After months of pandemic-caused restrictions, the Polaris Centre for the Performing Arts in East Balzac is gearing up for its first musical performance since November 2020.
On March 20 at 7:30 p.m., the facility will stream a broadcast of Swing Into Spring, a co-production featuring five musicians from the Foothills Brass Quintet and the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra. (RMSO).
RMSO Music Director Carlos Foggin said Swing Into Spring will be filmed prior to the show’s broadcast and edited on the weekend of March 13 and 14. He said he believes the production will be the first professional music performance in Alberta since the provincial government announced Stage 2 of its ‘A Path Forward’ plan to ease public health restrictions.
According to the Alberta government, Stage 2 allows for performers in groups of 10 or fewer to access indoor and outdoor facilities for rehearsals, lessons, filming and broadcasting virtual performances.
“The organizations are excited, and musicians are over the moon,” Foggin said. “We’re excited to be the first ones back. That’s the joy of being a small organization that is able to turn on a dime.”
The Foothills Brass Quintet is a Calgary-based group that plays brass renditions of swing, blues, jazz, pop and other genres of music. Promotional materials state the group has toured throughout the United States and Canada, while other shows have taken the quintet as far as Israel and the United Kingdom. They were featured guests in the “Canada in the City” festival that was sponsored by the Canada High Commission and at the first annual Covent Garden Festival, both of which were hosted in London, England.
“They haven’t played together since November, so they’ll be dusting off some of the old standards to get going here,” Foggin said. “They’ve been playing together for 40 years, so they have music and concerts ready to go.”
Professional musicians in Alberta are eager to dust off their instruments. They've been unable to perform in groups for more than four months, since a spike in COVID-19 cases province-wide caused restrictions on public gatherings and performances.
In terms of the program, Foggin said viewers should expect a wide range of instrumental brass music, featuring anything from classical pieces to modern pop tunes.
He said the performance coincides with the first day of spring – hence the show’s name – as well as the recent completion of renovations to the Polaris Centre, which has been undergoing upgrades since the fall of 2020.
Tickets for the video stream are $15 per head, though Foggin said three other price points ranging up to $50 are also available for anyone who wishes to support local music. The stream remains the same for each price point, he noted.
“Honestly, if you wanted, for $15, you can get the code and share it with a million people – we wouldn’t know,” he said. “But if you’re feeling generous or have five people at home who want to watch the show and you can buy extra tickets or contribute a little more, it’s a way to make it affordable, but also for those who are maybe able to support to help out a little more.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit rmso.ca
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
