Aftab Darvishi and the Daughters of Sol
The music of Aftab Darvishi is something you have to hear. Mystical and engaging, her music transports the listener – and the players – and is one of the nightlights of our season. Born in …
Rediscovering Louise Farrenc
Born in the early years of the 19th Century, French composer Louise Farrenc (nee Dumont) began her musical career as a piano student of Cecile Soria (a former student of Muzio Clementi). Louise devoured the …
Time to Set Sail!
Our reimagined 90th season has taken us on some wonderful adventures – tangos in Argentina, love songs in Italy, strolling the street of Paris, even beer at Oktoberfest! But now we’re hitting the high seas …
Discovering Ruth Gipps
Music was a more than just a passion for English composer Ruth Gipps: it was a way of being. Born in 1921 to a highly musical family (her mother was the principal at the Bexhill …
A trip on the RMS Queen Mary!
The story of the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary is one whose length and grandeur nearly rivals that of the ship herself. On the day she was unveiled to the world, King George V of …
Copland’s Quiet City
A composition for trumpet, English Horn, and string orchestra, Aaron Copland’s “Quiet City” took the composer two years to write before it could be pronounced complete. Receiving its premiere on January 28, 1941, the piece …
Sibelius’ Suite Mignonne
Regarding Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’s fascination with nature, his biographer, Tawaststjerna famously wrote that “even by Nordic standards, Sibelius responded with exceptional intensity to the moods of nature and the changes in the seasons: he …
Elgar’s Serenade for Strings
Edward Elgar’s Op.20 “Serenade for Strings” was written in March of 1892 and was first performed by the Worcester Ladies’ Orchestral class later that year. Musicologists posit that this enduringly popular offering from Elgar was …
Watch Party Ideas for Dublin!
Our musical adventures take us to Ireland – one of the warmest, most welcoming places in the world…as they say everyone wants to be Irish! As people have been enjoying the SSO from home, we’ve …
Catching up with Kim de Laforest
When Kim de Laforest last joined the SSO as a soloist, she brought the house down – and when you hear her fiddling you’ll know why! But Kim is a versatile artist who often plays …
Catching up with Eileen Laverty
Singer-songwriter Eileen Laverty joins the SSO for our live stream A Night in Dublin – we took some time to catch up with her ahead of our performance! SSO: What was the writing process for …
O’Shea’s x SSO
Our friends over at O’shea’s Irish Pub have created this special menu to go with our Saturday concert A Night in Dublin! If you are local to Saskatoon you can call and pre-order for Saturday …
St Patrick’s Day Around the World
Leprechaun motifs! Hats with Buckles! Shamrocks everywhere! Some hallmarks of St. Patrick’s Day festivities are present no matter where in the world you celebrate this green-laden day of celebration and Gaelic pride. So how did …
Who was Molly Malone?
Every major city on Earth has something akin to an unofficial anthem. Be it of folk origin or more modern in its sensibilities, an old city hums with a particularly musical energy. A popular song …
Give New Life to an Old Violin
In 2015, we launched our Painted Violins project – it was a unique undertaking to give new life to violins who had passed their usefulness, hand them over to artists who would turn them into …
A Londonderry Air for Danny Boy
A musical tribute to love, loss, and the joy of life that perseveres, Danny Boy is one of those legendary standards that can squeeze a teardrop out of solid stone. The mystery surrounding the origin …
La Cucina x SSO Encore
You loved our partnership with La Cucina so much that we decided to do it again! They’ve come up with another special menu just for our patrons that pairs with The Carnival of Venice . …
Tartini’s Trumpet Concerto
Trumpeter Dean McNeill shares insight into the techniques involved in playing Tartini’s Trumpet Concerto.
Marcello’s Oboe Concerto
Friendly competition, especially amongst siblings, can produce interesting results. Such a pressure can make rubble just as easily as it can produce diamonds. In the case of the Marcello Brothers (Alessandro and Benedetto), such tension …
Finding Isabella Leonarda
One of the most gifted and under-appreciated composers of the Baroque period, Isabella Leonarda spent the majority of her life in an Ursuline convent and dedicated nearly all of her compositions (nearly 200 in total) …
The Carnival of Venice
The history and characters of Venice’s spectacular Carnivale are just as varied as the masks and colorful garments which have traditionally populated it. Legend has it that the bombastic celebration of all things artistic started …
Tartini the Virtuoso
If you’ve ever been to a dog park, you’ve likely come across the great pyrenees: a massive canine with the look of a dandelion puffball and the courage of an elephant. But have you ever …
La Cucina x SSO
Our friends over at La Cucina Restaurant have created this special menu to go with our Saturday concert La Dolce Vita! If you are local to Saskatoon you can call and pre-order for Saturday pickup. …
