SUNDAY MARCH 4   2:00 PM
PRE-CONCERT ACTIVITIES   1:00 PM

Richard Lee, conductor
Dandi Productions

Take a ride on Harry Potter’s flying broom, race across the night skies to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and relive the intrigue, magic and wonder of the first six Harry Potter stories. Enjoy the magical compositions of John Williams and Nicholas Hooper as they create a world filled with witches, wizards and muggles.

Your host is a delightful old wizard, assisted by his loyal servant Igor. They will guide you through Harry’s thrilling years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You’ll meet giant spiders, learn about potions, and fly on a Nimbus 2000. “Symphonic Sorcery” is the newest concert from Dandi Productions, who have also brought the stories of Roald Dahl to young orchestra audiences all over the world.

PRE-CONCERT ACTIVITIES
Children can participate in musical activities such as crafts, rhythm ensembles and round-singing. They can visit the Conducting Station where they get the chance to conduct a group of musicians or visit the Instrument Petting Zoo for an opportunity to touch and play the orchestral instruments that they will see performed during the Concerts for Kids concerts. Pre-Concert Activities begin at 1:00 p.m.

MANNY’S MINI MUSICIANS CLUB
If your child is 12 years of age or younger, loves music and is a fan of fun, then sign them up for Manny’s Mini Musicians Club. Get two ticket vouchers for any 2011-2012 Concerts for Kids concert and receive newsletters from Manny Tuba with lots of contests and prizes.

MANNY’S BIRTHDAYS
Host your child’s next birthday at the WSO with Manny Tuba! Cost is $12 per person. Contact: WSO box office: 949-3999

Single tickets are on sale now at the WSO Box Office, 949-3999 or online.

Concerts for Kids sponsored by:

Presenting Radio Partner:

MARCH 16, 17   8:00 PM
MARCH 18   2:00 PM

Richard Lee, conductor
Christiane Noll, performer
Capathia Jenkins, performer
Robert Evan, performer
Rainbow Harmony Project; Vic Hooper, director

“The next best thing to seeing a Broadway show is the Bravo Broadway experience. Great singers, wondrous arrangements, terrific pacing!” – Marvin Hamlisch

“Capathia Jenkins has the kind of voice that angels might envy.” – New York Daily News

“Mr. Evan wields the sort of rock-inflected theatrical baritone that brings to mind Billy Joel.” – New York Times

Bravo Broadway concerts have been smash hits at WSO Pops for years. Matching prominent and talented Broadway performers with symphonies has been the Bravo Broadway group’s goal since 1994, with hundreds of performances throughout the world.

Broadway Rocks features inspired performances of the best in up-tempo hits from rock- inspired smash shows such as Wicked, Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, The Wiz, Mamma Mia and more. Each guest artist brings an impressive list of leading-role performances in popular Broadway musicals. Together, they will light up the stage in a dynamic revue that will leave audiences breathless!

MUSICIANS IN THE MAKING: Come and listen to various student groups perform on the Piano Nobile Level 45 minutes prior to concert.

Single tickets are on sale now at the WSO Box Office, 949-3999 or online.

MARCH 23, 24   8:00 PM

Debussy: Printemps
Canteloube: Chants d’Auvergne (selections)
Golijov: Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra
Stravinsky: The Firebird: Suite

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Dawn Upshaw, soprano

“Dawn Upshaw is one of the most significant and dramatically moving singers before the public today.” – Boston Globe

Joining rare natural warmth with a fierce commitment to the transforming power of music, Dawn Upshaw has achieved worldwide celebrity as a singer of opera and concert repertoire ranging from the sacred works of Bach to the freshest sounds of today.

We are honoured to present Dawn Upshaw in a very special program of music that is close to her. Canteloube’s folk-song collection Chants d’Auvergne contains exquisite evocations from poignant romances to buoyant rustic dances, the famous Baïlèro once heard, not forgotten. Composed for Dawn Upshaw, Osvaldo Golijov’s Three Songs are hauntingly beautiful settings that she has recorded and performed to wide acclaim.

Conductor Alexander Mickelthwate rounds out this vivid program with Stravinsky’s classic and exotic The Firebird: Suite.

MASTERWORKS A: Pre-Concert Chat hosted by music director Alexander Mickelthwate or guest conductors on the Piano Nobile Level at 7:15 pm.

DINNER & A SYMPHONY: Enjoy the return of Dinner & A Symphony with Bergmann’s on Lombard for our March 24 concert with French Cuisine on the Piano Nobile at 5:30 pm. Dinner and concert start at $85!

