exotic, as well as his passion for archaeology drew the French composer repeatedly to exciting locales all over the globe. The 1890s saw Saint-Saëns traveling as much as ever. He had lost his mother to pneumonia in the winter of 1888; not long after burying her beside his two sons (both who had died in infancy a decade earlier; one had fallen from a window, the other succumbing to pneumonia not long after), he gave away many of his belongings and continued his wanderings in earnest. In the winter of 1896 he arrived in Egypt, exploring and resting in Cairo and Luxor. There, he composed his Piano Concerto No. 5 — over 20 years after his fourth. Inspired by the sound of crickets, frogs, and love songs sung by boatmen on the Nile, though drawing also on other influences — Javanese, Spanish — uncovered during his adventures, the composer endeavored to capture the excitement of travel, wondrous new places, and "the joy of a sea-crossing." Saint-Saëns returned to Paris to perform his Fifth Piano Concerto himself at the celebration for the 50th anniversary of his first recital, which had taken place at Salle Pleyel in 1846 when he was only 10.

Rapsodie espagnole

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)

Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, a small French village near the Spanish border, to a Swiss-French father and a Basque mother. His mother had been raised in Madrid; Ravel remembered her singing 'guajiras' to him at night to help him sleep — the beginning of his fascination with Spain and its music. Both Rapsodie espagnole and his first opera L'heure espagnole (started in the same year), gave the French composer an opportunity to explore the sounds and textures of "the fragrant land caressed by the sun." Rapsodie espagnole's composition took place between 1907 and 1908; its third movement Habanera has as its source one of Ravel's first major, though unpublished, compositions from 1895. In a letter to Ralph Vaughn Williams on 3 March 1908, Ravel confessed to having only managed to orchestrate the fourth movement — the premiere was slated for 15 March.

He finished on time; Rapsodie espagnole was warmly received, though audience reaction to the second movement prompted one of Ravel's friends to yell "once more, for the public downstairs, which didn't understand!" The conductor complied.

Daphnis

et Chloé: Suite No. 2

Maurice Ravel

Daphnis et Chloé, Maurice Ravel's 1912 ballet, had a bit of a rough start. Commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev for his famous Ballets Russes, composition began in 1909; Ravel was to collaborate with choreographer Mikhail Fokine, who adapted the libretto from Longus' 2ndcentury pastoral romance. A score of creative differences made the experience less than ideal for both Ravel and Fokine. Ravel bemoaned to a friend in a letter: "Almost every night I worked until three in the morning... Fokine doesn't speak a word of French, and I can only swear in Russian." Complications multiplied as the ballet moved from rehearsals towards performance, prompting several revisions. Despite its shaky beginnings, Daphnis et Chloé was and is considered by many to be a masterpiece; Igor Stravinsky referred to it as "one of the most beautiful products in all of French music." Ravel extracted music to form two orchestral suites; Suite No. 2 comprises the ballet's third part.

Boléro

Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel wrote another love letter to Spain with Boléro, inspired by the Spanish dance form and its ¾ rhythm. The piece originated as a commission from dancer Ida Rubinstein to orchestrate Isaac Albéniz's piano suite Iberia, to be performed by her ballet troupe. Difficulties securing rights prompted Ravel to start from scratch with his own original creation. Building on a single theme through the repetition of two melodies — punctuated by the military-like rhythm of one or more snare drums — the piece consists of, in Ravel's own words, "orchestral tissue without music — of one long, very gradual crescendo." The work premiered on 22 November 1928 with dance choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska. It soon received international acclaim; to Ravel's surprise, it became his most popular work.

PROGRAM NOTES © JUN-LONG LEE (2025)

NATALIA PONOMARCHUK CONDUCTOR

Sought after for her emotionally charged interpretations and dynamic podium presence, Natalia Ponomarchuk is one of Ukraine's most prominent orchestral conductors. She became Chief Conductor of the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra, part of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, in 2018. In March 2022, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Natalia escaped from Kyiv and now makes her home in London. She regularly undertakes guest conducting engagements around the world in addition to travelling back to Kyiv to conduct her orchestra there. Natalia and the Kyiv Chamber Orchestra are currently undertaking a project to record all seventeen chamber symphonies of the great Ukrainian composer, Yevhen Stankovych. She appears regularly with top orchestras all over the world, including the London Philharmonic, Kiel Philharmonic Orchestra, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Chongqing Philharmonic Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, and Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Ankara. Highlights of the current and future seasons include debuts with the Calgary Philharmonic, Slovenian Philharmonic, George Enescu Philharmonic Bucharest, Danish Philharmonic Orchestra Sønderborg, and a return to the London Philharmonic to conduct the orchestra on tour in Belgium. Natalia is a jury member of the 2025/2026 Geneva Conducting Competition. She received her Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the National Music Academy of Ukraine in 1997, studying under Professor Allin Vlasenko, and in 2001 was named an Honoured Artist of Ukraine.

STEWART GOODYEAR PIANO

Proclaimed "a phenomenon" by the Los Angeles Times and "one of the best pianists of his generation" by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished concert pianist, improviser, and composer. He has performed with, and has been commissioned by, many of the major orchestras and chamber music organizations around the world. His recent commissions include an orchestral work for the Chineke! Orchestra, his Piano Quintet for the Penderecki String Quartet, and a piano work for the Honens Piano Competition. His suite for solo violin, Solo, was recorded by violinist Miranda Cuckson, and his work for cello and piano, The Kapak was recording by cellist Inbal Segev. His discography includes the complete sonatas and piano concertos of Beethoven, as well as concertos by Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Rachmaninov, an album of Ravel piano works, and an album, entitled For Glenn Gould, which combines repertoire from his US and Montreal debuts. His Rachmaninov recording received a Juno nomination for Best Classical Album for Soloist and Large Ensemble Accompaniment. Stewart's recording of his own transcription of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker (Complete Ballet), was chosen by The New York Times as one of the best classical music recordings of 2015. He released his recording of Prokofiev's second and third concertos with Andrew Litton and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the composer's 7th Sonata, on Orchid Classics in September 2024.

