Rocky Mountain Symphony returns to Strathmore

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By News Release RMSO

Now in their fourth season, and fresh off a sold-out tour of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra (RMSO) is returning to Strathmore – their mission to make excellent orchestral music accessible to everyone, presenting professional concerts of masterworks and light classics to small towns which otherwise could not enjoy a symphony orchestra.
They will perform an intimate program of music for orchestral winds by Richard Strauss, Charles Gounod and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on March 7th, 7:30 p.m., at Strathmore United Church.
In their four seasons, the RMSO has performed nearly 50 concerts in Alberta, ranging from chamber music at Waterton Park to a Christmas spectacular with Cirque de Soleil in Grande Prairie. The orchestra has performed at the National Music Centre and, last season, performed at the Jack Singer Concert Hall under the direction of Lee Holdridge, John Denver’s personal arranger and orchestra conductor.
Named a compelling Calgarian in 2019 for his work with the orchestra, music director Carlos Foggin is quick to acknowledge the musicians. “We are very proud of the quality of our concerts. The players are all remarkably skilled professionals and the performances are of the highest caliber,” he said.
The full orchestra is made up of about 45 highly skilled musicians, all from the Calgary region. This smaller, more intimate concert will highlight 15 players who specialize in woodwinds, including oboes, flutes, four horns, four clarinets, and an extremely rare instrument, the contrabassoon, which can play right down to the bottom notes of the piano.
Those familiar with the Oscar-winning movie Amadeus will instantly recognize music from Mozart’s Wind Serenade, commonly known as the Gran Partita, widely acknowledged to be the most important composition for woodwinds of all time. Also on the program is the Petite Symphonie by Charles Gounod and the Wind Serenade by Richard Strauss.
Children’s tickets are only $5, and adult tickets are $30. Tickets are available in advance at StrathmoreSymphony.ca.