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Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
CPO gets early start on its jam-packed 70th season
Article content Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Article content It promises to be a big bash this year as the Calgary Philharmonic plans an epic dance party, outdoor events and a travelling roadshow to celebrate its 70th season. Article content It all kicks off Sept. 5 at the Big Four Roadhouse on the Stampede grounds with a premiere of SYNTHONY: EDM Meets Orchestra. Guest DJs and vocalists join Calgary Phil in a fun mashup of electronic anthems. Article content The CPO begins its Jack Singer Concert Hall appearances on Sept. 12-13 with Grammy Award-winning conductor Karen Kamensek leading Grammy winner Gil Shaham playing Beethoven. Shaham is considered one of the foremost violinists in the world, and this will be his first Calgary performance. Article content Article content The CPO brings back its popular Pops and Symphony Sundays for Kids series, with The Music of Sting + The Police (Sept. 19 and 20) and The Gruffalo (Sept. 21). Article content The busy month wraps up on Sept. 27 with one of the most anticipated concerts of the season as international piano superstar Lang Lang — also making his Calgary debut — joins the orchestra and conductor Ramón Tebar at the Jack Singer. Article content This season, the CPO will branch out across the city, performing 70 concerts in seven venues across the city, such as the Jubilee, the Bella and the Grace Presbyterian Church. And it's bringing in big talent, with 29 conductors from around the world to lead the orchestra, including Yue Bao, Jessica Cottis, Calgary's own Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, Calgary Phil music director laureate Hans Graf, and Calgary Phil resident conductor Juliane Gallant. Article content Article content Some of the guest artists expected this year are guest artists such as Alberta's country star Tenille Townes, former Barenaked Lady and Canadian rock icon Steven Page, rising star Amaryn Olmeda (violin), Canadian luminary Stewart Goodyear (piano), multi-disciplinary artist Vivek Shraya, and the renowned Steven Isserlis, one of two living cellists inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame. Article content Article content The CPO will also continue its tradition of collaboration, with the Calgary Youth Orchestra in January, with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in April and Baroque fall and winter concerts with Mathieu Lussier and Camillie Delaforge, respectively. Article content Always trying to reach new audiences, the CPO will bring back popular additions such as Rockin' Pops (including the music of Prince, disco, Latin pop, Sting and the Beatles), and blockbuster movies accompaniments (Home Alone in Concert, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi). Article content And it wouldn't be Christmas without the annual musical tradition of Handel's Messiah.
Calgary Herald
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Chinese pianist Lang Lang, country music star, and pop hitmaker to join Calgary Phil in varied 70th season
Article content Chinese pianist Lang Lang, DJs and electronica music, Canadian country superstar Tenille Townes, former Barenaked Ladies vocalist Steven Page and singer and author Vivek Shraya will be among the highlights of the Calgary Philharmonic's eclectic 70th season, which will include 64 concerts under 29 conductors across seven venues. Article content Lang Lang, one of classical music's biggest stars, will play with the Calgary Philharmonic on Sept. 27 at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Lang has played with some of the world's biggest orchestras and has been a global draw in the classical world since he was a teenager in the 1990s. Article content Article content The 2025/2026 season will also feature the Canadian premiere of SYNTHONY: EDM Meets Orchestra on Sept. 5, which will find Calgary Phil teaming up wth DJs and vocalists for a mix of electronica and classical music at the Big Four Roadhouse. Grande Prairie country superstar Tenille Townes, who has also been in the spotlight since she was a teen, will make her CPO debut with shows at the Bella and Jack Singer concert halls on April 23 and 25. Article content Article content Other artists who will make guest appearances in the 2025/2026 season include violinist Gil Shaham, former Barenaked Ladies vocalist Steven Page and singer, actress and former University of Calgary professor Vivek Shraya. The orchestra will perform The Music of Hans Zimmer, which will feature selections from the soundtracks of The Dark Knight, Interstellar and Dune, while composer Eimear Noone will lead the orchestra for Video Games in Concert, which will include selections from the World of Warcraft soundtrack. Calgary Phil will also be playing live-to-film during screenings of The Princess Bride, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi. Article content Article content Conductor and violinist Timothy Chooi will lead Calgary Phil for Vivaldi's Four Seasons, while Verdi's Requiem will be conducted by Karen Kamensek. Music director laureate Hans Graf returns for A Midsummer Night's Dream. The annual A Traditional Christmas runs over three nights in December at Grace Presbyterian Church, and there will be a return of Handel's Messiah. Article content Article content The CPO will offer several of genre-bending treats along with dabbling in EDM, including an evening dedicated to The Music of Prince, Dance Dance Disco, La Vida Loca: Latin Pop Hits, The Music of Sting + The Police, and Revolution: The Music of The Beatles – A Symphonic Experience. Article content Guest conductors will include Anthony Parnther, Yue Bao, Ramon Tebar, Jessica Cottis, Steve Hackman and Calgary's Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. Soloists such as violinist Amaryn Olmeda (violin), pianist Stewart Goodyear and cellist Steven Isserlis will also perform with the orchestra this season.