© ALINA HARMASH

19, 20 + 21 February

7:30PM

Jubilee Auditorium

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ in Concert

EVAN MITCHELL CONDUCTOR

Evan Mitchell, conductor Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Relive the magic of year six in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ in Concert. With this film, based on the sixth installment of the classic saga, fans of all ages can now experience the thrilling tale of Harry's obsession with a mysterious potions book accompanied by the music of a live symphony orchestra as Harry soars across the big screen in HD!

Hooper Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ 153'

WIZARDING WORLD AND ALL RELATED TRADEMARKS, CHARACTERS, NAMES, AND INDICIA ARE © & ™ WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. PUBLISHING RIGHTS © JKR

PRESENTED IN ASSOCIATION WITH GLATZ CONCERTS

CONCERT INCLUDES A 20-MINUTE INTERMISSION PROGRAM AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

Evan Mitchell is proving to be one of the ablest and most imaginative conductors in Canada. Evan has enjoyed eight triumphant seasons as Music Director of the Kingston Symphony (KSO), garnering praise for his programming, approach, and musical results. Four full seasons' worth of Masterworks Series performances were sold out under his leadership prior to the pandemic. Evan is a prolific conductor of film scores live in concert, with a repertoire of more than 20 films. Several of these performances have been North American premieres, including Gene Kelly: A Life in Music, a specially curated showcase of the artistry of Gene Kelly, created and hosted by Patricia Ward Kelly, Gene's biographer and wife. During the 2020 pandemic, Evan wrote, produced, directed, and edited several standout digital orchestral initiatives, exponentially increasing the KSO's online profile viewership. The Kingston Symphony's isolated digital world premiere of John Estacio's Domestic Divertimento, their customtailored Symphonic Education Partnership digital performance, and the landmark web series for young audiences entitled Harmon in Space, among others, have reached over 100,000 viewers, and have been internationally acclaimed as being the benchmark for digital excellence in innovation.

Nicholas

21 Questions

with Assistant Principal Horn Peter Clark

Now in his second season with the Calgary Phil, Assistant Principal Horn Peter Clark comes to us by way of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The move suggests a steady southward trajectory for the Alberta-born musician who hails from the hamlet of Gunn, located 58 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital (current population: 26 people!).

In addition to his work with the Calgary Phil and ESO, Peter — who earned his Master's in Horn Performance at McGill — has collaborated with a diverse range of ensembles, including l'Orchestre Métropolitain, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the Royal Canadian Artillery Band, among others.

As our latest 21 Qs participant, he graciously took time during this busy concert season to offer insight about just a few of the fundamental aspects of his character…

Favourite composer?

It's sort of a cop-out, but I don't think I have one. I have favourite pieces in Western Art Music — Mahler's Kindertotenlieder, the second movement of Brahms' Third Symphony, Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 13, Dvořák's Serenade for Wind Instruments, the list goes on…

Favourite thing about Calgary, Alberta? The friends I've made here.

Favourite thing about Gunn, Alberta? Gotta be all my family there.

Currently reading? George Orwell's Animal Farm

Currently watching? Dropout.tv

Favourite thing about the Holidays? Big family dinners and sing-songs around the piano.

Camping or luxury hotel? Hotel. I'm over sleeping outside on the ground.

Spaghetti or mac and cheese? Yes.

Small town or big city? Small town.

Form or function?

While I appreciate both, I'm gonna have to go with function.

Playlists or podcasts?

Playlists for friends, podcasts for me.

Sweet or savoury?

Savoury. Main course over dessert any day.

Day or night?

Day, but I keep staying up late in case I change my mind.

Fiction or nonfiction? Fiction.

Energy drinks or coffee?

Coffee. Although, as a decaf boy now, my friends tell me that doesn't count.

Window or aisle seat?

Window all the way.

Organized or messy?

A little of column A, a little of column B.

Prairie or mountains?

Love the mountains, but my heart is more in the prairies.

Sweater or hoodie?

Since I own more of them, I'm obliged to say hoodie.

Lava lamp or disco ball?

Ooh, I'd always wanted a lava lamp as a kid.

Logic or emotions? How DARE you ask me that!!

27 + 28 February

7:30PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

IX: Shostakovich

Jessica Cottis, conductor

Diana Cohen, violin

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Ian Cusson

1Q84: Sinfonietta Metamoderna 9' (Calgary Premiere)

Max Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 24'

I. Prelude: Allegro moderato

II. Adagio

III. Finale: Allegro energico

INTERMISSION 20'

Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 70 27'

I. Allegro

II. Moderato

III. Presto

IV Largo

V Allegretto

1Q84: Sinfonietta Metamoderna Ian Cusson (b. 1981)

