K-W Symphony returning to in-person performances

NEWS RELEASE
KITCHENER-WATERLOO SYMPHONY
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Today at 10:00am ET, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony announced a return to live, in-person performances beginning January 14th, 2022.

“There are few places that allow us to freely share ideas and emotions, pass down traditions through the generations, and foster a sense of belonging with others” shared KWS Music Director Andrei Feher. “Music in the concert hall empowers that, and we shall continue to inspire and entertain as we return to in-person performances.”

The return to the concert hall sees Feher leading programs across a wide range of series, from Signature and Pops concerts to Baroque and Family concerts. “Composers and artists communicate the social, political, and artistic character of the times through their work” he said. “That is why it is so important to present a wide season of incredible artists and composers who have dedicated themselves to expressing the human condition.”

To celebrate the KWS’s return to in-person performances, the Signature Series features a performance of Mahler’s magnificent and majestic Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, in May. This piece was first performed by the KWS for the triumphant opening of the Centre In The Square on September 22, 1980 and was led by Raffi Armenian, an important figure in the history of the KWS and one of Andrei Feher’s conducting teachers. This symphony of epic proportions and symbolism proves that, after a brief rest, music making will rise again. The first in-person program on January 14th sees the young French conductor Chloé van Soeterstède make her Canadian debut with Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1. Andrei Feher takes the podium in February alongside Canadian pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, (Emperor). Joining the KWS for Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 and Strauss’s witty piece for piano, Burleske, is acclaimed Canadian pianist and multiple Grammy Award nominee Marc-André Hamelin. Another highlight is Music Director Laureate Edwin Outwater’s first Signature Series return to lead the orchestra for Edwin Conducts Barber & Elgar, a program featuring music from both sides of the Atlantic with American and British composers.

The Pops Series opens in January with Juno Award winner iskwe in concert conducted by Andrei Feher. Known for weaving elements of pop, jazz, R&B, and music and movement from her native Cree, iskwe’s inventiveness provides new avenues of expression and storytelling. Feher returns at the end of February for another performance with Juno Award winner, Ron Sexsmith, for a stellar evening of all things Canadiana. The well-traveled troubadour explores his 15+ studio albums, covering his childhood in St. Catharines, life in Toronto’s west-end, touring around the world, and settling down in his new farmhouse in Stratford. Argentinian guest conductor Mariano Chiacchiarini brings alive the exuberant rhythms of South America’s spirit in a vibrant evening of Tantalizing Tangos. Featuring works by Piazzolla, the music comes alive with professional tango dancers twirling along the stage. Films and their music feature return again this season beginning with Equus – Story of the Horse: In Concert, an award-winning CBC miniseries exploring humanity’s amazing partnership with the horse accompanied by a score by Canadian composer Darren Fung. The season ends with the timeless classic The Wizard of Oz, shown on the big screen while the KWS performs the soundtrack live. There’s no place like home…or the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony!

The Baroque & Beyond Series sees KWS Interim Concertmaster Jung Tsai and Music Director Andrei Feher curating programs that range from Haydn and Pergolesi to Purcell and Mozetich. The Family Series explores rhythm, dance, and the sounds of the orchestra. Music Director Andrei Feher leads families on a musical tour of a zoo… and the orchestra in Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals. The beloved and humorous suite.

 

 

Upcoming In-Person Performances:

 

Signature Concerts

Sibelius Symphony No. 1

January 14th, 2022

Chloé Van Soeterstède, Conductor

Lief Mosbaugh, Oboe

 

Françaix: L'horloge de flore

Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor

 

Charles Richard-Hamelin & Beethoven

February 11th, 2022

Andrei Feher, Conductor

Charles Richard-Hamelin, Piano

 

Schreker: Kammersymphonie

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor

 

Edwin Conducts Barber & Elgar

March 4th, 2022

Edwin Outwater, Conductor

Oliver Herbert, Cello

 

Shaw: Entr'acte for string orchestra

Barber: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra

Elgar: Enigma Variations

 

Classical & Opulent

April 8th, 2022

Andrei Feher, Conductor

Marc-André Hamelin, Piano

 

Haydn: Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major

Strauss: Burleske

Strauss: Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration)

 

Mahler’s 2nd

May 6th, 2022

Andrei Feher, Conductor

Nathalie Paulin, Soprano

Jess Dandy, Alto

Grand Philharmonic Choir

 

Hétu: Sur les rives du Saint-Maurice

Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Resurrection

 

Pops Concerts

iskwe: In Concert

January 28th, 2022

Andrei Feher, Conductor

iskwe

 

Ron Sexsmith with the KWS

February 25th, 2022

Andrei Feher, Conductor

Ron Sexsmith

 

Tantalizing Tangos

March 25th, 2022

Mariano Chiacchiarini, Conductor

Bulent + Lina Tango, Tango Dancers

 

Equus – Story of the Horse: In Concert

April 22nd, 2022

Darren Fung, Conductor

Niobe Thompson, Narrator and Host

Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir

 

The Wizard of Oz: Film with Orchestra

May 13th, 2022

May 14th, 2022 (2:30pm)

Scott Terrell, Conductor

 

 

Baroque & Beyond Concerts

Darkness & Light

March 9th, 11th, and 12th, 2022

Andrei Feher, Conductor

The Elora Singers

 

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater

Haydn: Symphony No.88 in G major

 

Heart & Soul

April 27th, 29th, and 30th, 2022

Dina Gilbert, Conductor

Jung Tsai, Violin and Curator

 

Purcell: Suite from Abdelazer

Mozetich: Affairs of the Heart

Purcell: Chacony in G minor

Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances

 

 

Family Concerts

Carnival of the Animals

January 29th, 2022

Andrei Feher, Conductor

 

Rhythm & Dance

March 26th, 2022

Mariano Chiacchiarini, Conductor

Bulent + Lina Tango, Tango Dancers

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