Concert Season
In a French Café - October 24, 25, 26
Silk scarves and strong coffee, suave sophistication, eccentric characters, and a love of throbbing Spanish rhythms--it's French music with a twist. The OSO welcomes guest narrator and humorist Bill Richardson for Saint-Saëns' funny and quirky tour of the orchestra. Double the pianos add up to more than double the fun in Poulenc's witty concerto. Bolero – Ravel's celebration of the Spanish dance irresistibly builds to a stunning climax. Sheer virtuosity in Gallic style! Guest Artists: Elizabeth & Marcel Bergmann, Pianos. Bill Richardson, Narrator. Kelowna, Friday, Oct. 24, 8pm. Penticton, Saturday, Oct. 25. 7:30pm; Vernon, Sunday, Oct. 26, 7pm. - View More >>
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION - November 21, 22, 23
Penticton recognizes the achievements of a century and we’re celebrating their Centennial with an abundance of Mozart’s jubilant music with Penticton’s own guest artists! The OSO contributes to the festivities with a new work by the City’s Ernst Schneider. Penticton native Stephen Philcox returns to enchant us with one of Mozart’s sparkling piano concerti. Help enjoy the fruits of our labours – it’s been a ‘peachy’ hundred years. Guest Artists: Stephen Philcox (piano); Vocal Soloists John David Jasper & Genevieve Moore; Centennial Chorus. Symphony No. 35, Haffner; Mozart arias; Premiere of new work by Ernst Schneider. Kelowna, Friday, Nov. 21. Penticton, Saturday, Nov. 22. Vernon, Sunday, Nov. 23, 7pm. - View More >>
FESTIVAL OF CHRISTMASTIDE - December 19, 20, 21
All the hits, the best-known and loved favourites of the Season. Enjoy the voices and the delight of young faces in our celebration of the Festival of Light. Includes ‘The Bird of Dawning Singeth all Night Long’ by Jean Coulthard; ‘God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen’; ‘What Child is This’; ‘‘Twas in the Moon of Wintertime’, ‘Quiet Eve’ (Schipizky); John Rutter Carols; ‘Fantasia on Christmas Carols’ (Ralph Vaughan Williams). Guest Artists: Susan Aylard, Violin; The Cats & the Fiddle, Valley High School Choirs. A delight for the family and guests as the hours count down to the most-anticipated holiday of the year. Penticton, Friday, December 19, 7pm. Kelowna, Saturday, December 20, 7pm. Vernon, Sunday, December 21, 7pm. - View More >>
LOOKING AHEAD - January 31, February 1, 2009
Midwinter: time for thinking about the future. To provide food for thought, the OSO offers music for reflection: The Aura Choir radiates devotion in Vernon master composer Imant Raminsh’s ‘Missa Brevis’. Canada’s premiere clarinet virtuoso James Campbell joins the OSO for one of the most beautiful and perfect works ever written by Mozart – the ‘Clarinet Concerto’. Poulenc’s ‘Sinfonietta’ is a portrait of the Classical symphony in twentieth century clothing, overflowing with dance rhythms and a hint of jazz. Vancouver composer Stephen Chatman visualizes the wide open spaces and the return of the light in ‘Prairie Dawn’. Kelowna, Saturday, January 31, 8pm; Vernon, Sunday, February 1, 7pm. - View More >>
PASSIONATE FRIENDS - February 27, 28, March 1
The emotional intensity of friendship in the Romantic tradition forms the basis of a performance of the music of Brahms and Dvorak. Johannes Brahms' Third Symphony (F Major) was presented as a birthday gift to Clara Schumann, widow of composer Robert Schumann, a tribute to their long-standing friendship. Likewise, Antonin Dvořák wrote his 1895 concerto for a cellist friend, and it has since become one of the best-loved works in the repertoire. An ethereal work by Calgary composer Allan Bell rounds out the concert: the mystical sounds of 'Spirit Trail' guide listeners to a new day. Guest Artist: Arnold Choi, Cello. Kelowna, Friday February 27, 8pm. Saturday, Penticton, February 28. Vernon, Sunday, March 1. - View More >>
OCHESTRA FATHERS – 200 YEARS LATER – April 4, 5
A symphony orchestra is one of the crowning glories of civilization. Concerted music is the product of generations of devoted development by composers, musicians and conductors. The Okanagan Symphony underscores this epic journey with the work of two geniuses of the form: Josef Haydn, the "Father of the Symphony" and one of its most successful practitioners, Felix Mendelssohn. The concerto form is a bastion of the symphony orchestra’s repertoire, and the violin is a pillar of its personality. Representing the richness of the traditions of stringed instruments, guest artist Yi-Jia (Suzanne) Hou gives voice to the sensuous melodies of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. Kelowna, Saturday, April 4, 8pm. Vernon, Sunday, April 5, 7pm. - View More >>
ITALIANISSIMO! - May 10
Quartetto Gelato joins with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra onstage in one special Festival performance only in the Kelowna Community Theatre in a special Sunday afternoon show to close the Life and Arts Festival. There will be generous helpings of dance music, opera arias, and popular songs, all presented con brio for which the quartet is justly famous. Go out for a cappuccino and gelato first, then join everyone and enjoy these light classics on a sunny summery afternoon. Tango del Mare, Cinema Italiano, Tosca, and much, much more. Kelowna, one show only, Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10th at 4:00 pm. - View More >>
