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It’s no secret that live performances took a hit from the pandemic.
But music director Gordon Gerrard of the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO) feels very optimistic about the future.
“It’s been a tough year for us. I think organizations across the country and throughout Regina are, I think, in what we consider a rebuilding phase,” Gerrard said. “But I’m happy to see the last few concerts of the season our attendance has really picked up and also our sales for our subscriptions for next season also are doing quite well.”
Gerrard said that ticket sales aren’t quite where they were pre-COVID but they’re getting close.
Saturday morning, Gerrard and the orchestra were on stage at the Conexus Arts Centre preparing for the finale of its Classic series this season.
Gordon Gerrard conducting the Regina Symphony Orchestra during a rehearsal. May 13, 2023. (Daniel Reech/980 CJME)
“It’s sort of our big epic wind up and we were actually finishing off with the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto which is one of the biggest most epic piano concertos there are and then also a piece by a composer called Dinuk Wijeratne and then Brahm’s Fourth Symphony,” Gerrard said.
“So this is our way to sort of celebrate the end of the season.”
The RSO will be performing again at the Queen City Exhibition later this summer. They’ve performed there regularly over the past few years — barring of course when the Ex. was cancelled due to COVID.
The concert will be open to anyone who has a ticket to the Ex.
“The concert is in the evening and we time it (so that it starts) late enough so that by the end it’s dark enough for fireworks — (during) which this year we’ll play the 1812 Overture with fireworks which will be very exciting,” he said.
At the Ex, the RSO will perform songs from films like Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and West Side Story.
Gerrard anticipates that the RSO will be back next year. Their next season is in September where they’ll be performing their pop music series which will include performances of songs by Elton John and Billy Joel.
“The phones are ringing off the hooks for that one, so that’s exciting,” he said.