Hms Mother's Day At The Symphony
Celebrate Mother's Day weekend with the Stratford Symphony Orchestra's (SSO) season finale: HMS Mother's Day.
Under the baton of Artistic Director William Rowson, this special concert will feature favourite melodies from Gilbert & Sullivan (including highlights from Pinafore and The Mikado) alongside classical orchestral pieces that have inspired the world of musical theatre. Joining the SSO for this performance is an impressive lineup of guest vocalists: Joshua Clemenger, Barbara Dunn-Prosser, Reid Spencer, and Eileen Smith.
The evening also serves as a heartfelt tribute to two significant figures in Canadian music and theatre history, both deeply connected to the SSO: Berthold Carrière and Barbara Steed Young. Their collaborative work spanned decades across various arts organizations, notably including their time as co-directors of the SSO from 2011 to 2016.
As Music Director at the Stratford Festival, Mr. Carrière's legacy includes composing and arranging music for over 80 productions, beginning in 1975. The early 1980s were a golden age for the Festival's acclaimed Gilbert & Sullivan productions under his leadership, including The Mikado, which ran for three consecutive seasons (’82, ’83, and ’84). While he officially retired from the Festival in 2007, he continued to grace the stage as a guest conductor and was named Director of Music Emeritus in 2013.
Ms. Steed Young's career encompasses decades of teaching and directing musical theatre. She co-founded the Etobicoke School of the Arts, where she headed the music and music theatre programs for two decades. In 1996, she joined forces with Mr. Carrière at the Stratford Festival, contributing as a consultant and composer of musical pieces for the theatre. Since 2015, she has been the Artistic Director of Stratford’s Music and Opera Appreciation Inc.
This will a fun Mother's Day event. Saturday, May 10th at 7:30 PM at Avondale. For tickets and further information, please visit the Stratford Symphony Orchestra website.
