It’s no exaggeration to report that at least some of what was announced during the Victoria Symphony’s 2016-17 season launch at the Royal Theatre Wednesday was out of this world.
Indeed, it seemed executive director Mitchell Krieger was about to ascend like a spaceship when he announced it would include Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield singing his own space songs.
Like the down-to-earth Rocket Man, Krieger and music director Tania Miller were musicians on a mission as they shared highlights with 250 subscribers who were also treated to a reception and the opportunity to watch an open rehearsal.
They learned that Canadian singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk, former Victoria Symphony Splash 2006 young soloist Timothy Chooi and 2012 Honens winner Pavel Kolesnikov would be featured during the orchestra’s 76th year, as well as blockbusters including Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2.
With more than 30 concerts scheduled during Miller’s final season, there were plenty of oohs, aahs and applause.
Indeed, the event doubled as what will surely be the first of many events celebrating Miller’s vision and creative contributions during her 14-year reign.
The affable maestra from Foam Lake, Sask., described the orchestra as “one of the most precious aspects of who we are” and a musical treasure that unites our community.
“It brings us into a place as human beings that changes the depth, quality and beauty of our lives. It causes us to think and cherish and feel in a way that words cannot.”
She said when they’re making beautiful music together, she’s always reminded of her own roots in a small community where orchestral music was not easily accessible.
“It’s been my aspiration and inspiration to bring my own love of music to be a personal experience that other people can have.”
Miller, 46, said she hoped the community would “continue to love and cherish this orchestra” that has changed and grown along with it.
She said she’s excited by the new season’s diversity. Highlights include its Classics series focus on Haydn; Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, which Miller conducted in her first season; a new piece written in her honour by her mentor Bramwell Tovey, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s music director; and vocalist Jim Witter’s return with a Simon & Garfunkel tribute.
Miller has also planned musical celebrations of Canada’s sesquicentennial, including a Concert of Remembrance at the Bay Street Armoury and programs highlighting Canadian landscapes and literature.
“We want to celebrate Tania and continue to make this orchestra essential,” said Krieger. “We want to give people a shared experience, to enrich their lives through extraordinary music.”
James Hesser, the retired Dominion Astrophysical Observatory director and symphony board member, said he’s been astonished by its growth.
The passionate music lover and his wife Betty lived in South America before moving to Victoria in 1977 “and then the 21 per cent mortgages hit, so there was no way we were attending anything.”
Once the financial climate improved, they began buying the “cheapest tickets we could afford” and became subscribers cherishing a gift he says we shouldn’t take for granted.
“We all have CDs, wonderful renditions of classical music at home but when we come to this theatre and you experience the music live it’s an amazing thing,” said Hesser. “Nothing can compare.”
Other highlights include appearances by pianists Lorraine Min, Krzysztf Jablonski, Sara Davis Buechner and Andre Laplante; Miller’s final collaboration with concertmaster and violinist Terence Tam as soloist; Science @ the Symphony with CBC’s Quirks and Quarks host Bob McDonald; tenor Ken Lavigne’s Celtic Celebration; and A Sentimental Christmas, featuring conductor Brian Jackson and Canadian College of Performing Arts performers.
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