The Saskatoon Symphony – Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra

Costume Ideas

Looking for some last-minute costume ideas?

Here are a few ideas we thought you might like!

Bach

Need a powdered wig in a pinch for your composer costume? Try using some printer paper!

Wear a black coat and pants with a white top, and carry some sheet music. Just keep telling people “you’ll be Bach” for the extra pun factor.

Looking for other composer costume inspiration? Check out @NormalComposers on Twitter!

Leonard Bernstein partying with Patti Smith.

Béla Bartók having a miserable time with some lady friends.

Record

Want to set the record straight? Dress up as some vinyl for Halloween!

Once you have your cardboard box: Cut 2 large circles from the cardboard box. Spray paint both sides of the circles with black spray paint and let dry completely. While this dries, print out 2 copies of the record label template provided. Cut out the label and glue it to the center of the black cardboard circles. To create shoulder and chest straps, measure the length needed and place 2 strips of duct tape sticky side together. Tape to the cardboard front and back, so you can easily slip it over your head. *Optional: use the paint pen to draw on record grooves.

Here’s the template.

SSO Musician

Have a favourite member of the orchestra? Put on your concert-worthy outfit and fashion yourself after one of our musicians!

Or, if you know them outside the orchestra you could dress up like they do when not on the stage.

A few years ago, principal bassoon Stephanie Unverricht dressed up as our principal oboe Erin Brophey (who was pregnant at the time)!

Pick a great song title and dress up according to the title.

The Devil with a Blue Dress is an easy one to do! Some horns and a pitchfork, plus a blue dress and you’re ready to go.

If you’re really in a pinch try this random costume generator:

Can’t wait to see those musically minded costumes!

History of Halloween

Every year on October 31st we put on fun costumes and get our fill of Halloween candy. But how did it all begin?

The ancient Celts celebrated their new year on November 1st. They marked the end of harvest, and their new year’s eve with a festival called Samhain.

Believing that the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead were blurred, on October 31st the Celtic people would commemorate this event with huge sacred bonfires. They would burn sacrifices to ehrie Celtic deities, wore costumes, and tried to predict each other’s futures.

Fastforward to 40 AD and the majority Celts have been conquered by the Roman Empire. Over time there was a blending of Celtic and Roman festivals including Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead, and the day to honour Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. Perhaps this is why we bob for apples?

By the 9th century christianity had spread amonst Celtic lands and blended with older Celtic rights. Christians celebrated All Souls’ Day, potentially in an attempt to replace Samhain and other non christian celebrations with a church approved holiday. The All Saints day was also known as All-Hallows or All-hallowmans, and the night before as All-Hallows Eve, which ultimately became Halloween.

As settlers moved to North America, they brought their Halloween traditions from all over europe. People started handing out candy in exchange for not being tricked, and the day became more secular and community focused.

These days Halloween is filled with fun costumes, tiny candies, and themed concerts!

We hope you have a wonderful, and fun filled Halloween!

From Darkness to Light

One of the special parts of working with living composers is that we get to hear their intentions and stories behind their works. We asked composer Vincent Ho if he wanted to share anything about his piece From Darkness to Light, and here’s what he had to say:

From Darkness to Light is the second concerto I wrote for percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, and is a work that has significant meaning to me.

In the winter of 2011, a dear friend of mine, Luc Leestemaker (a talented painter and entrepreneur), was diagnosed with cancer. Throughout that year, he underwent an emotional and spiritual journey, one that is commonly shared with many people who have been afflicted by the illness – from the trauma of being diagnosed, to the painful healing process, and to the moment of clarity one eventually reaches. From that experience, he approached me and proposed the idea of writing a symphonic work that expresses this journey in musical form.

Luc was a person who did not believe the arts was some commodity one purchases for entertainment when one has money in the bank and everything they need. No, he believed that the arts was something one turns to when they have no money and lose all the things that matter. He truly believed that art and music have the ability to comfort and heal. It was his vision to create a work that would take the audience on a journey of healing.

I could not think of anyone better to collaborate on this project with than Dame Evelyn Glennie. After discussing it with her, we agreed that this was an important theme that warranted musical representation.

In preparation for this work, I interviewed a number of cancer survivors and patients. From these interviews, I found many parallels in their journeys. It was their shared experience that I wanted to express in musical form.

Sadly, Luc passed away in May of 2012 on his 55th birthday. During the final months of his life he created a series of paintings as a way of capturing his journey in artistic form. He wanted to share his journey in this way so others living with cancer could benefit from it.

Exactly one month to the day after his passing, my wife and I experienced the birth of our child Claudia. So for me, this concerto expresses what I went through during that period – the experience of losing a close friend to the miracle of life.

