The New Westminster Symphony’s season-ending concert features a couple of special performances – one from rising star and another from a piece of local history.
The symphony’s concert, A Romantic Period Concert, is on Sunday, May 5 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. in The Sanctuary at Queens Avenue, 529 Queens Ave. The entrance is on Sixth Street.
At the concert, the New Westminster Symphony will present a concert of music by composers who were part of the Romantic Period. They will perform Alexander Borodin’s In The Steppes of Central Asia, Jean Sibelius’ Karelia Suite and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony Number 5, which he described as a musical representation of “ultimate victory through strife.”
As a special treat, the symphony will recognize the 65th anniversary of The Sanctuary at Queens Avenue’s Casavant organ with a performance of Charles-Marie Widor’s joyous Toccata. (The symphony noted the organ hasn’t been heard by the public for a number of years.)
“The Toccata’s popularity as a recessional piece saw it performed at the wedding of Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton in 2011,” said a notice about the concert. “Since 1879, Casavant Freres has built over 3,900 organs which can be found across North America and even in Melbourne, Australia.”
Isaac Howie is the guest organist for the concert – and one to keep an eye on.
“He is probably the youngest ever semi-finalist in the Royal Canadian College of Organists national competition last summer at 18-and-a-half years old,” said Rachel Alflatt, the resident organist from Queens Avenue United Church. “Definitely our rising star here in the Vancouver organ world!”
Admission is by donation. Parking is available in the city hall parking lot.
More information can be found online.
