Bert Church High School’s band students will be getting a taste of the big leagues when they get an opportunity to share the stage with about a dozen members of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in Airdrie on March 15.
Bert Church High music teacher and band director Corbie Dorner said the opportunity arose to put on a joint workshop and performance after he was contacted by some members of the Calgary-based orchestra.
“Upon hearing about it, I leapt at the opportunity,” he said. “Any chance to perform is a remarkable opportunity for them, but to be able to say they share the stage (with professional players) or take part in a performance like this is a great thing.”
The performance will take place at Bert Church LIVE Theatre at 7:30 p.m. But prior to the first notes being struck, Bert Church’s band students will be broken up into smaller groups and coached on their playing techniques by Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra members.
“They are working on skills and working on parts,” confirmed Dorner. “We are going kind of with a superhero theme. I jumped on that because I saw recently the Calgary Philharmonic did a Marvel superhero-themed concert.
“And I thought, ‘We have some stuff that will fit that.’”
After workshopping with the Calgary Philharmonic players, the band will perform a concert for the public on the Bert Church LIVE Theatre stage.
A woodwind trio from the Calgary Philharmonic will then end the evening with a feature performance. Michael Hope, assistant principal bassoon, Slavko Popovic, principal clarinet, and David Sussman, assistant principal oboe, will perform, according to a description provided by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, “a funky musical feast of Mozart, Dvorak, Schubert and even a delicious taste of music from John Williams’ Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Star Wars.”
So not only will his students get to practice with Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra members, they will also be able to hear them play, said Dorner.
“These are the principal players,” he explained. “These would be the equivalent of the classic music rock stars of Calgary coming out to perform with the band kids of Bert Church.”
Alysha Armanious, who serves as Manager of Education and Outreach with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, said that excitement doesn’t just flow one way. According to Armanious, it’s part of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra's long standing mission to foster these types of relationships with the next generation of musicians in the Calgary region.
“For a lot of fine arts students, it is sometimes difficult to see your place in life down the road, and part of what we want to do is build a relationship to show (these students) there are many ways you can be involved in the arts,” she said.
Part of the reason why the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra enjoys working with local students like those at Bert Church High, according to Armanious, is because it is much harder now than in previous generations to understand how to move forward with a career in the arts in Alberta. These types of interactions add a little inspiration, said Armanious.
“I think the experience many of our (current) musicians had of growing up in the arts, and knowing then these types of jobs were viable in the future, was much more realistic for them,” she explained.
For ticket and seating information, visit tickets.airdrie.ca or drop in at the Bert Church LIVE Theatre box office.
