Symphony presenting music from the movies
Of course, they perform Bach, Beethoven and Brahms. But members of the Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra enjoy many other styles of music as well — as they’ll show during an energetic concert here March 20.
Titled “Catch Me (If You Can),” the main series event will feature scores from famous movies, and it will put a saxophone front and centre. That’s an instrument associated more with jazz ensembles rather than a full symphony orchestra. But this time, soloist Chee
Meng Low will be the featured artist in composer John Williams’ “Escapades for Saxophone and Orchestra,” based on music he wrote for the hit movie “Catch Me If You Can,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.
Then, in tribute to our somewhat breezy city, conductor Glenn Klassen will lead the orchestra in a suite from “Gone With the Wind,” a movie classic if there ever was one.
Max Steiner — the “father of film music” — was its composer, and Klassen says the score was “a real watershed film for music, because Steiner made full use of the complete orchestra.”
Since then, movie fans have come to expect themes that relate to a specific character or place, “thanks to Steiner’s trailblazing,” Klassen says.
Yes, there will also be some Brahms, his high-energy Symphony No. 1. Tickets for the event, 7:30 p.m. at Southminster United Church, are available from the Lethbridge Symphony office, 403-3286808.
How’s this for a pairing: Mozart and Super Mario?
They’re both on the program March 18, when the Lethbridge Community Silver Band performs at College Drive Community Church. The band will showcase music from the movie series “Lord of the Rings,” as well as video game tunes from Super Mario, Tetris, Halo, Minecraft and more.
Samuel Yamamoto will also conduct selections from Mozart and Beethoven, and the evening’s special guests will be members of the Lethbridge Community Taiko Drum Ensemble.
Tickets for the family-friendly event, scheduled for 7 p.m., are available at Casa or at the door.
Up next, on April 8, the Gold Band will stage a 30th anniversary celebration for the Lethbridge Community Band Society.
Another family-oriented event, weather permitting, is planned for Friday, St. Patrick’s Day. It could focus on the colour green — but don’t expect shamrocks.
Volunteers and staff at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre will offer a free “Spring Nature Fest,” running from 1 to 5 p.m. Outdoor games, nature walks and other fresh-air activities are planned, along with scavenger hunts, “solar scopes,” crafts, live music and prizes.
Further information is available by phone at 403-3203064.
Back indoors, the David Spinks Theatre at the University of Lethbridge will be the venue for a staged reading March 18 of this year’s Play Right Prize Competition winner, “Third Quarter.”
It’s the 10th year for the student playwriting event, initiated and supported by U of L alumnus and former Students’ Union president Terry Whitehead.
Michelle Howe, an arts and science student focusing on psychology and English, has been named this year’s winner. Her script will be heard during an award presentation and celebration, set for 7 p.m. It’s free for all interested.
Further ahead, the university drama department’s main-stage show, “The Duchess of Malfi” is set for March 21-25. On March 24, a “collaborative ensemble” event in Recital Hall will feature vocalists, pianists and other instrumentalists in a no-charge presentation. And on March 29, the U of L Jazz Ensemble will take to the stage in University Theatre.
Music from the highlands will be part of the Spring Fling and Ceilidh, an annual celebration hosted by the Lethbridge Legion Pipe Band. Pipe major David Kaminski says pipers and other musicians will start the evening at 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall, followed later by dance music from Cabot’s Crossing.
A silent auction, door prize and light lunch will also be part of the event, a fundraiser for the band. Tickets will be available from the Royal Canadian Legion office and from Whitbie’s celebrated fish and chip shop near Heritage Heights.
And a wealth of events in our lastminute reminders:
“She Walks in Beauty,” a concert in honour of International Women’s Day, will feature the U of L Women’s Chorus, the LCI Singers, the Ventus Women’s Choir and the Kainai Grasslands Singers, with Shaneen Fox and Andrea
True Joy Fox. It’s set for 7:30 this evening at Southminster United.
Over at the Cave in Lethbridge College today, the Lethbridge Folk Club is presenting the Misery Mountain Boys, with music starting about 8 p.m.
Tomorrow, it’s Saxophone Sunday in the downtown library’s Theatre Gallery. University and Conservatory of Music students of Chee Meng Low — Emily Foxton, Alex Beke, Peka Muller, Stuart Dalby, Brandon Degorter and Simon Bain — will offer a no-charge concert starting at 4 p.m. And Andrea Superstein will be on stage Thursday at the Geomatic Attic.