SSO to take audience to virtual Oktoberfest at livestreamed concert
The next stop on the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra's musical streaming tour is set to take the audience to Germany — with a taster of beer on the side.
A Night at Oktoberfest continues the SSO'S travel- and location-themed concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic on Saturday. While the first concert of the year, Postcards from Paris, was filled with romanticism and beauty, the Oktoberfest concert is set to be a little more of a party.
“It's about the flavour of the region ... how we can still celebrate together during this time of uncertainty and have a little fun,” SSO executive director Mark Turner said in a news release.
With the actual Oktoberfest celebration cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the boisterous Bavarian concert will probably be the closest most people will get to the real thing in 2020.
Conductor Eric Paetkau and the SSO Brass will play a series of songs, including the classic Beer Barrel Polka and other Oktoberfest-inspired fare.
To get in on the spirit of the celebration, the SSO has leaned into the food and drink side of Oktoberfest as well. According to the news release, beer tasting and pretzel-making tutorials arranged by the orchestra will go out through social media, and a guide to “watch party ideas” to enjoy a traditional Oktoberfest during the concert is up on the SSO'S website.
“When you think of a symphony concert, you get dressed up, you drive to the hall, there's a whole ritual to it,” Turner said in the release.
“With our livestream, that ritual doesn't matter as much. This is all about creating new accessibility
to music and expanding our audience.”
A Night at Oktoberfest takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. In-person tickets are sold out; tickets to the livestream can be purchased online at the SSO'S website.