Our first production of the new year is Songs & Dances; a vibrant concert experience of folk tunes & moving melodies. This performance will be available to view online starting at 7:30 pm on Friday, January 15, and will remain accessible until Saturday, February 13. Pending the safe reopening of movie theatres as per health regulations, we are also hoping to have in-person film screenings on Sunday, February 7 at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm in the Paramount Theatre.

Recorded back in November, Songs & Dances includes a program of string orchestra works inspired by folk songs, moving from the sweeping, lush sounds of Canadian composers Marjan Mozetich, John Burge, and Bill Douglas, to the stirring and beautiful dances in the works of Hungarian composers Leó Weiner and Béla Bartók. Songs & Dances also features the KSO’s principal flute and oboe players, Heather Beaty and Marea Chernoff, as soloists.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Heather Beaty has been playing the flute since the age of five and has earned both her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from UBC. She has studied and performed across Canada and Europe, and regularly performs with several orchestras and chamber music ensembles throughout BC. Heather has recently established the Seagrass Music Society which aims to demystify and modernize the way in which audiences consume classical music, and seeks to amplify female, non-binary, queer, BIPOC composers and performers. Heather will be the soloist in John Burge’s ethereal Forgotten Dreams for solo flute and string orchestra.

Also born and raised in Vancouver, Marea Chernoff is an active freelance musician with a Bachelor of Music degree from UBC and a Master of Music degree from Boston University. In addition to being the KSO’s principal oboist she frequently performs with several orchestras and other musical ensembles throughout BC. Marea is very actively involved in early music and historical performance, playing Baroque and classical oboe and recorder. She is also a dedicated educator and is on faculty at several schools, colleges, and universities in the Lower Mainland. Marea will be the soloist in Bill Douglas’ Songs & Dances for solo oboe and string orchestra, which features tunes from tangos, jigs and folksongs.

Tickets for the online performance of Songs & Dances are $15 for Individuals and $25 for a Household Pass, with a special $5 COVID price available as well. Tickets for the in-person film screenings at the Paramount Theatre are $20 each. All tickets can be purchased from Kamloops Live! Box Office at 250-374-5483 or www.kamloopslive.ca.

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