The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra is bringing back its popular “Meet the Maestro” pre-concert talks for 2022-2023, the orchestra’s first full season since the pandemic began.
At 6:45 p.m. on concert nights, audience members are invited to join music director Michael Newnham as he takes the Showplace stage for an intimate chat about the evening’s program.
“These pre-concert talks are a chance for me to connect with our audience and talk about the music that they are about to hear us perform,” says Newnham, adding the talks are “something that I particularly treasure.”
“These talks always give me a lot of energy for the concert itself,” Newnham says.
Whether or not you are new to the world of classical music, the short and entertaining chats will give you an enhanced appreciation of the music you are about to hear.
“All music has a story behind it, and I love sharing the things that I’ve learned about the pieces we’re about to play, even — or especially — when the stories themselves are a little irreverent,” Newnham explains.
All concerts takes place at 7:30 p.m at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough, with each evening’s program running around two hours with an intermission. Ppatrons are invited to arrive early for the pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m.
For “Welcome Back,” the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s opening concert of the 2022-23 season on Saturday, November 5th, Maestro Newnham will introduce a program that features a piece of music familiar to everyone — Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 5, with the most famous opening four notes in history — as well as Canadian composer Kevin Lau’s Between the Earth and Forever, a contemporary composition featuring a less-familiar instrument, the Chinese erhu, with soloist Snow Bai performing.
Here are the other concerts in the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s 2022-23 season:
“A Holiday Welcome” (Saturday, December 10, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.)
A holiday tradition returns with a delightful program of seasonal music for the whole family, including classical and popular pieces featuring one of Canada’s most celebrated baritones, James West.
“An Intimate Welcome” (Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.)
An intimate evening of music “just for us.” Hear the winds of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra perform music of freshness, sparkle, and vigour by Strauss and Gounod, while the orchestra’s principal string players treat you to Dvorak’s evergreen quintet, Opus 77.
“Welcome Spring” (Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.)
The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra performs Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, a magnificent, sweeping, joyful symphonic journey towards spring’s returning light. Virtuoso pianist Alexander Panizza joins the rchestra for Tchaikovsky’s passionate and emotional Piano Concerto No. 1, “where the heart meets the sleeve.”
“Welcome to the Dance” (Saturday, May 27, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.)
A fiery evening of music moving to the rhythms of social change with guest Sarah Lewis, Peterborough’s first poet laureate. The Peterborough Symphony Orchestra performs Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, Florence Price’s Dances in the Canebrakes, and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story.”
Single tickets for each performance are $33, $48, or $55 depending on where you sit, except for the annual holiday concert, where all tickets are $45. Student tickets for all concerts, including the holiday one, are $12 (available online only). Season subscriptions are also still available, with prices ranging from $105 to $235 depending on seating and only $10 per concert for student subscriptions.
To purchase single tickets any time, visit tickets.showplace.org (student tickets are only available online). You can also purchase single tickets in-person at the Showplace box office at 290 George Street North, by calling at 705-742-7469, or by emailing boxoffice@showplace.org. The box office is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday and for 90 minutes before each concert. For season subscriptions, email admin@thepso.org.
New this season is the orchestra’s “rush ticket” option, where seats are available on the day of the concert for only $20 (online only, depending on availability).
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s 2022/23 season.
