William Rowson, conductor
Véronique Mathieu, violin
Godwin Friesen, piano
Saskatoon Youth Orchestra, Richard Carnegie, SYO Music Director
Scroll down to read the full program. Click here for a condensed print-at-home version.
A celebration with an all-star lineup of Saskatchewan artists.
Maestro William Rowson returns to the SSO stage to showcase the amazing talent that calls Saskatoon home. The concert opens with a brand new work by Saskatoon-born composer Andrew Kesler’s Suite for the Prairies.
Then Véronique Mathieu, the David Kaplan Chair of Strings at the University of Saskatchewan, takes centre stage in Sibelius’s masterful Violin Concerto.
We close the night with a bang and the return of pianist Godwin Friesen. Friesen won the 2022 OSM Competition and now brings his award-winning performance of Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto home to Saskatoon!
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The Program
Sask Celebration
William Rowson, conductor
Véronique Mathieu, violin
Godwin Friesen, piano
Saskatoon Youth Orchestra, Richard Carnegie
Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra
Suite for the Prairies
Andrew Kesler
Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47
I. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio di molto
III. Allegro, ma non tanto
Jean Sibelius
~Intermission~
Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 26
I. Andante. Allegro
II. Tema con variazioni
III. Allegro, ma non troppo
Serge Prokofiev
The Artists
William Rowson, conductor
Conductor William Rowson is hailed as one of Canada’s most compelling and versatile young artists. He has worked with orchestras across Canada and currently serves as the Artistic and Executive…
Godwin Friesen, piano
An impassioned pianist who infuses his performances with emotion, Godwin seems to embody every note he plays, and his sentiment resonates in his listeners. In 2022, he took first place…
Véronique Mathieu, violin
Described as a violinist with ‘chops to burn, and rock solid musicianship’ (The Whole Note, TORONTO), Canadian violinist Véronique Mathieu enjoys an exciting career as a soloist, chamber musician, and music…
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This concert also includes:
Violin – Nova Wong, Brandon Johnson, Alexa Arnyek
Keyboard – Michelle Aalders
Saskatoon Youth Orchestra
Richard Carnegie SYO Music Director
Mehtab Bath, Viola
Hamish Bell, Percussion
Natalie Berzolla, Violin
Cameron Breiter, Double bass
Georgia Bruce, Violin
Katherine Chang, Flute
Jonathan Chen, Cello
Luc Cunningham, Bass
Megan Davies, Oboe
Celestino de Pedro, Clarinet
Ada DeLathouwer, Trombone
Karnaukh Denys, viola
Juliana Fields, Clarinet
Grayson Fritz, Flute/pic
Parham Golshenas, Violin
Kayley Grant, Violin
Emily Gunson, Violin
Julia Gunson, violin
Daly Haas, Trumpet
Geoffrey Hamm, Violin
Tyrell Hardlotte, Oboe
Hanna Hashi, Trumpet
Mina He, Violin
Royce Hermanson, Trumpet
Pio Herrera, Cello
Ashlynn Hill, Flute/piccolo
Nyah Hopkins, French horn
Tina Hou, Cello
Alexander Johnson, French Horn
Gurleen Kaur, Flute
James Kim, Clarinet
Maia Kryachko, Violin
Alara Lutz, Violin
Jose Manlapaz, Bassoon
Dmitri Masich, Percussion
Zaide Masich, Cello
Elizabeth Mortson, Trombone
Olivia Nasr, Flute
Eszter Nemeth, Violin
Fiyinfoluwa Oyedeji, Flute
Kayella Robertson, Percussion
Elisha Ruo, Violin
Tailor Schubert, Violin
Garrett Schwab, Trombone
Sable Scott, French Horn
Maria Shevyakova, Violin
Jonathan Tait, Bassoon
Michael Tirkajla, Violin
Siena Tivy, Violin
Thomas Vaquer, Cello
Sabine Wagner, Oboe
Richard Wang, Violin
Kate Wright, Violin
Mingya Yang, cello
Nialan Young, Violin
Ryan Zhang, French horn
Ziqin Zhao, Clarinet
Chelsea Zhou, Violin
Alexandra Zhu, Cello
Angelina Zhu, Violin
Special Thanks
Program Notes
The Saskatoon Youth Orchestra
The Saskatoon Youth Orchestra Inc. serves elementary, high school, and university students from Saskatoon and surrounding communities, and consists of two programs. The Saskatoon Youth Orchestra is a full orchestra…
Andrew Kesler, composer
Andrew Kesler (b. 1988) Andrew Kesler is an award-winning Canadian musician, composer, orchestrator and producer based in Los Angeles and is a founding member of the international jazz vocal group Accent….
Suite for the Prairies
Suite for the Prairies (for Symphony Orchestra) – 2021 Composed by Andrew Kesler Kesler shares the following thoughts on his composition: My career has provided me many unique and wonderful opportunities…
Music Talk – Sask Celebration
Guest host, and SSO principal flute, Joey (Xiaoying) Zhuang sits down to chat with Sask Celebration conductor William Rowson on Tuesday, March 19th, live from the McNally Robinson Travel Alcove….
Celebrating the Future
Celebrating the Future A New Donor Appreciation Gala for Season 94! I cannot imagine my life without music. I turn to music when I want to celebrate. I rely on…
Jean Sibelius, composer
Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, née Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, was born on December 8th, 1865 in Hämeenlinna (Swedish: Tavastehus) in the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous part of the…
Join us at the Hub
The concert ends, you exit TCU Place, and you’re still brimming with excitement after such a fabulous evening. Where to next? Cross the street and join us over at the…
What’s happening at the Bassment
The Bassment is one of Canada’s premier jazz clubs and provides musicians of all skill levels a venue to showcase their talents in front of a live audience while accessing…
