Scheherazade: Stories in Sound at Meridian Arts Centre: George Weston

Orchestra Toronto closes its season with an immersive journey through storytelling, culture, and orchestral colour. The program opens with Saman Shahi?s Visions of Oasis (????? ???), featuring Ava Rostamian (voice), Shahin Fayyaz (tar), and Bamdad Fotouhi (tombek), a work that blends Persian musical traditions with orchestral textures to create a rich narrative of reflection and imagination. Nielsen?s selections from the Aladdin Suite follow, showcasing the composer?s colorful orchestration and playful evocation of magical tales. Mychael Danna?s Mother Teresa highlights the solo artistry of Emma Pennell, offering a contemplative sound world that evokes compassion, devotion, and quiet strength. The program concludes with Rimsky-Korsakov?s Scheherazade, an orchestral tour de force whose vibrant colors, intricate motifs, and evocative storytelling transport listeners into the legendary tales of One Thousand and One Nights.