1Q84: Sinfonietta Metamoderna was created as a companion piece to Richard Strauss' tone poem Also Sprach Zarathustra. Behind Strauss' work is the Friedrich Nietzsche novel of the same name, which explores, among other things, the idea of an 'eternal recurrence.' A 21st-century understanding of this might look something like the multiverse, a complex and overlapping vision of reality where multiple worlds become a metaphor for the strangeness of lived experience in our contemporary time. In the novel 1Q84, novelist Haruki Murakami explores the possibility of multiple realities — worlds that split off one from the next because of minute decisions. As in Strauss's tone poem, 1Q84: Sinfonietta Metamoderna loosely follows the novel's structure, with thematic material connected to the characters and events of the story. When the novel opens, it is April of 1984. On her way to her next hit, professional assassin and fitness instructor Aomame finds herself stuck in traffic on Tokyo's Metropolitan Expressway 3. The radio is blasting Janáček's Sinfonietta. So as not to be late, she exits the taxi and climbs down the emergency stairway. In so doing, she enters the world of 1Q84 — an alternate version of the world she knows, where the sky has two moons, and where the leader of a powerful cult is controlled by the Little People. She thinks often about a boy she once knew, Tengo. Tengo, now 30 years old, is a cram school instructor and the ghostwriter for the highly successful novel Air Chrysalis — a story about a powerful cult under the control of supernatural beings called Little People who move about between worlds through the mouths of their victims. Tengo longs to reconnect with a girl whose hand he held briefly when he was a child. Aomame is sent to kill the Leader of the cult. The Little People swarm in a fit to stop her. A violent storm thunders above the city. Aomame assassinates Leader and goes into hiding until she can escape 1Q84. But before leaving this world she needs to find the boy she has loved since she was a child when they briefly held each other's hand after class. While in hiding she discovers that she is pregnant. Despite not having seen Tengo for 20 years, she learns that she is pregnant with his child. Tengo and Aomame reunite. They climb up the emergency stairway to Metropolitan Expressway 3 to get back

into the world they left behind. Standing on the Expressway, they realize they may just have stepped into a new unfamiliar world, but it is a world they will journey through together.

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26

Max Bruch (1838–1920)

Though Max Bruch composed more than 200 works, they have been largely eclipsed by the fame of his Violin Concerto No. 1. In his own time, its incredible popularity irritated the German composer, who wrote: "I cannot listen to this Concerto anymore — did I perhaps write just this one... play the other Concertos, which are just as good, if not better." But the First Violin Concerto that we hear today, with its elegant melodies and powerful lyricism, didn't start out perfect. According to his own testimony, Bruch rewrote it many times between 1864 and 1868; he premiered a first version in 1866 before consulting with violinist Joseph Joachim to hone it into the masterpiece that remains today, one of the most played violin concertos in the repertoire. Bruch sold the score to a publisher for a lump sum — therefore giving up his right to royalties — a decision that would haunt him until his final days. With financial struggles mounting in the wake of World War I and his retirement from teaching, Bruch attempted to sell an original copy that he had kept with him, without success. A final effort was made in the form of the Sutro sisters, a pair of American pianists, who took the manuscript home with the promise to sell it and send the proceeds to Bruch. His son Ewald recounts the hope that the aging composer placed on this sale — telling his son: "soon I shall be free of all worries when the first dollars arrive" — which would not take place during his lifetime, and for which his heirs would not receive notice nor recompense

Symphony No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 70

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975)

As early as 1943, Dmitri Shostakovich had hinted to the Soviet public that he had grand plans for a triumphant Ninth Symphony, an epic finale to the wartime trilogy begun with his Seventh. As World War II swung in favour of the Allies and the defeat of Hitler's forces appeared close at hand, it fell to Soviet artists and composers to immortalize victory in

all its glory — as well as its purported architect, Joseph Stalin. Shostakovich, who had the misfortune of working under the Soviet regime for his entire career, promised, "a large-scale work in which the overpowering feelings ruling us today would find expression." The work that was to appear in November 1945 was not what the public, the authorities, nor the composer's critics had expected. Shostakovich had begun composition as early as January 1945. Several musicians had the opportunity of hearing the early work, and it was praised as "victorious major music." However, he decided to put this version aside, beginning anew in July 1945 and completing in August the Symphony No. 9 that we hear today. The result was a playful, five-movement work drastically shorter than the Seventh and the Eighth — certainly not the grandiose, heroic finale that he had hinted at. Though enjoying some success with the public and with critics, Symphony No. 9 was considered by some as "grotesque" and "trifling," and was — along with Symphony No. 8 — proclaimed by the authorities as "formalist" (hence, not "in service to the people"). This was not new for Shostakovich, who had been likewise denounced in 1936 for "petty bourgeois innovations" after Stalin himself attended his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and who struggled thereafter to balance his creative powers with a state apparatus determined to strip the innovative spirit from his music in favour of something more palatable to the masses. The Great Terror and its purges passed him by — the same could not be said about many of his relatives and colleagues who were executed or imprisoned — and Shostakovich managed to rehabilitate his reputation with his Symphony No. 5 His second denouncement in 1948 was a serious blow — many of his works were banned — and his Tenth Symphony would not appear until after Stalin's death in 1953.

PROGRAM NOTES © IAN CUSSON, JUN-LONG LEE (2025)

JESSICA COTTIS CONDUCTOR

Conductor Jessica Cottis has earned widespread recognition for her inventive, thought-provoking programming and inspiring musical leadership. In 2025/2026, she begins her third season as Artistic Partner of the Västerås Sinfonietta in Sweden and continues her fifth season as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Recent highlights include two consecutive years opening the Aldeburgh Festival (in 2025 with the world premiere of Colin Matthews' opera A Visit to Friends), and guest engagements with orchestras including the Real Filarmonica de Galicia, Queensland Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, National Radio Orchestra of Romania, Turku Philharmonic, Gavle Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa and the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland. She has recorded for the BBC, ABC, and Decca Classics labels. This season, Cottis will appear with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Malmo Symphony, Belgian National Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony, Danish Philharmonic, and Calgary Philharmonic, and will conduct three programmes with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, including a concert performance of Georges Bizet's Carmen. Jessica Cottis grew up on her family's sheep farm in southeastern Australia. She now resides in Stockholm and outside of music pursues her passion for butterflies all over the world.

