Our next pair of concerts are taking place back-to-back with our final Kelson Group Pops performance of the Season, Thorgy & The Thorchestra, on Thursday & Friday, March 30 & 31 in Sagebrush Theatre, followed immediately by our penultimate Noran Masterworks concert of the Season, Brahms' Requiem, on Saturday, April 1 in Sagebrush Theatre, and then again on Sunday, April 2 in The Nexus at First, capping off our Salmon Arm Series for the Season.
Come Through for a one-of-a-kind, fierce, and fabulous theatrical orchestra experience showcasing legendary RuPaul’s Drag Race All Star, Thorgy Thor. Thorgy & the Thorchestra features a variety of hits, some traditional, and some not so much. Befitting the uniqueness of this concert, each performance will begin a little later than usual with an 8:00 pm start time.
Multi-instrumentalist and drag performer Thorgy Thor is based in New York City. Since appearing on season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and All Stars season 3, Thorgy has been bringing her trademark wit, sense of humour, and musical charm to audiences around the world. Thorgy uses unconventional recording materials and music to create unique performances for theatre, film, cabaret, and nightlife entertainment. She is an explosive performer who loves to create collaborative performance art that combines drag, music, and comedy. In 2018 the show Thorgy & the Thorchestra was created in collaboration with Canadian conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, blending orchestra performances of traditional and modern classical repertoire and contemporary pop songs. Since then, Thorgy has taken the Thorchestra program to audiences around the globe.

We are thrilled to be putting on this one-of-a-kind experience, especially here in Kamloops. Our hopes are to drastically subvert the expectations of what an orchestra concert can be, bring a whole new crowd to the Sagebrush, and have a blast while doing so! Everyone at the KSO is excited to share the stage with fierce and fabulous multi-disciplinary artist Thorgy Thor. You can expect to hear Tchaikovsky and Rossini as much as music from Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. One thing is certain: Thorgy will light the stage with her incredible energy, spontaneity, and love of music. You won't want to Sashay Away from this concert!
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Johannes Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem (or “A German Requiem”) is widely considered to be one of the most iconic choral pieces of the classical repertoire. The piece traces a journey of grief: there is sorrow, anger, and pain, but also warmth, brightness, and calm. The texts he chose, very different from the typical texts for the Catholic Mass of the Dead, seem intended to soothe those who mourn. We start in darkness, find a hazy light, and end in a sort of acceptance. Also unlike the standard Latin requiem, Brahms didn’t include any vengeance or judgement, placing human suffering in the foreground and omitting much of the religious imagery. Brahms reportedly told a friend of his that he could happily omit the “German” from the title and simply say “Human.”
Because you cannot perform an iconic choral work without a choir, the orchestra will be joined once again by the KSO Chorus. The KSO Chorus provides local singers with the opportunity to perform masterworks for choir and orchestra in concert with the Kamloops Symphony, and is led by Chorus Master Tomas Bijok. The other guest artists for this concert are soprano soloist Emma Jang and baritone soloist Micah Schroeder.

Emma Jang is a Vancouver-based singer who recently completed her M.Mus in Opera Performance at UBC. She has performed in numerous roles with UBC Opera, in addition to performing in collaboration with organizations such as Opera West, Bard on the Beach, Opera Unbound, and Players & Singers. Emma was a recipient of this year’s Tony and Hildegard Cavelti Foundation Award, which was distributed as part of the Vancouver Opera Foundation Bursary Program.

Micah Schroeder is a graduate of the opera studio of Opéra de Lyon, the Vancouver Opera Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program, and the Opera Idaho Young Artist Program. In addition to performing in numerous traditional opera roles he is also a champion of contemporary repertoire, and recently curated and created the documentary film DENKMAL as an Artist-in-Residence for Pacific Opera Victoria. Micah has been a featured performer with the Aspen Opera Centre, Banff Centre, Against the Grain Theatre, Saskatoon Opera, Vancouver Symphony, and is making his second appearance with the KSO.
Featuring two amazing soloists and presented in its chamber orchestration, Brahms’ Requiem will be an occasion to hear the chorus in its most exciting challenge since our sold-out performance of Carmina Burana, years ago.
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