Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra sounds out Strathmore

Sharon McLeay
Times Contributor

 

Strathmore has hosted country, rock and blues performers, and now residents will get an intimate and refreshing taste of classical music.
Carlos Foggin, conductor for the newly-formed Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra (RMSO), is excited about bringing symphonic music to rural Alberta. A trained, professional conductor, Foggin comes from a small farming community south of Lethbridge and knows how tough it can be to include a little culture in day to day living.
“We thought it was time to bring it to rural communities. It can be tough to get into the city. Everyone is working and farming,” said Foggin. “The time and financial outlay of packing up the kids and attending a venue in the city is significant for some families. We wanted to give rural families an affordable alternative.”
The idea of bringing a classical orchestra to rural areas came together last spring when Foggin and friends came up with the idea stemming from work in the Calgary Community Orchestra. The idea to expand to rural centres was made tangible when the group gained support through a community initiative grant from the Town of Strathmore.
RMSO will be performing light works from Mozart, Massenet, Wagner, Debussy, Mussorgsky and Beethoven.
“The town is very excited to see the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra come to Strathmore,” said Tracy Simpson, community services co-ordinator with the Town of Strathmore. “This event is a great fit with our Community Investment Fund as it helps celebrate our artistic and cultural community, [and] enhances our unique identity and quality of life,”
Local artist Bryan Allsopp, who plays the French horn, is one of 40-50 members in the orchestral group. He said the event could be a great learning opportunity for everyone.
“I think that seeing live music is an essential experience in order to fully appreciate music performance as an art form,” he noted. “Recordings are great and can introduce and spread great music throughout the world, but in my opinion there is no way to match the physical experience of being at a live concert and feeling the sound waves in the performance space. In addition, as an educator – I teach music at SHS – the chance for students to experience live performances is a huge learning tool for the students, both by exposing them to the masterpieces of the genre, and by providing them with the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the top performers on their respective instruments. We took music students from CMJHS and SHS to see the CPO [Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra] perform last year, and even though the students had heard examples of the pieces beforehand, the experience of hearing the music live and seeing the skill and hard work of the musicians in person was a major motivator and an eye-opening experience for the students.”
Classical music is heard on background tracks in movies, videos and even cartoons. Classical music’s architecture has all the components of structure and form that can lead to understanding the basics of any music genre. Foggin said children benefit from seeing how members of the orchestra use teamwork to produce something magical.
“Really, it’s the sound track of our lives,” said Foggin.
The RMSO will be in concert in Strathmore at the Travelodge on Sept. 24. Tickets can be purchased online at rockymountainsymphony.ca.
“Since the Travelodge has a ballroom, we thought it would be a fun start for the group,” said Foggin about the venue. “Why not come out and listen? It is the first time something this size has come to Strathmore. It’s affordable, local and something fun to do on a Saturday night.”