Presented by Sherbrooke Liquor Store

Friday, May 3, 2013 at 9:30 pm
Winspear Centre

Performance highlights:    
•    Maxime Goulet's multi-sensory “Symphonic Chocolates”
•    The world premiere of a symphonic “Procol Harum Fantasy”
•    Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” arranged for piano, four hands performed by Bill Eddins and Chris O’Riley

Pianist Christopher O’Riley joins his long-time friend Music Director Bill Eddins along with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for a sweet evening of indulgence.

Beginning with Maxime Goulet's Symphonic Chocolates, patrons will be romanced with an orchestral suite in four short movements, each inspired by a distinctive chocolate flavour. Patrons will be able to savour the melodious sweets inspired by each movement as it is being performed. A selection of four chocolates from Carol’s Quality Sweets will be available for purchase in the Winspear main lobby prior to the performance for $5.

A special treat of a different kind is the world première of a newly-commissioned symphonic fantasy of Procol Harum songs by the ESO’s second Composer in Residence, Allan Gilliland. The ESO has been linked with Procol Harum since their historic 1971 concert, and resulting 1972 gold album.

“In recognition of the historic concert that led to a gold album for Procol Harum and the ESO, I was asked to compose a feature for the orchestra that explores the themes from two of their most famous pieces, Conquistador and A Whiter Shade of Pale,” explains Gilliland.

The concert’s finale will showcase the two friends, Bill Eddins and Chris O’Riley, together at the piano performing Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in the composer’s own arrangement for one piano, four-hands - part of the centenary celebration of the first performance of The Rite of Spring which reaches its climax in June when the ESO will perform the resplendent original orchestral masterpiece that forever changed the trajectory of music.
 

Tuesday, June 11, 2013 at 7:30pm
Winspear Centre

Cape Breton’s fiddling superstar Natalie MacMaster will join forces with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lucas Waldin for a fierce and unforgettable one-night performance on June11 at 7:30 pm. Natalie returns to the Winspear stage with a brand new show featuring traditional and contemporary Celtic melodies, as well as her own signature hits. Local Edmonton dancers from the Knock School of Irish Dance will make a dynamic special guest appearance with their high-flying kicks and award-winning footwork.

A multiple Juno-award winning artist, Natalie MacMaster’s unique sound and electrifying style has captivated audiences around the world.  Her incandescent musicianship and boundless energy, featuring foot-tapping rave-ups, heart-rending ballads and world-class step dancing, never fail to thrill audiences wherever she goes!

The two-time Grammy nominee and mother of five started playing the fiddle when she was nine years old. “I was always surrounded by it,” she said. “I started playing when I was big enough for the fiddle. Fiddling is in my blood. It’s part of who I am.”

Natalie’s passion for fiddle music grows stronger as she tutors her children in the art form that has been part of her family for generations. “Fiddle music is plain and simple and it’s in my ancestry and part of my family tree,” she said. “Musicianship is in my blood.”

Her four-year-old daughter started learning a month ago and her two older children already play the fiddle. “I am made more passionate about it through them,” she said. “I want them to learn it. They are naturally gifted so it’s a joy.”

As a mother of five, she said balancing life and work has its challenges, but it’s not something the family sits down and tries to calculate. MacMaster, who is married to fellow fiddler Donnell Leahy, said the kids always come first. “We have the attitude of let’s just let life pull us along,” she said.

For more than three decades Natalie’s grace with the fiddle bow and invigorating performances have entertained audiences around the world. Her skill with the bow makes the fiddle sing and audiences tap their toes. Being a mom hasn’t stopped her from working on new material, songs or recordings. Music is as important as home and tradition, her beloved family now shapes and informs her musicianship as much as the jigs, reels, air, waltzes, strathspeys, marches and traditional folk that feed her spiritual soul.