DIANA COHEN VIOLIN

Diana Cohen has a multifaceted career as a concertmaster, chamber musician, and soloist. She is the Concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic and Founder and Artistic Director of the acclaimed music festival ChamberFest Cleveland. In 2022, Diana and her husband, concert pianist Roman Rabinovich, launched ChamberFest West (chamberfestwest.com), an annual international summer chamber music festival bringing the most exciting musicians from around the globe to Calgary. She has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, has performed at some of the most prestigious festivals, and collaborated with renowned artists, including Garrick Ohlsson, Mitsuko Uchida, Jonathan Biss, and members of the Juilliard, Dover, Miró, and Parker string quartets. Diana has toured and recorded with the Grammy Award-winning Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and performed with the East Coast Chamber Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic. A Cleveland Institute of Music graduate, she studied with Donald Weilerstein and received the Jerome Gross Prize. Last year, Diana received the prestigious Alumni Achievement Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Her father, Franklin, was longtime Principal Clarinet of the Cleveland Orchestra, and her brother Alexander is Principal Timpani for the Calgary Phil. Her late mother, Lynette Diers Cohen, was an esteemed bassoonist. Cohen lives in Calgary with her husband and her daughter Noa Lynette, who makes music and dances all day long.

© HARDERLEE PHOTOGRAPHY

Deloitte is proud to sponsor the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

FAWZI HAIMOR: At Your Service

Calgary-connected conductor talks of collaboration and responsibility to community

By Charlotte Lilley Photo Rob Davidson

Conductor Fawzi Haimor's Calgary Philharmonic debut — this January's It Takes Two: A Symphonic Collaboration concert — will also serve as a homecoming of sorts.

From memories of visiting family here as a child to eventually meeting his wife in the city, the Chicago-born Haimor describes Calgary as "kind of like a second home." It's a connection that extends to the Calgary Philharmonic as well.

"After [my wife and I] got engaged, the very first performance that we saw together was the Calgary Phil," he recalls. "She's not a musician, and so I wanted to show her what life is like as a musician. Naturally, the best way to do that was to go to a performance of the Calgary Phil. And she loved it."

Haimor's relationship to the city makes his first performance with the Calgary Phil all the more exciting. With side-byside performances from the Calgary Phil and the Calgary Youth Orchestra (CYO), plus cellist on-the-rise Luka Coetzee as the soloist (she was recently named one of CBC's "30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30"), It Takes Two puts collaboration front and centre, a focus that aligns with Haimor's own philosophy on music making.

"It's not me coming in with simply my ideas," he says, explaining that conducting is always a collaborative process. "I don't work that way."

In his role as the recently appointed Music Director of the Marin Symphony, that ethos involves long-term relationship building with the orchestra. "When you work in an extended role, you begin to

know and understand each other, and you start to develop an opportunity to really grow the ensemble over time."

For debut performances with ensembles that he hasn't worked with before, the timeline from rehearsal to concert may be shorter but the approach remains the same.

"Any time I go into a debut, it's just as if I were going anywhere else," he says. "It's an opportunity to work with incredible musicians, people that I've never met before, and to focus, really, on the music and what it is we're trying to convey, the messages of collaboration."

With a program that celebrates both new music and old favourites, It Takes Two, presented in partnership with One Yellow Rabbit for the 2026 High Performance Rodeo, offers lots to look forward to for musicians and audience members alike. Having a mix of repertoire was important to Haimor, especially in working with CYO.

"For those [CYO musicians] who do end up going into music professionally, they're going to know that they're not just going to be playing the war horses from the past and the great composers, but they also will and should play new music."

The concert opens with Luka Coetzee's performance of Sergei Prokofiev's Sinfonia concertante, a piece that Haimor says "allows both the soloist and the orchestra to have opportunities and moments to shine," and continues with Valerie Coleman's 2019 piece, Umoja: An Anthem for Unity. Haimor says the latter piece was a natural choice, "considering that we are living in a difficult world, and music is an opportunity to genuinely bring people together."

Also on the program are George Gershwin's An American in Paris — a chance for the young musicians to take on a challenging piece of repertoire — and Alberto Ginastera's Four Dances from Estancia, which Haimor describes as "just a wild ride."

"It really is put there for the kids to have fun, and for the Calgary Phil to have fun with them, too."

As someone who believes strongly in the importance of music education, the opportunity to bring together the CYO and the Calgary Phil is something Haimor finds especially exciting.

"It gives our young musicians the chance to work with the pros, and for me, it's a real joy to be part of that collaboration," he says.

Haimor's career to date has spanned multiple continents, seeing him lead ensembles in countries ranging from the United States to Germany to New Zealand to Japan. Through this array of international experiences, communication, collaboration, and community have remained central to his work.

"Our job as musicians is not simply to just play music. It's not our job to just entertain. Our job is to serve the community the way we know best," he says. "The world can feel heavy at times and people often wake up with so much on their shoulders. As professional musicians, we have the ability to lift that burden, even for just a couple of hours and carry it through music. It's what we were born to do, and this is how we serve our community. It's healing, it's therapeutic, and it's how we bring a little bit of peace to the world."

1 March

Instrument Discovery Zoo: 2PM Concert: 3PM

Jack Singer Concert Hall

When Instruments Roamed the Earth!

Dr. Lola Rozsa Birthday Concert

Resident Conductor Endowed Chair Supporter: Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Juliane Gallant, conductor (biography on page 11) Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

In prehistoric times, strange creatures walked the planet. These were the ancient ancestors of musical instruments that inspired melodious makers in brass and wood to create the instruments we see in the orchestra today. Take a journey into Bob Singleton's When Instruments Roamed the Earth!® Filled with laughs, surprises, and on-stage dinosaur action!