From Darkness to Light is my personal response to cancer. It is a large-scale work that expresses the horrors of the illness and the journey that one faces: the fear and uncertainty; the shock and trauma; the grueling process of overcoming it; and finally, the reconciliation that is reached at the end – from pain and suffering to peace and acceptance. It is a musical journey of healing.

NOTE: Throughout the work, there are many passages where Dame Glennie freely improvises to elevate the realism of the spiritual journey. As well, we decided to end the piece with her own composition, “A Little Prayer” (for solo marimba). Her work serves as the final stage of the journey, providing a sense of closure that transcends material existence while allowing her to make her own personal statement.

SSO’s Live Streaming for 2025-2026

ConcertStream.tv continues to give incredible access to your SSO. Not only do you get to see fantastic content whenever you want, but you get an up-close and personal experience all from the comfort of wherever you are!

Streaming has changed the SSO forever. We love sharing our performances with viewers around the world. We are bringing our music-making to the hearts and homes of our patrons. Whether you’re live-streaming the performance or watching it a second time on demand, we’ve curated an online season that highlights the best we have to offer this season.

ConcertStream.tv

Saturday, September 12, 2025
Four Seasons

Renowned baroque violinist Julia Wedman returns home to lead the SSO in a celebration of 300 years of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Wedman has curated a program that is a perfect start to SSO95!

Saturday, October 25, 2025
The Space Between

Multi-Grammy winner, Dame Evelyn Glennie is the centrepiece of a night of mystical story telling with Ho’s From Darkness to Light and we bring light to the darkness with Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony.

Saturday, November 8, 2025
True North

Karl Hirzer returns for a night worthy of glowing hearts as we celebrate the exceptional music that Canada has to offer. Plus, renowned oboist Bede Hanley returns home to Saskatoon for his SSO debut!

Saturday, December 6, 2025
YXE Divas Xmas

Haul out the holly! After our first electrifying YXE Divas show in 2024, we’re bursting with holiday cheer to bring the divas back for a night of pure festive joy!

Saturday, February 14, 2026
Everything is Romantic

Maestro Judith Yan, pianist Angela Cheng, and your SSO bring you some of the most heart-stopping romantic music for your valentines including Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No 2.

Saturday, March 7, 2026
Spring Fever

Maestra Tania Miller joins us to shake off your winter blues with Schumann’s “Spring”. Our own Stephanie Unverricht takes centre stage for Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto paired with some Beethoven and Vaughan Williams.

Saturday, March 28, 2026
Night Seasons

You fell in love with Rebecca Dale’s Materna Requiem in 2020 when we gave the North American premiere. Now, joined by the virtuosic cellist Stéphane Tétreault, we’re thrilled to give the North American premiere of Dale’s new work Night Seasons.

Saturday, April 11, 2026
A Change is Gonna Come

There is nothing like the soulful voice of an R&B diva, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be bringing the powerhouse voice of Saskatoon’s very own Sonia Reid to the music of Whitney, Dion, Aretha, and so much more.

Saturday, May 2, 2026
The Traveller

Dinuk Wijeratne and Kinan Azmeh each left their mark on the SSO and we need to bring these two friends together for an unforgettable concert. We’ve handed over the musical reins and these two superstars will take us on a journey.

Saturday, May 30, 2026
Finding Light

In a season tied together by its search for light in the darkness, Maestro Judith Yan finds the light with a special program including Pergolesi’s transcendent Stabat Mater featuring Saskatoon’s own Kateryna Khartova and Oli Guselle.

A Special 95 for Season 95!

Created to mark the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s 95th season, this painting of the number Ninety-Five joins local artist Keitha McClocklin’s Number Series, which celebrates the personal and collective significance of the meaningful numbers in our lives. McClocklin used the Symphony’s 95th season palette of pinks, blues, indigos and purples to reflect the emotional arc of the Symphony’s programming: a journey from darkness to light, from tension to joy. Inspired by the idea that this season carries audiences from darkness to light, she built the number with layers of collage and mixed media using a street art aesthetic that speaks to spontaneity, energy and emotional release. Look closely and you’ll find visual easter eggs representing the concerts of the Symphony’s 95th season. In its bold lines and gradual colour shifts, the number becomes both a milestone and a metaphor, a vibrant celebration of the music and moments that connect us.

Keitha McClocklin is a Canadian contemporary artist who creates from her studio in Saskatoon’s Riversdale neighbourhood. She works in a range of disciplines including painting, printmaking and drawing, often weaving techniques from one discipline to another. She fluidly moves between figurative, landscape and abstraction, with her abstract realism style characterized by the use of layers, colour and mixed media. McClocklin’s works are held in public and private collections across Canada, the U.S., France, the U.K. and Indonesia.

