Victoria Symphony Announces Second Half of Virtual Season
Victoria, BC – After a successful first half of the season, the Victoria Symphony revealed what’s in store for the remainder of the 20/21 Virtual Season.
“We’ve been so inspired by the support that we’ve received for the Symphony during the pandemic,” said CEO Matthew White. “Though it has been a challenge adapting to the different possibilities and constraints of a digital world, it is clear that these new tools for maintaining contact with our audience and increasing accessibility are working. We are proud to say that through this medium we have been able to reach more people than ever before.”
“Another positive aspect of this new reality is that it is an opportunity to highlight some of the talented musicians that we have in the orchestra as well as internationally-renowned artists who live locally. In the second half of the year, we will have the pleasure of hearing our concertmaster Terence Tam play Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, resident horn virtusos Mike Oswald and Alana Despins perform Mozart’s Horn Concertos, gifted local pianist Lorraine Min play Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 21, and guest conductor and violin soloist Jeanne Lamon lead a program of music by Telemann, Haydn, and Chevalier de Sainte-Georges.”
Although not intended to replace the live concert experience, our virtual concerts provide “front row” access to musicians, programming insight through new online tools and in-depth interviews with artists that create an intimacy and context that can be hard to achieve in a concert hall.
“We are determined to make this one of the most successful virtual seasons in Canada,” said Maestro Kluxen from his home in Denmark. “We are enjoying learning new things, re-connecting with our current audience, and engaging with new audiences from all over the world. Though it has been painful to be separated from the orchestra, it has made me so proud to show all of my colleagues in Europe the standards the Victoria Symphony is achieving. ”
The second half of the season is a diverse offering ranging from the Baroque to Broadway. All concerts feature Victoria Symphony musicians socially distanced performing in beautiful venues throughout Victoria. Highlights include Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, a charming program of 19th century French music for winds, Mozart Horn Concertos, Poulenc’s Organ Concerto played by Donald Hunt on the Cathedral’s magnificent instrument, and a program of Broadway’s greatest hits put together by Sean O’Loughlin.
The Victoria Symphony begins the second half of the season with Debussy & Ravel: À la Française premiering on January 7 @ 7:30 at victoriasymphony.ca. Concerts will premiere every two weeks until the end of June.
Each concert will be premiered on the Victoria Symphony website (victoriasymphony.ca) and will remain on the site for 30 days. The virtual season is available for free, but if possible, the Symphony encourages viewers to make a tax-deductible donation in lieu of purchasing a ticket. Donations are needed to help support our talented musicians and the creation of this beautiful and uplifting music. More upcoming concert premieres will be announced in the coming weeks.