Bob Singleton When Instruments Roamed the Earth! 45'

THIS CONCERT HAS NO INTERMISSION PROGRAM AND ARTISTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

Helping creative ideas flourish in the arts

RBC® is powering the ideas of the arts community, where aspiration and skill development help artists thrive on centre stage.

rbc.com/our-impact

Ideas for People and Planet™

Proud supporters of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as they continue to enhance our communities through the arts.

EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR YOUR GROUP.

If you're searching for the perfect team-building experience or a one-of-a-kind way to entertain clients, look no further than an unforgettable evening with your Calgary Phil. Save big with our Group + Corporate Sales discounts — up to 15% when you book for 10 to 34 people and 20% for groups of 35+ individuals. For some extra sizzle, ask us about booking a pre-or-post concert reception. For details, visit calgaryphil.com/group-sales

Ways to Grow your Calgary Phil

Thanks to your dedication and enthusiasm, the Calgary Phil continues to connect our communities and celebrate the transformative power of orchestral music. Your generosity is at the heart of the Calgary Phil as we ensure your financial support is more impactful than ever. Individual and corporate support make up 20% of our revenue and have helped sustain the Orchestra for 70 years. There is a wide range of opportunities and initiatives where your investment makes a significant philanthropic impact.

Support the Endowment

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.

Bring world-class artists to our stage

The Naomi + John Lacey Virtuoso 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.

Support the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus

Calgary Phil is one of two major symphony orchestras in Canada that has its own chorus of over 140 volunteer singers. Elevating the art of choral music by supporting and nurturing the development of the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus is done through The Borak Forte Program founded by Ellen and Allen Borak. It provides the singers with the opportunity to grow in their performance of choral music and promotes the enjoyment of choral singing in our communities.

Support the creation of New Works

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 a range of enticing and trailblazing new works.

Support Emerging Artists

The MacLachlan/Ridge Emerging Artist Program helps provide outstanding young Canadian musicians an opportunity to advance their careers by performing with the Orchestra to develop Canada's next generation of artists.

Greatest Needs

By supporting the Calgary Phil's Greatest Needs, you are helping to support the overall operations of the Orchestra. For those donors who want to recognize someone special in memoriam, the Joyce and Dick Matthews Philanthropic Program was created in the memory of these dedicated and generous supporters of Calgary Phil for more than 50 years.

To support one of these programs, visit calgaryphil.com/support

Sponsors + Supporters

GOVERNMENT

FOUNDATIONS

ARTISTIC + COMMUNITY

SEASON SPONSOR

Donors + Volunteers

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

Department of Canadian Heritage

Joyce + Dick Matthews

$1,000,000–$9,999,999

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Calgary Arts Development Authority

Canada Council for the Arts

Irene + Walt DeBoni

Ethelene + John Gareau

Government of Canada

Dr. John Lacey

Morningside Music Bridge Foundation

Drs. Ted + Lola Rozsa

Estate of Mario James Stella

Taylor Family Foundation

One Anonymous Donor

$500,000–$999,999

Estate of Marjory Barber

Irene + William Bell

Marg + Paul Boëda

Cenovus Energy Inc.

CNOOC (formerly Nexen)

Government of Alberta

Carol + Frank Gray

Honens Calgary Philharmonic Society

Fund at Calgary Foundation

Mary Rozsa de Coquet

Prairies Economic Development Canada

Robbin Shandel

One Anonymous Donor

$250,000–$499,999

Said Arrata

Leslie + David Bissett

Ellen + Allen Borak

Heather + Ian Bourne

Andrea Brussa

Calgary Foundation

Calgary Herald

Mrs. Norma Carroll

Corus Entertainment

Judith + Terry Dalgleish

Heather Edwards

Enbridge Pipelines Inc.

Encana Corporation

Jan + Larry Fichtner

Liz + Tony Fricke

Lois + Richard Haskayne

Judith Kilbourne

KPMG LLP

Estate of Murray Lipsey

Letha MacLachlan, K.C.

Nickle Family Foundation

Palmer Family Foundation

Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc

Gerard Rostoker

Rozsa Foundation

Muriel Stewart

Sunesis Consulting Inc.

TC Energy

TD Canada

TELUS Corporation

Deborah Yedlin + Martin Molyneaux

Two Anonymous Donors

$100,000–$249,999

Air Canada

ARC Resources Ltd.

Jeff Arsenych

Jenny Belzberg

Beverly + Gerald Berkhold

BP Petroleum

Canada Life

Canadian Natural

Elaine + Jeremy Clark

Tibor Fekete

Estate of Geraldine Fish

glasswaters foundation

Jacky + Geoff Granville

Jan + Brian Grier

Estate of Winnifred Griffith

Elizabeth + Wayne Henuset

Imperial Oil Limited

Jeanette King

Estate of Evelyn Christine Kings

HD Klebanoff Memorial Fund

Kool 101.5

Ann Lewis-Luppino + Anthony Luppino

Sir Jack Lyons Charitable Trust

Macquarie Group Foundation

Allan Markin

Masters Gallery Ltd.

Estate of Mary McIntosh

Meludia SAS

Janice + James Morton

Jean + John Partridge

Anne Marie Peterson Legacy Fund

Rogers Charity Classic

Rabinovitz Family Fund

RBC

Seagram Company Ltd.