Our New Patron Portal

We recently did the soft launch of our new patron portal. We launched a new ticketing system this spring, and this is the next step in the process, giving you greater access to your orchestra. For donations, tickets to in-person events, and more, you now have access to our new ticketing system.

For all things ConcertStream.tv, please visit ConcertStream.tv.

A select group of users was sent the following information in their email. If you did not receive this information, or have issues getting into your new account please contact us.

The good news: there is no need for you to create an account on our new system, as you already have one. You just need to set a new password. The instructions for that are below.

Step 1

Visit https://my.saskatoonsymphony.org/authentication/password-recovery and enter the same email address we used to send you this message, then select the “Recover Password” button.

You will be automatically redirected to a confirmation page with information about an email with a link to reset your password, then sign in.

Please be aware that the email will be sent from aws@upstagecrm.io, this is our new ticketing provider. Kindly add this email address to your contacts and, in case the confirmation email doesn’t appear, check your spam folder.

Step 2

Once the email arrives, select the “Set Your Password and Log In” button.
For security, your email address and verification code will be prefilled for you. There’s no need to enter anything in either field.
Set your password, then enter it again in the confirmation field.
Password must contain at least:
8 characters
1 number
1 special character (eg. !, @, #, $, %)
1 uppercase letter
1 lowercase letter
Select the “Reset Password” button

You will be automatically directed to the Sign In page.

Step 3

Use your email and new password to sign into your account.

With your account now accessible, you can conveniently buy and oversee tickets, contribute to donations, and preview your tickets for upcoming events.

Access Your Account

The Prairies Performing Arts Initiative

The Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra was included in a special announcement made by Prairies Economic Development Canada this morning.

Today, the Honourable Terry Duguid, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, announced on behalf of the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, a federal investment of over $9.5 million to support performing arts organizations across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. This funding will help these organizations expand, innovate, and engage audiences in new and exciting ways.

Your SSO is one of several prairie arts organizations that received this incredible funding to help grow our audiences and increase awareness of our offerings in the community.

You can read the full press release here.

Season 95

Completely by accident, our 95th season is designed to be a series of inspirations.

Building a new season is always like putting together a puzzle. There are many pieces that need to be laid out and fit together, and before long they begin to create something that looks so much more wonderful than each individual piece could ever be.

Sometimes a single idea in a season can take years to get on stage – the pieces can’t just be forced together, there has to be a fit. And this time, everything fell into place.

Our 95th season is full of amazing music and artists that just fell into place at precisely the right time. As I say, completely by accident, this season is a series of concerts that move us emotionally from darkness to light. We’ll feel the release of turmoil and tension to joy and hope in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Brahms Symphony 1, Schumann’s Spring, Shostakovich’s epic 5th Symphony, and even an all Canadian concert to let us beam with true north pride.

The stage is set for the staggering artistry of virtuosos like Angela Cheng with Rachmaninoff for Valentines Day, cellist Stéphane Tétreault in a concerto that will melt your heart, Julia Wedman returning home for the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, our own Stephanie Unverricht in the music of Mozart, and the return of superstar Kinan Azmeh. In October the SSO is joined by one of the most legendary classical artists of all time – Grammy and Polar Music Prize winner Dame Evelyn Glennie. To celebrate her 60th birthday, Glennie is here to perform From Darkness to Light from her long time collaborator Vincent Ho.

A season to lift us up is led by a host of amazing conductors including podium partners Tania Miller, Karl Hirzer, and Judith Yan, alongside Monica Chen, Andrew Crust, Janna Sailor, Dinuk Wijeratne, and more.

We are thrilled to develop new shows with Saskatoon’s own soulful Sonia Reid and band Kashmir with the music of Led Zeppelin. We also get to present performances by returning favourites Constantinople and the renowned violinist James Ehnes. We can’t wait to perform Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, National Geographic’s The Secrets of Whales, and have the YXE Divas take the holidays by storm!

The fall starts with a major partnership with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, and the Yukon Arts Centre as we present a new semi-staged production of one of the most loved operas of all time – Tosca. A first for Saskatoon, we can’t wait to perform Puccini’s passionate and powerful masterpiece.

It’s our biggest season ever. It’s bold. It’s audacious. It features music for everyone.

In a time when we all need reminding, we will all journey from darkness to light – and we can’t wait to share the journey with you!

Explore Season 95

SSO’s Live Streaming for 2024-2025

ConcertStream.tv continues to give incredible access to your SSO. Not only do you get to see fantastic content whenever you want, you get an up close and personal experience all from the comfort of wherever you are!

Streaming has changed the SSO forever. We love sharing our performances with viewers around the world. We are bringing our music-making to the hearts and homes of our patrons. Whether you’re live streaming the performance or watching it a second time on demand, we’ve curated an online season that highlights the best we have to offer this season.

