FIRSTs

smarten up. winnpegFIRST.ca

cityFIRSTs

Symphony rebirth in C major

Cirque de la Symphonie clip, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
video: Arkansas Symphony / YouTube

The times they are a-changin’ and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is no different.

In the 21st century, an age of instant gratification where kids tune out the world with their iPods and hip-hop and rock n’ roll music, the organization is in a perpetual battle to diversify its mostly greying audience.

WSO artistic director Jean-Francois Phaneuf doesn’t deny that many in the city likely view the orchestra as something best reserved for those in the upper echelons of society.

“An orchestra needs to grow with the times,” Phaneuf said. “Even CDs now are a thing of the past.”

Phaneuf's job for three years as artistic director with the WSO has been to ensure the orchestra is relevant to as many Winnipeggers as possible.

“We want to make the orchestra a part of the fabric of the community,” Phaneuf said.

The WSO has been in a process of reinvention the past few years with its Pops and Sundays with the Family series. Two of the WSO’s most recent productions in those categories - Cirque de la Symphonie, with the famed acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil, and The Composer is Dead! by Lemony Snicket - were designed to engage younger audiences.

Upcoming shows include homages to Queen and the Beatles. Phaneuf said the WSO needs to vary its material as much as possible if it wants to survive.

“We could not just do classical music at this point,” he said. “Every marketplace is different, but people treasure the arts here in Manitoba, and so there is much more to offer. We have to be very competitive.”

A new generation is starting to discover symphony orchestras, he added.

WSO education and outreach director Tanya Derksen says the key is getting kids hooked on the symphony early.

“Kids at a young age are very open,” Derksen said. “They’re not preconceived to certain genres. By bringing them out to the symphony we hope they fall in love with it early and see that it has value for the rest of their lives.”

Derksen co-ordinates over a dozen programs to bring students out to the orchestra. Over 30,000 students in 300 schools in the city and across the province connect with the WSO.

Workshops, presentations, rehearsals, and live performances help the WSO connect with youth, showing them that the music from their favourite movies and video games is played by – gasp! – an orchestra.

On Oct. 27, over 800 students came out to a free concert to take in Dvorák’s New World Symphony at the Centennial Concert Hall. Derksen said sales of the student tickets are on the rise.

Having a young audience show up continuously helps to ease the younger generation into making the orchestra part of their entertainment choices.

“It’s assuring to see other people like you in the audience and not just a bunch of white hair,” she said.

Upcoming Programs

Feb. 26 & 27, 2010
The Music of Queen
The WSO teams up with Jeans 'n Classics to pay homage to Freddie Mercury and Queen, and rock out all night to hit songs We Will Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Mar. 26 & 27, 2010
Classic Movie Heroes and Villains
A night of classic theme songs from iconic pop culture heroes and villains, including Superman, James Bond, Darth Vader, and King Kong.

May 7 & 8, 2010
Classical Mystery Tour (Music of the Beatles)
Beatlemania returns to Winnipeg as original members of the Broadway hit Beatlemania perform Beatles hits.

Comments

No comments have been submitted yet. Why don’t you be the FIRST?

Leave a Comment

Log In or Register.

Advertisement

small_potatoes