The Vancouver Island Symphony is kicking off its 30th season of timeless classics, world premieres and new compositions.
The symphony's season begins Oct. 19 at the Port Theatre with a performance of Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 and Dvořák: Cello Concerto.
This is Cosette Justo Valdés' second season as the Vancouver Island Symphony’s artistic director. She said the opening concert is a celebration of the future of the orchestra and this season she continues her vision of “keeping music live” in the community.
“Recordings are amazing but at the end of the day the live experience – what we have all experienced this past season in the concert hall together – the level of energy, the level of sharing … It’s a whole experience. It is more than listening to music,” she said. “You get to hear how the sound takes on the space and you get nuances in the music that really no recording can express – plus you get to see the musicians perform and all that entails.”
The season-opening concert will feature two guests: cellist Sointu Aalto, who will premiere a new composition, and Nanaimo’s youth poet laureate Paige Pierce.
Some other highlights of the season Justo Valdés said she is looking forward to include a springtime show, Ode to Nature, which will start with Beethoven: Pastoral Symphony and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in November with guest Kevin Cole on piano.
“We have a lot of exciting music to share with our audience,” Justo Valdés said. “You will hear a lot of new music. I have expressed in the past that I am very excited about new music. It's going to be present in all programs, basically.”
Other shows include Second Guessed: Unpublished, which focuses on pieces composers did not share in their lifetimes, and Whoever Said Opera is Boring? with guests Janna Sailor and Natalie Choquette.
“Those who love opera and love to just come and also be entertained mostly, there is that show that will provide a lot of humour and hits of the opera repertoire,” Justo Valdés said.
The artistic director said one thing that stands out in the 30 years of the orchestra is loyalty of the musicians who are a part of it.
“Since we are working with so much joy, love and care for each program, we really give it all out there. Each concert has been so far very, very special,” she said. “The community feeling, more than music making that they feel with each other is really powerful, is really magical.”
She added many musicians have been a part of the orchestra for between 10 and 25 years.
“This is my second season with the orchestra and for me, the love I feel for this orchestra is profound. Really, we created so much last season and we are working so much towards better ways to do absolutely everything,” she said. “This is an orchestra that lives in a community that appreciates the orchestra so much.”
Tickets and a full list of shows for the orchestra’s season can be found here.
