Keeping a straight face day in and day out with no leisure or relaxation time can be an arduous task. A little fun is a must and even the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra knows when to loosen those bowties and get funky with their hip selves. From time to time, the CPO feel compelled to crawl out of the finely etched groove of classical music and slip into the bizarre realm of pop music. On Friday, February 24th, the CPO catches Disco Fever.

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 Awards, Motown, swing music? Suddenly, the age barrier disappears and the room is timeless, a crowd joined together with one thing in common: people, together to enjoy the beauty of music.

Two years ago, I planned a terribly romantic date at some downtown outdoor event. Sadly, activities of that type fall short on the romance factor when it's-30 degrees, the event is canceled and you end up in a Subway scalding your lips on coffee with nothing to say and nothing to do.

According to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra's Vanessa Goymour, that needn't happen again.

"Holiday Fest," she says, "is perfect for a holiday date."

"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 to the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra this Halloween for a Spooktacular pop concert featuring music from Psycho to Batman to Bride of Frankenstein.

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 renewal that would encourage regeneration funding from all levels of government.

All their work has paid off.

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.

Despite the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra's recent strike, the music for The Marriage of Figaro is phenomenal.

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 practice) of students' work.

Editors, the Gauntlet,
Re: "The symphony, cheap" Feb. 3, 2000

A 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 was published. I appreciate the attempt to promote such an important aspect of our society,

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 of 19th and 20th century music, ranging from Canadian composer Sophie-CarmenEckhardt-Gramatté's