With 30-plus classical musicians on stage, as well as an Indigenous singer, piper, choir and narrator, the Red Deer’s Symphony Orchestra is ending its season with a treat for the senses.
The stunning visuals will come courtesy of the film Wandering with Wonder, which will be screened simultaneously at the Red Deer Polytechnic Arts Centre as the orchestra plays.
RDSO music director Claude Lapalme said he’s very excited to present this very special concert — although the challenge of synchronizing all the audio and visual elements is giving him a serious case of nerves.
The May 27 show at Red Deer Polytechnic’s Arts Centre will be the most demanding RDSO presentation yet, from a technological standpoint.
But if pulled off successfully, Lapalme feels this live premiere of a unique musical story, created by RDSO musician Samantha Whelan Kotkas, will be an unforgettable experience for audience members, young and old.
Special guest performers include composer/singer Sherryl Sewepagaham, composer/flutist Walter MacDonald White Bear, and the Luminous Voices choir from Calgary.
The film features music created by Indigenous composers, as well as some puppetry, and is inspired by land, water and sky. It was filmed against the backdrop of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains during the pandemic, as a way for the arts to help reconnect people to nature.
The main character is called Wonder, said Lapalme, because she personifies the sense of awe and connection to our natural environment that we often lose amid the daily grind of life.
The film’s orchestral accompaniment was orchestrated by Lapalme and composed by TD Grand Jazz Award-winning composer and pianist Chris Andrew, along with Sherryl Sewepagaham, Matt Epp, and Walter MacDonald White Bear.
The May 27 performance will provide grand closure to an RDSO season that turned out far better than expected after three long years of pandemic disruptions.
Lapalme said he’s been very pleased with concert attendance, and the addition of more young people in the audience these days. He credits the RDSO’s management for staying in tune with the orchestra’s and the community’s needs — and looks forward to having a slightly larger budget to work with for the 2023-24 season.
For more information about the 7:30 p.m. May 27 Wandering With Wonder concert, please visit rdso.ca.
The Wandering With Wonder film (without live music) will also be screened at 1 p.m. on June 10 as a Symphony at the Snell presentation. This will offer a meet-and-greet opportunity with some of the project’s participants.
