On Saturday, May 27th, at the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s dramatic 50th anniversary season finale “The Planets”, members from two of Peterborough’s cultural cornerstones will perform together for the first time in over a decade.
Sponsored by Scotiabank, the PSO’s fifth and final concert of 2016/17 will take audience members on a vivid musical adventure. Through the music of Grieg, Liadov and Stravinsky, the classical elements of earth, water and fire will be explored. Then the concert will leave terra firma for outer space, where Holst’s large-scale orchestral suite The Planets will be the guide for a melodic tour of the galaxy featuring the Women’s Chorus of the Peterborough Singers.
The Peterborough Singers formed in 1990 in association with the PSO, and were known then as the Peterborough Symphony Singers. By 1993, they had grown to the point where it made sense for the Singers to become their own organization. Now almost 30 years on, the Peterborough Singers boast upwards of 100 voices and are well known locally and nationally as a highly regarded choral group, led by founding Artistic Director Syd Birrell.
Since the separation of the two groups in 1993, the PSO and the Peterborough Singers have collaborated several times. The last occasion was in March 2005, when the Singers joined the orchestra to perform Dvorak’s beautiful Stabat Mater. Now both organizations are looking forward to working together again. This time, 40 female singers will perform with the orchestra as the Women’s Chorus of the Peterborough Singers.
Syd Birrell explains the interesting role the Women’s Chorus plays in The Planets, and how much fun the Singers are having being a part of the concert.
“We were thrilled when PSO conductor Michael Newnham asked if we could provide a women’s choir for the famous Holst Planets,” Syd says. “How often do the women get a chance to do that? They sing in the Neptune movement only, and immediately dubbed themselves ‘The Neptones’ and had t-shirts made. Collaborating with other arts groups in our community is always a priority, and we are delighted to be working with the PSO once again.”
The Women’s Chorus will perform the haunting, ethereal wordless meditations of Neptune, known as the Mystic in Holst’s portrayal of the astrological characters of seven of the solar system’s planets.
PSO Music Director & Conductor, Michael Newnham, says that preparing for The Planets is also an exciting experience for the musicians.
“The Planets is a spectacular orchestral piece which English composer Gustav Holst wrote in 1913 in order to show off all of the technical possibilities of a symphony orchestra in his time,” Michael explains. “Through its range of colours, rhythms and sheer force of invention, this is one of the standard works by which any orchestra is judged today.
“It is a thrilling experience to work on this challenging piece with the PSO. This orchestra throws itself into the rehearsals with gusto and relishes the opportunity. Everyone wants to be involved in this. We even have three very talented members of the Kawartha Youth Orchestra who are bolstering the ranks of our ensemble and getting the chance to play this well-loved work.”
“The Planets” will conclude a fabulous 50th year for the PSO, which has gained a reputation as one of the finest community-based orchestras in Canada. Under the banner of ‘Celebrate the journey’, the organization has marked its important milestone throughout the 2016/17 concert season by honouring the journey of the organization itself, and exploring the idea more figuratively in the themes of its programming.
This season the PSO cultivated new partnerships with other local organizations, increased its outreach into the community, hosted world-class guest artists with their own interesting life stories and connections to the PSO, and performed increasingly challenging music written about experiences and places near and far, including a piece commissioned especially for the PSO’s 50th anniversary.
“This season has been the most significant and enjoyable one for me since I began my tenure with the PSO,” Michael says. “The orchestra is playing magnificently and the community support for us has increased dramatically. We really feel the excitement of our audience and the civic pride behind its orchestra. This concert will be a spectacular ending to an exceptional year.”
VIDEO: The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra perform “Neptune” from Holst’s The Planets in a 2009 Proms performance
General admission tickets for “The Planets” are available from the Showplace Performance Centre box office at a cost of $38.50 for adults, $10 for students. Visit the box office in person (290 George St. N., Peterborough), online at www.showplace.org or call 705-742-7469 to purchase tickets.
Please note that this concert will not take place at Showplace, but at Emmanuel United Church East, formerly known as George Street United Church (534 George St. N., Peterborough). Concert ticket holders are invited to attend Meet the Maestro, a pre-concert chat with the PSO’s Maestro Newnham, in the church at 6:40 p.m. before the concert at 7:30 p.m.
Current PSO season subscribers will receive the PSO’s 2017/18 season brochure in the mail ahead of the May 27th concert. Subscribers are encouraged to fill out the order form included in the season brochure and hand it in with payment to PSO volunteers at “The Planets”.
Subscriptions can also be renewed by mail (PSO, PO Box 1135, Peterborough ON, K9J 7H4). Current subscribers’ seats will be held for renewal until June 19, 2017. After this deadline, seats will become available for sale to the general public.