Single tickets are on sale now at the WSO Box Office, 949-3999 or online.

Sponsored by:

A gourmet journey of fine food and symphony music in partnership with Bergmann’s on Lombard all in one location at the Centennial Concert Hall.

Joining rare natural warmth with a fierce commitment to the transforming power of music, Dawn Upshaw has achieved worldwide celebrity as a singer of opera and concert repertoire ranging from the sacred works of Bach to the freshest sounds of today.

Menu of French cuisine
Salade Vertes: “Green Salad” with Shallot-Red Wine Vinaigrette, Crispy Onion Ring Garnish

Breast of Chicken Stuffed with Apple & Brie, Cabernet Sauce, Shredded Dauphinoise Potatoes, Roast Asparagus

or Vegetarian: Chevre & Ratatouille Crepes

Crème Brulée with Fresh Berries

Premium Roast Coffee/Tea Service

Fresh Baked Breads & Butter

Doors – 5:00 pm
Dinner – 5:30 pm
Concert – 8:00 pm

Prices:
$85 per person for each evening (includes a meal and a ticket to the concert for Section 4 seating)
$60 per person for those who already have a ticket to the concert

MARCH 25   3:00 PM
Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium, Brandon, MB

Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante for Winds K. 297b
Schumann: Symphony No. 1 (Spring)

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Patricia Evans, horn
Micah Heilbrunn, clarinet
Bede Hanley, oboe
Alexandra Eastley, bassoon

“To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist.” – Robert Schumann

A delightful Mozart concerto-times-four that gives you an opportunity to hear four of the WSO’s fabulous principal wind players in one of his most entertaining compositions! Mozart not only had an intimate knowledge of the unique sounds of each solo wind instrument, but also their special personalities. All will be revealed in this rarely-heard piece that is guaranteed to charm and please.

Schumann’s ‘Spring’ Symphony is an exuberant work the composer started just after marrying his famous soul-mate Clara Wieck, composing it in a “state of bliss” as he said. Youthful joie de vivre pervades this supremely happy creation.

PRE-CONCERT CHATS: Hosted by music director Alexander Mickelthwate or a guest conductor in the lobby at 2:15 pm.

Brandon single tickets are available for purchase through the Brandon box office at 204.728.9510 or at the Brandon Ticketmaster Keystone Centre at (204) 726.3555. To purchase online, visit wmca.ca.

Download the 2011-2012 Brandon brochure HERE!

WSO in Brandon Exclusive Sponsor:

SATURDAY, APRIL 7   8:00 PM

Vaughan Williams: Five Mystical Songs
Brahms: A German Requiem

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Brett Polegato, baritone
Betty Waynne Allison, soprano
Mennonite Festival Chorus; Rudy Schellenberg & William Baerg, co-directors

“In Vaughan Williams’s ecstatic Five Mystical Songs, it was Polegato’s turn to show his expressive stuff. The score abounds in lyrical and dramatic statements, many influenced by British folk traditions, and Polegato applied his suave baritone vibrantly to the songs’ emotional needs.” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

It was A German Requiem that first won international success for Brahms. Composed in tribute to his late mother, it is a work primarily intended to reconcile the living to their loss, grandly set through incandescent writing that never wavers from its universal purpose of affirming the beauty of life through music.

Composed at the time of his famous Sea Symphony, Vaughan Williams’s Five Mystical Songs begin with an evocation of Easter and continue with heartfelt and masterly written tribute to faith throughout the remaining four songs. The work is beautifully set for baritone, chorus and orchestra, and an ideal pairing on this inspiring program.

MASTERWORKS C: Pre-Concert Chat hosted by music director Alexander Mickelthwate or guest conductors on the Piano Nobile Level at 7:15 pm.

Single tickets are on sale now at the WSO Box Office, 949-3999 or online.

APRIL 13, 14   8:00 PM
APRIL 15   2:00 PM

Yaron Gershovsky, conductor
The Manhattan Transfer:
Tim Hauser
Janis Siegel
Cheryl Bentyne
Alan Paul

“Significant as it is that The Manhattan Transfer has been around for 40 years, it is far more remarkable that those four decades have been marked by near-continuous artistic expansion and advancement.” – JazzTimes

In 1974, The Manhattan Transfer began performing at cutting edge cabaret venues in New York City. By the end of that year they were the number one live attraction in New York City, prompting Newsweek to send a writer to report on the growing phenomenon. Since then, The Manhattan Transfer has never looked back!

