Preview of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s 2010-11 Concerts for Kids Series

Preview of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s 2010-11 Pops Season

October 31  2:00 pm

“It was without a doubt one of the best we have ever attended! The music is always wonderful, but we so enjoyed Frank Oden.”
- Patron

Frank Oden writes and performs lyrical concert programs merging original poetry, humour, education, and theatrical production values with a live symphonic performance. He began creating this unique form in collaboration on a series of Halloween concerts, resulting in the House of Halloween. Frank Oden’s spooky Halloween poems are fun, funny and simply enchanting for even the youngest listeners. Oden performs with linguistic bravado; he is a verbal stunt man with auniquely theatrical style – combining the power of a Shakespearean actor, the presence of a great magician and the physicality of a Warner Brothers cartoon.

CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN!Come to the concert in costume and be eligible to win prizes!

PRE-CONCERT ACTIVITIESChildren can participate in musical activities such as crafts, rhythmensembles and round-singing. They can visit the Conducting Stationwhere they get the chance to conduct a group of musicians or visit theInstrument Petting Zoo for an opportunity to touch and play theorchestral instruments that they will see performed during the Sundayswith the Family concerts. Pre-Concert Activities begin at 1:00 p.m.

Richard Lee, conductor
Frank Oden, poet-narrator

For more info, click here.

OCTOBER 22, 23  8:00 pm
OCTOBER 24  2:00 pm

“Her performance is a virtual roller coaster of emotion, illuminating the poetry of her lyrics with an aching growl. Be prepared for the wave of tears that may come.”
- Billboard

Chantal returns to her hometown of Winnipeg to perform with the WSO in the world premiere of her all-new symphony show complete with new arrangements! Classically trained in piano, Kreviazuk has become one of Canada’s top music artists. The charming singer-songwriter began recording her luscious melodies in 1997, and her soulful sounds have garnered widespread acclaim across North America. Although she is one of Canada’s top stars, Kreviazuk is also one of Canada’s most genuine. She has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to human rights causes.

Kreviazuk’s debut album, Under These Rocks and Stones (1996), went double-platinum in Canada following its release and featured  Surrounded, the single that became her first major Canadian hit. Her second album, Colour Moving and Still (1999) includes tracks co-written by her husband and longtime musical collaborator Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) and helped earn her two Juno Awards in 2000. Her fifth and most recent studio album, Plain Jane, was released at the end of 2009. Kreviazuk is also one of the headlining artists for the  much-acclaimed return of Lilith Fair.

Richard Lee, conductor
Chantal Kreviazuk, vocalist

For more info, click here.

MUSICIANS IN THE MAKING: Come and listen to various local schools and
student groups perform on the Piano Nobile Level at 7:15 pm.

October 8  8:00 pm

“And once he started in on the Dvorák, mouths dropped…There was such force and feeling in that opening improvisatory flourish [Dvorák Cello Concerto].”
- The Times (London)

Alban Gerhardt makes his WSO debut with Dvorák’s Cello Concerto, the most famous and beloved cello concerto in the literature. Born in Berlin, Gerhardt is one of the world’s most sought-after cellists. With an extensive repertoire of almost 60 concerti, his spellbinding performances have been with many of the top orchestras in the world.

Brahms’ warm, amiable Second Symphony is a perfect pairing for this late Romantic program of true masterworks.

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Alban Gerhardt, cello

Dvorák: Cello Concerto in B minor
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major

MASTERWORKS C: Listen to various local schools and student groups perform on the Piano Nobile Level at 7:15 pm, then enjoy the inside stories about our soloists, symphony musicians and composers with short presentations during the concert.

For more info, click here.

October 28, 29  8:00 pm

“Fialkowska’s playing is noted by her flawless, dazzling technique, while her melodies are perfectly spun in a delicate singing style. With the Chopin, she was in total control, utterly secure and intensely musical.”
- Seattle Post-Intelligencer

We celebrate Chopin’s 200th anniversary with Janina Fialkowska, one of Canada’s leading pianists. Having a career that was first launched in 1974 by the legendary Arthur Rubinstein, Fialkowska has enchanted audiences with her lyrical sound, sterling musicianship and profound sense of musical integrity.

Composed in 1944 as WWII hostilities were ending, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 has been acclaimed as one of the 20th Century’s true masterworks… and one of its most popular. It was conceived by Prokofiev as “a symphony of the greatest of the human spirit, a song of praise of free and happy mankind!”

We also salute Manitoba’s senior composer Robert Turner. Composed in 1987, Shades of Autumn is an evocative soundscape of the fall season, with its colours and hues painted in the composer’s uniquely personal style.

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Janina Fialkowska, piano

Robert Turner: Shades of Autumn
Chopin: Piano Concerto No 2 in F minor
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major

PRE -CONCERT CHAT: Hosted by music director Alexander Mickelthwate or guest conductors on the Piano Nobile Level at 7:15 pm.

For more info, click here.