Orchestra photo (above):
Larry Folliott
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Warm greetings from the Stratford Symphony Orchestra.
Con Spirito enables us to carry on a conversation with music lovers in the Stratford community and beyond.
Please feel free to send us an
email with your thoughts or comments.
Send this edition of Con Spirito to your friends.
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Mark your calendar
New Year in Vienna
Sunday, January 1
NEW YEAR'S DAY
Knox Church
3:00 p.m.
Featuring
light classic "Proms" favourites
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The SSO's Great Events and Services Auction wraps up at the Remembrance Day concert Nov. 11, so make sure your bid prevails.
You can check the latest bids on the 31 auction items on the SSO website. To enter your bid, email it to the SSO office OR phone the office (519-271-0990) OR go to the SSO Facebook page OR make your bid(s) at the concert Nov. 11.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to pick up a great gift for somebody special - or for yourself!
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| Volunteers needed for SSO activities
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Snapd
Stratford Live
Quinlan Road
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Season 12
Remembrance Day concert: Honouring
Our Heroes
In a departure from its customary Saturday evening concerts, the Stratford Symphony Orchestra will present "Honouring Our Heroes" on Remembrance Day, Friday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m.
The program will open with Edward Elgar's
Pomp and Circumstance No. 4, one of five marches in a set commissioned by London music publisher Thomas Boosey. Elgar took the title from Shakespeare's
Othello, in which Othello bids farewell to his soldier's profession with the words "Pride, pomp and circumstances of glorious war!" Elgar told an interviewer in 1904:
"I have something of the soldier in me."
Another Elgar composition, Enigma Variations, comprises 14 variations on a theme, each variation representing a "sketch" of a close acquaintance of Elgar, including his wife and himself. The concept sprang from his playing of a melody that caught the attention of his wife. He then began to improvise variations that reflected the character of some of his friends, and later expanded and orchestrated them.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's
Sinfonia Concertante for Winds in E-flat Major
"shows an uncommon sensitivity to the identity of each [wind] instrument, yet manages to bring them together in ensemble writing of real brilliance and cohesion," writes Phillip Huscher of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
The selection will feature
Sarah Cardwell, oboe; Andrew MacDonald, French horn; Kaye Royer, clarinet; and Alex von Wartburg, bassoon.
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Teddy Payne |
Daniel Warren will be guest conductor. Special guest Teddy Payne will perform a number of readings. Mr. Payne is a
writer, watercolour artist and author of The Art of Woo: A Gentleman's Guide to Courting.
Tickets are available at Fanfare Books, Blowes Stationery (downtown) and Lyric Flowers (St. Marys), as well as on the SSO website. Tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for students (with a valid ID). Children 12 and under are admitted free.
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Next Cushion Concert: Hand drumming and drum circles
Who doesn't love to drum? The next SSO Cushion Concert will be all about hand drumming and drum circles.
What are drum circles? Everyone sits (on a chair) in a circle, drums between their knees, taking their cue from the leader. Each drummer plays an echo of the leader, continuing rhythms and taking turns doing solos.
Sound like fun? You bet! Gather up as many 5-to-10-year-olds as you can find and take them to Gallery Stratford on Sunday, Nov. 6, for a 45-minute session beginning at 2:00.
Drumming leader will be Clayton Peters,
education and community programs coordinator at Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and music director at Huron Christian School.
Purchase tickets ($20 for a family; $10 for an adult; $5 for a child) online or at Fanfare Books or Blowes Cards & Gifts (downtown).
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Alan Laing donates grand piano to SSO
Thanks to the foresight and generosity of composer Alan Laing, who died a few weeks ago at his home in St. Marys, the SSO has added a grand piano to its collection of musical instruments.
The piano now resides at Revival House, where the SSO holds many of its fundraising and social events. The piano will also be used at concerts when the occasion arises.
Mr. Laing was with the Stratford Festival for 25 seasons and composed music for many other organizations as well, including the National Arts Centre English Theatre Company in Ottawa, the Neptune Theatre in Halifax and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
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