CPO lives!!!

By Emily Senger

The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Annual General Meeting. Vaulted ceilings and chandeliers. A sea of middle aged and senior men and women in expensive black suits jackets. Grey hair. A young reporter, feeling more than slightly out of place. Feeling out of place, at least until the 2004-2005 season programme is announced which includes Abba, Academy… Continue reading CPO lives!!!

Terror takes the CPO stage

By Daorcey Le Bray

“The classics should not feel like a root canal.”Victor Sawa does not fit the role of the standard conductor. In fact, he totes himself as “definitely different from 99 per cent of other conductors who convey the image that they’d rather not be there.” He’s bringing his uniqueness as an affable, comical and audience-focused conductor… Continue reading Terror takes the CPO stage

Mozart returns to the mountain and Beethoven hits the bottle

By Daorcey Le Bray

Seven thousand three hundred people at a sold-out show. Not bad for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, an organization that sat in artistic limbo for months last year as it struggled to keep afloat financially. Musicians had nowhere to play while a skeleton administrative crew worked against time and the odds to prepare a plan for… Continue reading Mozart returns to the mountain and Beethoven hits the bottle

The day the music died

By Nicole Kobie

The music of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra hasn’t died, though it has been silent for two weeks. The classical triumphs that usually echo through the Jack Singer Concert Hall are gone. Things are quieter since the CPO Board of Directors locked out the musicians on midnight Sat., Oct. 7, over contract disputes. It’s a strange… Continue reading The day the music died

Marriage of deceit and desire

By Sherra Hill

Despite the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra’s recent strike, the music for The Marriage of Figaro is phenomenal. The stand-ins, professional musicians from around the province, demonstrated remarkable talent and won a standing ovation at the end. The singers gained a similar response from the audience, still bowing and curtsying as the curtain hovered uncertainly in the… Continue reading Marriage of deceit and desire

Wannabe Mozarts get chance at fame

By Marie-Claire Backhaus

Orchestra music brings to mind long dead middle-aged white males with unruly hair. The chance to see an orchestra play anything but Mozart, Chopin or Beethoven is a rarity. Here at the University of Calgary, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra will give students a chance to hear something different when the CPO performs a read (a… Continue reading Wannabe Mozarts get chance at fame

CPO is a local treasure

By Christine Kirk

Editors, the Gauntlet,Re: “The symphony, cheap” Feb. 3, 2000A recent review of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is “by no means Canada’s greatest” journalistic effort. It displayed incredible ignorance towards classical music and musicians.Reading the article in question, I felt very angry that such a badly researched article, so full of ignorant accusations and outright falsehoods… Continue reading CPO is a local treasure

The symphony, cheap

By Andrew Tomilson

Students with an extra $50 in their pockets can now witness the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of Holst’s The Planets from the Jack Singer Concert Hall’s choir loft. A special offer from the CPO will allow students to enjoy the last five concerts of this season’s Classics Series. The upcoming concerts present an eclectic repertoire… Continue reading The symphony, cheap