Clarice Siebens

Margaret Southern

Carla + Klaus Springer

Josie + Trent Stangl

Ms. Mary Ann Steen

Dori Wood + James Doleman

Shirley Zielsdorf

Three Anonymous donors Endowed Chairs

Ted + Lola Rozsa Endowed Chair

Music Director

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

H.D. Klebanoff Endowed Chair

First Violin Section Member: Olga Kotova

Gerard Rostoker in Memory of Pamela Bacchus Endowed Chair

First Violin Section Member:

Maria van der Sloot

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: Kathleen de Caen

Margaret + Paul Boëda in Memory of Jennifer Boëda-Dahl Endowed Chair

Principal Flute: Sara Hahn-Scinocco

Bill + Irene Bell Endowed Chair Piccolo: Gwen Klassen

Janet Poyen Family Foundation

Endowed Chair

English Horn: David Sussman

Judith + William Kilbourne

Named Chair in Recognition of the Kilbournes' long-term support

Assistant Principal Horn

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: Chris Sies

Joyce + Dick Matthews Endowed Chair

Piano

Gifts of $250,000–$499,999

Calgary Arts Development Authority

Department of Canadian Heritage*

Taylor Family Foundation*

Janet Poyen Family Foundation**

Gifts of $100,000–$249,999

Honens Calgary Philharmonic Society Fund*

Gifts of $50,000–$99,999

The City of Calgary

The Calgary Foundation*

Government of Alberta

Liz + Tony Fricke**

Jan + Brian Grier*

Mary Rozsa de Coquet**

Mawer Investment Management Ltd.

Erin Thrall + Peter Johnson**

Two Anonymous Donors

Gifts of $25,000–$49,999

Ellen + Allen Borak**

Terry Dalgleish*

Jacky + Geoff Granville*

Dr. John Lacey**

Letha MacLachlan, K.C.**

Nicola Wealth

O'Donoghue Family Fund

Palmer Family Foundation*

Anne Marie Peterson Legacy Fund*

RBC*

Sue + Mac Van Wielingen

Two Anonymous Donors

Gifts of $10,000 to $24,999

Michelle Bailey + John Whelan

Bailie Family Foundation

2024/2025 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 2024 and 30 September 2025. For a complete listing, visit calgaryphil.com/ support

* 10 years or more of lifetime giving

* 20 years or more of lifetime giving

* Gifts to the Calgary Philharmonic Foundation

Gifts of $500,000 and above

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Canada Council for the Arts*

