Okanagan Symphony Orchestra back with ‘sacred and profane’ March concert series

The Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) is kicking off its March concert series with a showcase of French composers, inspired by church and cabaret music.

The OSO’s Sacred and Profane series will be played in Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon this weekend. Performances are set to take place Friday, March 4 at the Kelowna Community Theatre; Saturday, March 5 at Penticton’s Cleland Community Theatre; and Sunday, March 6 at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre.

Guest artists include acclaimed Canadian pianist Lorraine Min, North Okanagan-based chanteuse Judy Rose and the Okanagan Symphony Chorus.

“Composers are inspired to create from a huge variety of life experiences offering their listeners rich and varied repertoire choices. French composers were often influenced by the church and the cabaret, and this concert celebrates that juxtaposition,” said music director Rosemary Thomson.

The series welcomes back the OSO Chorus for the first time since December 2019.

The first half of the concert features Gabriel Fauré’s setting of the Requiem Mass. A special arrangement will allow the Chorus to be on stage while still maintaining COVID-19 safety protocols.

The series also features a performance of the overture to Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld. Then, Rose will perform three signature songs by Edith Piaf: Le Vie en Rose, L’hymme d’amour, and Je ne regrette rien.

Min, who holds a masters and a doctoral degree from the Juilliard School of Music in New York, will star in Saint-Saëns’ Second Piano Concerto. Min was the top-ranked Canadian pianist at 19 years of age in the Harvey Leeds and Busoni International Competitions.

“This concerto begins with a tribute to J.S. Bach’s great organ improvisations and ends with a wild and passionate Tarantelle dance,” Thomson said. “One of my favourite combinations in music is the layering of voice and orchestra no matter what the style. I can’t wait to share the stage with Judy Rose as she channels Edith Piaf and to be joined by our OSO Chorus and soloists for Fauré’s heartfelt Requiem.”

Tickets and livestream access for the performances are available through the orchestra’s website.