A seemingly endless stream of Grammy awards, hit recordings with worldwide sales in the millions and an ever-stunning creative energy has distinguished The Manhattan Transfer for four decades. A ten-year sweep (1980-1990) as “Best Vocal Group’’ in both the annual Downbeat and Playboy jazz polls typifies the dominance of this group as among the greatest vocal ensembles of all time.

Combine the original members of The Manhattan Transfer with the WSO and you get an event to remember long after the music ends!

MUSICIANS IN THE MAKING: Come and listen to various student groups perform on the Piano Nobile Level 45 minutes prior to concert.

Single tickets are on sale now at the WSO Box Office, 949-3999 or online.

SATURDAY, APRIL 28   8:00 PM

Richard Lee, conductor
Film with music

“(I am) more proud of that picture than any picture I ever made because I took an actual happening out of the Civil War.” – Buster Keaton

We present Keaton’s 1926 silent masterpiece The General in a digitally restored print with Carl Davis’s celebrated musical score performed live by the WSO.

This wonderful film not only gives a precious glimpse of the West – sometimes down to the tiniest leaf – but the memorable and treasurable antics of the great Keaton as he plays a quick-thinking Southern railroad man that thwarts a daring raid by Northerners of a locomotive during the Civil War. Miles behind enemy lines, he learns of plans for a surprise attack, and manages to escape on his captured engine, with his girlfriend stuffed into a sack in one of the wagons!

Silent movies were meant to be seen in theatres where the audience morphs into a comedy meter responding en masse to each gag. Experience all the thrills and spills in this comic gem!

SOUNDBYTES: Pre-Concert Chat hosted by Sam Minuk, film historian on the Piano Nobile Level at 7:15 pm.

Single tickets are on sale now at the WSO Box Office, 949-3999 or online.

SUNDAY APRIL 29   2:00 PM
PRE-CONCERT ACTIVITIES   1:00 PM

Richard Lee, conductor
Motus O

“MOTUS O was the star turn of the night. An innovative and high energy troupe performing works that were imaginative and physically risky.” – Globe and Mail

We first meet our three circus performers boarding the train to their next show. A case of vanishing tickets thwarts their plans and strands them on the platform. It takes every trick in the book (and their suitcases) to create an impromptu show to raise money for new tickets. But it works! And as the train conductor watches the antics of our three clowns, he’s drawn into their mayhem and magic, finally agreeing to become their new ring master.

Circus Terrifico is a whimsical and poignant comedy featuring Tchaikovsky’s soaring scores and original music by Canadian composer Ray Luedeke. It makes audiences of all ages laugh out loud and leave with a (big, clownish) smile!

PRE-CONCERT ACTIVITIES
Children can participate in musical activities such as crafts, rhythm ensembles and round-singing. They can visit the Conducting Station where they get the chance to conduct a group of musicians or visit the Instrument Petting Zoo for an opportunity to touch and play the orchestral instruments that they will see performed during the Concerts for Kids concerts. Pre-Concert Activities begin at 1:00 p.m.

MANNY’S MINI MUSICIANS CLUB
If your child is 12 years of age or younger, loves music and is a fan of fun, then sign them up for Manny’s Mini Musicians Club. Get two ticket vouchers for any 2011-2012 Concerts for Kids concert and receive newsletters from Manny Tuba with lots of contests and prizes.

MANNY’S BIRTHDAYS
Host your child’s next birthday at the WSO with Manny Tuba! Cost is $12 per person. Contact: WSO box office: 949-3999

Single tickets are on sale now at the WSO Box Office, 949-3999 or online.

Concerts for Kids sponsored by:

Presenting Radio Partner:

MAY 4, 5   8:00 PM

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection)

Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor
Monica Huisman, soprano
Anita Krause, mezzo-soprano
Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir; Yuri Klaz, conductor

“In the background of his mind, there seems always to be the image of a ladder up which humanity can climb to heaven.” – Philip Barford, Mahler Symphonies & Songs

It took six years for Mahler to write his monumental ‘Resurrection’ Symphony. It became Mahler’s most often-heard work during his lifetime and remains among his most inspiring today. In this masterwork of transcendent messages of hope, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 is an overwhelming experience and an unforgettable journey from, as Mahler wrote, “the gravity and emotion of our deepest being’’ along the path towards the heaven-storming close and “life of eternal bliss.”

Ten horns, eight trumpets plus a massive orchestra, wonderful soloists and chorus will bring Mahler’s immortal music alive in this not-to-be-missed season- closing event.

MASTERWORKS A: Pre-Concert Chat hosted by music director Alexander Mickelthwate or guest conductors on the Piano Nobile Level at 7:15 pm.

Single tickets are on sale now at the WSO Box Office, 949-3999 or online.