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation*

Government Of Canada** Prairies Economic Development Canada

Jenny Belzberg**

Beverly Berkhold*

Belinda + Tom Boleantu**

Brookfield Properties

Burns Memorial Fund for Children

Calgary Hotel Association

Ann Calvert*

Canadian Natural*

Alan D. Castle Endowment for the Arts

Chayka Family Foundation**

Monica Cheng + Ujay Kim

Gertrude Cohos**

Walter + Irene DeBoni**

Deloitte

Dominique + Réal Doucet

Shirley Foster**

The Fidelio Foundation

Carol Gray**

Ryan Green

Angela + Sam Hayes**

Juli Hegg + Bill Hogg*

James A. Hughes**

Mary Anne Katzenberg

Judith Kilbourne**

Jeanette King**

Heather + Peter Marreck*

Janet + Rick Matthews**

Nickle Family Foundation*

Maureen Payne**

Lisa Poole

Rabinovitz Family Community Fund**

Rogers Charity Classic

Rozsa Foundation*

Ruchi + Chris Ryley*

The Scotlyn Foundation

Margaret Southern**

Susan Swan + Paul Moore

Valerie + Allen Swanson*

TD Canada*

United Active Living

Valentine Volvo + Volvo Royal Oak

Dori Wood + James Doleman**

The Welty Family Foundation

One Anonymous Donor

Gifts of $5,000 to $9,999

Andal Family Foundation*

AWS InCommunities Calgary Fund

Heather + Ian Bourne*

James and Patricia Burns Flow

Through Fund

Stephen Chetner*

Joanne Cox + Chris Haygarov

Rosemarie + Michael D'Avella*

Ute + Walter Dilger**

E. Ann Falk**

Calgary Finlandia Cultural Association

Emily Grier + Chris Chiasson

Anne + Robert Hobbs

Madeleine King + Bob Taylor**

Karen Neary-Langill + Robert Langill

Drs. Marilyn Mooibroek + David Lau*

Linda Le Geyt

Tricia Leadbeater

Bernice + Jim Love

Chris MacKimmie*

Sharon Martens

Jane McCaig + Richard Waller

Vickie + Russell McKinnon*

Elizabeth + Ross Middleton

Sheelagh Mercer + Henry Schultz

Margareta + Benno Nigg*

Tae Nosal + John Reid**

Michelle O'Reilly Foundation

Jean + John Partridge**

Sonia + Bob Reynolds*

Robbin Shandel

Clarice Siebens*

Joan + Geoffrey Simmins*

Marie + Nathan Smith

Claire + Marc Stevens

Swedish Society of Calgary

T. Gai Ward*

Philippa White

Susan + Mark Wittrup

Gloria Wong + Arthur Hibbard*

Bing Wu*

Janet Yuchem*

Three Anonymous Donors

Gifts of $2,500 to $4,999

Dinesh + Rajendra Agrawal*

Irene M. Bakker**

Marian + Paul Beer**

Brad Boychuk*

Andrea Brussa*

Eleanor + Dick Byers*

Lori Caltagirone*

Meredith + Pat Cashion

Ah-Ling Cheng

Mathilde + Emmanuel Coisne

Rae + Phillip Cram**

Lori Cutler + Nick Kuzyk*

Fern Cyr*

Rao Darsi**

Alexandra De Freitas*

Deborah Delvecchio + John Sandy Baker

Lisa Evren

Tibor Fekete*

Kate Fischer + Joel Douglas* Government of Canada

Pamela Grigg Charitable Fund

Corinne Grigoriu*

Julie + Harold Jacques*

Val + Craig Johnstone

Jennifer + Oscar Larios

Lennox Family Foudation

Erica McBeth + Darwin Smith*

Rosemary Moore

Shelagh + Faiz Nadi*

Leanne + Dean Newhouse

Tim Onyett*

Ellen Parker

Kelly Pitaoulis + Zack Laurent*

Wood Pittman Fund

Mark Raffan

Ruth + Garry Ramsden-Wood

The Smith Vanstokkom Foundation

John Thompson**

Catherine + Bruce Williams**

Christine Woolner*

Shirley Zielsdorf + Ed Letkeman*

Four Anonymous Donors

Gifts of $1,000 to $2,499

Kristin + Vaclav Albrecht

Karen Ashbee + Dr. Paul Salo*

Barb Atniknov + Albert Rosengarten*

Roy, Hazel and Nancy Austin Fund

Andrew Azmudeh*

Kim Berjian

John Bonnycastle

Sheryl + Bob Bowhay

Glen & Nancy Charitable Gift Fund

Georgina Clark

Catherine Glaser-Climie + Stan Climie*

Margaret Cole

Linda + Jack Crawford*

Ruth A. Cross

David Daly*

Daniel A. Downie

Shouli Fayt Family Foundation

Jan + Larry Fichtner**

Philippa FitzGerald-Finch**

Joan + Don Greenfield*

Larisa Golovatskaya + Perry Jasson

Emily Halliday + Geoff Krause

Glen & Nancy Charitable Gift Fund

Don and Janet Hatch Family

Ian Hawkins*

Lisa Higham + Alan Covington*

Horton Family Endowment Fund

Linda + Gordon Hoy

Katt Hryciw

Faye Huggins*

Helen Isaac Fund*

Arlene + Glen Johnston

Rhonda Kerr

Jennifer + Martin King

Aleksandra Komorowski

Dr. Alice de Koning + Dr. Yrjo Koskinen

Paul Lee

Diane + David Macdonald*

Lisa Mackay + Chris Petrik

Simone MacRae*

Pat + John Martin

Mary Jo Leslie and Joseph Dallaire Endowment Fund

Laurie Matiation

H. Matsune*

Elizabeth & Gene Maurice Fund*

Ann McCaig**

Jim McClimans

Liz McFetridge

Jean + Rod McKay**

Andrea McManus

Jim Merchant*

Elizaveta Mironova + William Zho

Sheila Mong

Patricia Moore**

Louise Moore

Janice + James Morton**

One Big JAM

Sarah Palmer + Tom Plunkett

Patricia Peabody

Rajiv Ramchandra

Maxine Rystephanick

Wendy + Rod Schultz

Dr. Tony Settari**

Greg Shannon

Alfred Sorensen*

Michele Stanners

Mira Starczyk**

Betty J. Stein**

The Donald Terry Swystun Charitable Fund

Nadine Tratch + Tyler Cumberford

Randy Upright

Ingrid Vicas

Rena Willson**

Anne + Terry Wilson*

Reg Worsley*

Patricia + Frederick Young*

Helen Young + Don Smith *

Mae Yuchem

Tamar Zenith

Anne + Frank Zinatelli*

Eleven Anonymous Donors

Gifts of $500 to $999

Gwen + Ian Anderson*

Matthew Atwood

Mary Bewick

Barry Bortnick

Callow & Associates Management

Consultants Inc.

John Burton

Eileen Butler*

Cheryl Cohen**

Kelly Colberg

Chad Conrad

Frank Davis

Nan + Ian Douglas

Chris Dowdeswell

Audrey + John Fry*

Kore Grier

Carol Hanna*

Robin Harwig

Cindy Humphrey

Carolyn Hyndman

Almas Kassam

Judith Phair + Roland King

James Kusie*

Blair Lipkind

Marg + Herb Longworth

Dave + Donna Lougheed

Alison + Andrew Love

Alla Magid

Rolf Martin

Melanie + Todd McBride

Dennis McDermott

Danuta + Francois Montandon*

Cliff's Notes Fund

Jackie + Fritz Painsi

Maureen Jenkins + James S Pender

Phyllis Peters**

Mary + Conrad Porth

Bruce Rabik

Emma Rokosh

Karen Rostad

John Salopek

Kelly + James Scott*

Alane Smith

Lila Smith

Nancy Stapley

Agatha Starczyk + Mike Miller**

Shannon Stevenson*

Margaret + Donald Stinton*

Jody Sutherland + Marco Baldasaro

Jonathan Szeto

Cathy + Frank Van Humbeck

Alex Wan

Dixie + Tony Webb

Peggy Wedderburn + Richard Oppenheim

Archie Wells

Agnes + Ray Woods

Lee Woytkiw

Maria Wu

Campbell-Stone United Church

Fourteen Anonymous Donors

Gifts made in honour of

Gordon + Irene Grier

Dr Bob Johnston

Dr. John Lacey

Peter Lougheed

Letha MacLachlan

Elizabeth Middleton

Patsy Lou Pantazopoulos

Kristýna + Jeff Rempel

Ken Sawka Family

Jason Stasiuk

Gifts made in memory of

Brian G. Arcand

Elizabeth Beyer

Susan Fulmer

Susan Kathleen Hanley

Olga Kolar

Alf + Kay Longworth

Larry Paterson

Muriel Roggensack

Heili Puhm Strawbridge

Stacey Christina Worsley

Bonnie Zwack

Legacy Gifts

Ellen Borak

Carol Gray

Angela + Samuel Hayes

Jean + John Partridge

Ryan Stasynec

Valerie + Allen Swanson

Ten Anonymous Donors

Volunteers

These Volunteers contributed their precious time in the 2024/2025 season — we celebrate them and their ongoing dedication.

