MUSIC AND LAUGHTER
Spencer myer, the New Tork-based piano virtuoso who helped the Windsor Symphony Orchestra with the purchase of a new $250,000 Steinway Grand, gets in some laughs Saturday during an open rehearsal with the orchestra at the Capitol Theatre.
Music lovers got a rare peek behind the curtain Saturday as the Windsor Symphony Orchestra did some last-minute fine-tuning ahead of a landmark performance.
The WSO opened its afternoon dress rehearsal to the public before the evening ’s formal performance of Edvard Grieg ’s Piano Concerto in A, the first of the season in the Tepperman Masterworks series. The rehearsal also marked the first time the public had a chance to hear New York-based piano virtuoso Spencer Myer perform on the $250,000 Steinway he helped pick out for the symphony. “It’s an opportunity for everyone in the community to come out and see what the orchestra does,” said Giancarlo Mincone, the WSO’s manager of marketing, sales and patron relations. “It kind of peels back a layer. They’re not in their bow ties and long gowns. There’s going to be starts and stops. They’re working on these pieces. You see really what it’s like to be a musician and how it comes together.”
The open rehearsal at the Capitol Theatre was part of Culture Days, a Canada-wide initiative to engage people with arts and cultural activities in the community. Artists, cultural workers and volunteers host free public activities in hundreds of cities. Go to culturedays.ca to search for more Windsor events. Mincone said opening the WSO rehearsal to the public was a way to bring in people who might not normally go to a performance. “We just want to make sure everyone is able to engage with us here at the theatre and with the symphony and with the arts and culture that’s happening,” he said. “This is a no-cost event. We try to keep things as low cost as possible to make it accessible. It’s definitely just a great way to be around it and see it.”
For Myer, one of the most sought-after artists on the concert stage, it was also a chance to perform next to his friend, maestro Robert Franz, on one of the finest handmade pianos that exists. The pair hand-picked the piano last year in New York. Buying the piano, which required 300 people to build it over the course of a year, was possible thanks to a donation from the heirs of the late classical music lover Joyce Weingarden. Before taking the stage Saturday, Myer said he loved the WSO’s Steinway for its warm, mellow sound.
“In general, it’s the tone,” he said. “Just the inherent warm and clear tone. That’s usually what I look for in a piano. That’s my favourite quality more than action. Is it easy to play? Is it hard to play? It’s more about the sound for me.”
The invitation to perform with Franz and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra was also music to his ears.
“It’s just a terrific, terrific orchestra and I love the hall,” Myer said. “There is a lot of great energy on stage because the orchestra and Robert and I listen to each other very well. So there’s a lot of great interplay and excitement of making music together.”