ConcertStream.tv

Saturday, September 14, 2024
Enigma

Maestra Tania Miller returns to open our 94th season by leading the SSO in Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Pianist Sara Davis Buechner makes her long-awaited SSO debut with Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concert No. 1.

Saturday, October 26, 2024
Controlled Burn

Cellist/composer Cris Derksen joins the SSO to perform her fiery new work Controlled Burn. Maestra Janna Sailor returns home to lead the orchestra in a new work by Saskatoon’s own Artist/Activist/Educator Zoey Roy.

Friday, December 13, 2024
Handel’s Messiah

Conductor Karl Hirzer leads the SSO Chorus, spectacular soloists, and your orchestra in Handel’s timeless work The Messiah. A beloved holiday tradition in Saskatoon since it was first performed here in 1913.

Saturday, January 18, 2025
The Medium

What does the future hold for you? An intimate staging of Menotti’s haunting opera The Medium. It’s a spooky two-act dramatic opera where phony psychic Madame Flora uses her clients’ grief to deceive them with the help of her daughter and a mute servant. But one night, an uncanny encounter leads to murder and madness.

Saturday, February 15, 2025
Sleeping Beauty

Violinist Timothy Chooi returns for a concert filled with music that’s perfect for you and your valentine. Led by Maestra Judith Yan, Chooi and your orchestra will wow us with Bruch’s stunning Scottish Fantasy. The romantic evening is made complete with selections from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Sleeping Beauty curated by ballet aficionado Yan herself.

Sunday, March 2, 2025
Dixit – Baroque Resonance

Maestra Cosette Justo Valdés returns to once again show us what magic she can create with your orchestra and the SSO chorus. Together they will highlight some of the greatest baroque works including Handel’s stunning Dixit Dominus.

Saturday, March 8, 2025
The Lost Birds

We’re celebrating 40 seasons with our very own concertmaster Michael Swan! He’ll take centre stage to perform Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No.1. Conductor Evan Mitchell leads your SSO, and choir, in Christopher Tin’s moving choral work The Lost Birds. Sweeping and elegiac, it’s a haunting tribute to those soaring flocks that once filled our skies, but whose songs have since been silenced.

Saturday, March 29, 2025
Pictures at an Exhibition

Conductor Karl Hirzer returns to lead your SSO in Mussorgsky’s iconic Pictures at an Exhibition. Pianist Meagan Milatz makes her way back home to the prairies to help us celebrate composer David L. McIntyre’s 75th birthday with a performance of his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.

Saturday, April 12, 2025
Symphonic Sci-Fi

Our favourite sci-fi shows and movies would be very different without their iconic soundtracks. We’re highlighting our favourite works from galaxies near and far! With a special guest host to lead the way, it’s going to be out of this world.

Saturday, May 3, 2025
Chopin and the New World

After his triumphant orchestral debut with us in 2021, pianist Jerry Hu returns home to perform Chopin’s Piano Concerto no.1. Led by Maestra Tania Miller, your SSO will finish our mainstage series with Dvořák’s New World Symphony and Goulet’s Citius, Altius, Fortius.

Saturday, May 31, 2025
Metamorphosis

We end our season with an incredible immersive experience created by visual artist Monique Martin. She will fill St. John’s with thousands of silkscreened paper butterflies, while Maestra Judith Yan and your orchestra fill the space with incredible music.

Watch our social media for future announcements! There are more great options to come on ConcertStream.tv.

Collaborating For The Future

For years the SSO and Saskatoon Opera have worked closely together. Both formally and informally, the two organizations have shared a passion for presenting music experiences that shine light on the human condition.

After many years of discussion, the two entities have joined to become one.

What we do, what we put on stage, is beautiful and inspiring and expensive. With prairies arts organizations facing a deeply challenging lack of government supports after many years of no increased investment, the question became clear: how do we find ways to still bring opera to Saskatchewan.

Joining forces allows our two organizations to leverage our resources to carry on presenting the thrilling human voice in operatic repertoire.

Will it be the same? No, not quite. But change can also be a very good thing.

In the coming years we’re thrilled to present new opera experiences in immersive productions and semi-staged concert settings that will showcase the stunning orchestral scores with their full forces.

We have plans to expand the successful opera pub programming, continue the summer Proms, and showcase voices that need to be heard.

Our sold out performances of a new take on Menotti’s The Medium this weekend are a great example of what can happen when collaboration and ideas collide.

Watch for more information as our two organizations become one – it’s a brave new world for music in all its mediums.

Costume Ideas

History of Halloween

From Darkness to Light

SSO’s Live Streaming for 2025-2026

Saturday, September 12, 2025
Four Seasons