Calgary Philharmonic Announces Next Fall Concerts in Free Online Series, and Cancels Remainder of 2020/2021 Season

Today the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra announced the next five virtual concerts in its free weekly fall series. The performances will remain available online for 30 days following each premiere to give as many people as possible a chance to enjoy them. Plans are also in the works for another series of online concerts in the new year following the cancellation of in-person concerts originally scheduled from January to June in the 2020/2021 Season.

"Thousands of people from the community have tuned in to enjoy the first concerts in our series and we're excited to have so many loyal subscribers and new classical music fans joining us online," says Music Director Rune Bergmann. "We continue with chamber music ensembles featuring our own musicians performing a combination of contemporary and classical works, then as the holidays approach, we have some special projects lined up to fill your homes with seasonal music."

The series resumes Saturday, November 21 and includes the Canadian debut of a work by Los Angeles-based composer Frank Ticheli created in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A new concert video premieres every Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (MDT) through to December 19. The first three concerts feature works by contemporary and traditional composers, and the final two in December will be holiday-themed (details to be revealed at a later date). Viewers are required to register in advance at calgaryphil.com, and those who are financially able will be encouraged to support this initiative through a donation to the Orchestra.

The Calgary Phil also announced last week that all remaining in-person concerts for the 2020/2021 Season are cancelled. "We had many great concerts planned and we know this is disappointing," says Paul Dornian, President + CEO of Calgary Phil. "Although we hoped to resume our Season in the new year, it's simply not physically or financially feasible due to the ongoing limits on the size of indoor gatherings, combined with travel issues affecting our guest artists. We continue to monitor the situation and when the time is right we'll start opening our doors to small, physically distanced audiences.

"We're still hopeful that we will be able to offer some very special events for our community before the end of the season," he adds. "Meanwhile, we're committed to bringing music to our community online."

Subscribers who purchased tickets to any Calgary Philharmonic concerts from January to June 2021 will receive the full value of those tickets through their choice of a refund or a credit. if any of the concerts are able to be rescheduled by June 2021, previous ticket buyers will get first priority.

Upcoming 2020 Concerts

All concerts stream at 7:30PM and are accessible through calgaryphil.com.

Saturday 21 November

Ticheli | Nielsen | Mendelssohn

Program: In C Dorian (Canadian Premiere), by Frank Ticheli; Serenato in vano, by Nielsen; Octet in E-flat Major, by Mendelssohn.

Musicians: Violins - John Lowry (Associate Concertmaster), Olga Kotova, Hyewon Grill-Kim, Theresa Lane; Violas - Peter Blake, Arthur Bachmann; Cellos - David Morrissey, Daniel Poceta, Karen Youngquist; Basses - Matthew Heller; Clarinets - Slavko Popovic (Principal); Bassoons - Michael Hope (Assistant Principal); Horns - Jennifer Frank-Umana (Associate Principal)

Saturday 28 November

Böhme | Tchaikovsky

Program: Brass Sextet in E-flat Minor, by Böhme; Souvenir de Florence, by Tchaikovsky.

Musicians: Violins - Maria van der Sloot, Minnie Min Kyung Kwon; Violas - Michael Bursey, Jeremy Bauman; Cellos - Arnold Choi (Principal), Thomas Megee; Trumpets - Adam Zinatelli (Principal), Miranda Cairns (Assistant Principal), Richard Scholz; Horns - Robert McCosh (Principal); Trombones - James Scott (Principal); Tuba - Tom McCaslin (Principal)

Saturday 5 December

Walker | Beethoven

Program: 'Molto adagio' (Lyric for Strings) from String Quartet No. 1, by Walker; Septet in E-flat Major, by Beethoven.

Musicians: Violins - Diana Cohen (Concertmaster), Lorna Tsai, Craig Hutchenreuther; Violas - Laurent Grillet-Kim (Principal), Arthur Bachmann; Cellos - Kathleen de Caen, Thomas Megee; Basses - Jonathan Yeoh; Clarinets - Slavko Popovic (Principal); Bassoons - Antoine St.-Onge (Principal); Horns - Maxwell Stein (Assistant Principal)

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