The WSO Gets Into the Holiday Spirit With Three Festive Shows!

Winnipeg, MB ’Äì December 1, 2009 ’ÄìThe Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is offering something for everyone this holiday season! Whether your musical palette favours the classics or pops, or you like to enjoy an afternoon of fun with the kids, you can be sure to enjoy a holiday concert presented by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra! Covering six dates, the WSO is presenting three concerts to help get Winnipeggers into the spirit of the holidays.’Ä®’Ä®

Masterworks: The Creation’Ä®
Friday, December 4 at 8 pm’Ä®
Saturday, December 5 at 8 pm’Ä®’Ä®

Alexander Mickelthwate leads the orchestra for The Creation, known as Haydn’Äôs greatest choral work. Along with the Mennonite Festival Chorus (with co-conductors William Baerg and Rudy Schellenberg), an all-star line-up will help us celebrate the 200th anniversary of the composer’Äôs death.’Ä®’Ä®Canadian soprano, Donna Brown, who performs on the world’Äôs great opera and concert stages, will share the stage with the WSO for The Creation. She has received critical acclaim for her many operatic and her numerous recordings include programs with conductors Kent Nagano, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Helmuth Rilling.

’Ä®’Ä®Tenor James McLennan is hailed for his ’Äúemotional intensity’Äù (Opera News) with "a sweet lyric voice of great promise" and has won praise for compelling portrayals in repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary works. ’Ä®’Ä®British Columbia-born baritone Tyler Duncan is in high demand as an artist at home in lieder, opera and oratorio repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to modern music. Highlights of his 2009-2010 Season include Bach’Äôs ICH HABE GENUG with Tafelmusik in Toronto, Haydn’Äôs DIE JAHRESZEITEN for the Calgary Philharmonic, MESSIAH with the Toronto Symphony, and performances at Carnegie Hall with the New York Oratorio Society.’Ä®’Ä®

Sundays With the Family: The Snowman’Ä®Sunday, December 6 at 2 pm

’Ä®’Ä®We bring back Raymond Briggs’Äô heart-warming holiday film, The Snowman. The charming tale of the little boy James, who builds a snowman ’Äì only to have it come to life ’Äì brought the audience to its feet when the full WSO performed Howard Blake’Äôs magical soundtrack score live to the film performed it with live music two seasons ago.’Ä®’Ä®Soprano Andrea Macasaet will be the vocal highlight of The Snowman, singing its famous song Walking in the Air. Macasaet, a 15-year old Grade 10 student at Garden City Collegiate in Winnipeg, was a finalist for YTV and CMT’Äôs ’ÄúKaroke Star Jr’Äù and the 2009 Grand Champion of Red River Ex’Äôs Stars of Tomorrow.’Ä®’Ä®For Sunday’Äôs concert, CBC TV’Äôs Janet Stewart will narrate three favourite fables of Aesop in Anthony Plog’Äôs engaging settings with orchestra. Janet is well known for her contributions to the community having served as the Honorary Chairperson of Easter Seals and the Parkinson Society of Manitoba. WSO resident conductor Richard Lee will be on the podium.’Ä®

Pre-concert activities begin at 1 pm with crafts, rhythm ensembles, a conducting station, and more!
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Pops: John McDermott's Holiday Special’Ä®
Friday, December 11 at 8 pm
’Ä®Saturday, December 12 at 8 pm’Ä®
Sunday, December 13 at 2 pm’Ä®’Ä®

Richard Lee steers the WSO’Äôs holiday sleigh to their last stop: John McDermott’Äôs Holiday Special.’Ä®’Ä®McDermott’Äôs performance of Celtic-inspired holiday music has fast become a Canadian tradition. An original member of the Irish Tenors and multiple Juno-nominee, McDermott boasts a remarkable work ethic, releasing at least an album a year, and averaging more than 100 performances a year over the last decade. John’Äôs musical roots are equal parts Scottish and Irish.

The WSO performs the following concerts in December:

Masterworks - The Creation, on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5 at 8 pm
Sundays with the Family - The Snowman, on Sunday, December 6 at 2 pm
Pops - John McDermott’Äôs Holiday Special on Friday, December 11, Saturday, December 12 at 8 PM and Sunday, December 13 at 2 PM.

All concerts are being held at the Centennial Concert Hall. Tickets for all three shows range from $11.25 to $75 and are available through the WSO box office at 949-3999, online at www.wso.ca or through Ticketmaster (780-3333 or ticketmaster.ca).