Mariah Atkinson

Catalina Barboza

Partow Bayzaee

Andrea Becker

Larry Becker

Frances Bradley

Courtney Cathcart

Peggy Chan

Carole Clement

Steve Clement

Carol Dann

Clint Docken

Julie Docken

James Doney

Graham Edwards

Prasad Ganesan

David Grant

Gloria Hare

Robin Harwig

Cindra Kennedy

Shane Kidd

Wendy Kunsman

Elizabeth Lietz

Vi Llewellyn

Shawna MacGillivary

Erin MacLean-Berko

Moira MacPherson

Marina Milovanova

Minh Nguyen

Jolanta Pawlikowska

Colleen Potter

Dave Stephens

Roy Stuart

Nick Tang

Cindy Wang

Joseph Wang

Gayna Wong

Board of Directors

Samuel Hayes

BOARD CHAIR

Marc Stevens

EX-OFFICIO

Tracy Seaman

GOVERNANCE CHAIR

HUMAN RESOURCES SUB-COMMITTEE CHAIR

Monica Cheng

FINANCE + AUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIR

Rebecca Finley-Schidlowsky

BOARD SECRETARY

Michelle Bailey

Kim Berjian

Craig Hutchenreuther

Almas Kassam

Geoff Krause

James Kusie

Dr. John Lacey

Paul Lee

Kristofer Leslie

Jane McCaig

Elizabeth Middleton

Alexandra Wang

Maria Wu

Calgary Philharmonic Foundation

The Honourable Lois E. Mitchell

HONOURARY PATRON OF THE CALGARY PHIL FOUNDATION

Joel Douglas

PRESIDENT

Corinne Grigoriu

VICE PRESIDENT

Colin Jackson

TREASURER

Alex Wan

ASSISTANT TREASURER

Ana Cherniak-Kennedy

SECRETARY

Byron Neiles

Elaine Clark

Ellen Parker

Jim Hughes

Letha MacLachlan

Niki Dunne

Monica Cheng

Jaime Rojo: Chasing Monarchs | February 1 & 2, 2026

Jess Cramp: The Untold Story of Sharks | March 8 & 9, 2026

Heather Lynch: Penguins of Antarctica | April 19 & 20, 2026

Lee Berger: Cave of Bones | May 31 & June 1, 2026

You Don't Know Jack

All About the Calgary Phil's State of the Art Home

By David Sussman, Assistant Principal Oboe

The Jack Singer Concert Hall is a happy home for the musicians of the Calgary Philharmonic. One of the most wonderful things from the audience's point of view about attending a live concert is the sound. Recordings may be excellent, but they cannot duplicate the sound of a full orchestra playing live in an acoustically excellent hall.

Similarly, for the musicians, having a wonderful hall to play in can hugely enhance our work satisfaction. We may be able to produce a beautiful projecting sound with less effort, allowing us to play with less tension (and hopefully fewer injuries!). We want the right balance of clarity and lushness. It is certainly more fun to play where the sound is close to what we envision.

What is it that makes our hall so good?

The Jack Singer Concert Hall was built solely as a concert hall, not a multipurpose theatre. The reverberation, or echo time, suits music. For clear articulation of speech, a 'dry' acoustic with shorter reverberation time is preferred. For music, a 'wetter' acoustic with more reverberation time is preferred (although too much reverberation time makes the music unclear).

The size and shape of the hall also have a bearing on the acoustical properties. Our hall is shoebox-shaped and seats roughly 1700 patrons. This makes it a rather standard shape and somewhat intimate.

Larger halls have more air space where the sound may get lost, and odd-shaped halls reflect the sound in less predictable ways.

The materials used in building a hall make a big difference to the reflection and quality of the sound. Wood is a good sound reflector and contributes to a warm sound. The stage floor of the Jack Singer Concert Hall is wooden. There are wooden backs on the audience seats (when a seating refresh was done a number of years ago, the old wooden seat backs were repurposed to enhance the acoustics of our basement rehearsal hall) and there is wood flooring throughout the hall. The huge acoustical cloud that you see on the roof above is also made of wood.

Large overhangs in the hall can cause acoustical shadows below them where less sound can reach. Our hall has very little overhang on the Dress Circle, Upper Circle and Balcony levels.

However, having a good hall also depends on a bit of luck. Despite having all the right attributes on paper, a hall may not be fully effective. Acoustics are as much an art as a science. Because of this, good designers always build in some means of adjusting the acoustics. These include banners that can be unrolled all along the side walls to dampen sound, and the ability to raise or lower the acoustical cloud.

Hearing well across the stage allows us to play perfectly together, and the height of the acoustical cloud can alter this. Different Music Directors have preferred different settings.

Sometimes, the balance on stage can differ from what the audience hears. To this end, our Resident Conductor Juliane Gallant often is present at rehearsals with other conductors to give feedback on the balance in the hall.

The Jack Singer Concert Hall was built to fit into an older existing building. To this end, it necessitated putting most of the dressing rooms and performers' lounge one level down from the stage. One must be careful carrying fragile instruments up concrete steps while dressed in concert attire. Also to accommodate the pipes of the Carthy Organ, there is an overhang above the sidewalk on 9th Avenue outside the hall. Our rehearsal hall is down many steps in the basement (and cannot duplicate the sound of the concert hall). On one side of the hall, the steps leading down are adorned with murals depicting progressively darkening skies and the viola part of Beethoven's Fifth painted on the walls. The other side has graphics of instruments and players displayed, including an oversized lefthanded conductor. There are many secret routes to reach the administrative offices above.

The move to the Jack Singer was a huge step in the evolution of the orchestra. I still remember a 'hard-hat' concert we performed before the seats were completely installed. The excitement for the hall we had then still remains. Both musicians and audience members are lucky to have this wonderful hall in Calgary.

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