The final concert of our 2021-22 Season will be taking place in the Sagebrush Theatre on Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 pm. Beethoven & Tabla is shining a light on the traditional Indian percussion instrument, the Tabla. Pairing the fresh and engaging music of Sri Lankan-Canadian composer Dinuk Wijeratne’s Tabla Concerto with the immortal beauty of Beethoven’s universally beloved Fifth Symphony this performance promises to be an exciting, cross-cultural concert experience.
Joining the orchestra on stage is percussionist Gabriel Dionne. A native of Mont-Joli, Quebec, Dionne studied percussion at the Conservatoire de Musique de Rimouski and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston. His orchestral training led him to be part of numerous ensembles, including the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Grand Opera, the Texas Opera Theatre, as well as the American Waterways Wind Orchestra with which he toured 11 European countries. Enticed by the richness of the music of North India he began studying table in 1992 with Pandit Sharda Sahaï, followed by advanced training courses with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California. Dionne has been continuously furthering his tabla studies to pursue his insatiable desire for improvement ever since.
Leading the orchestra is guest conductor Bradley Thachuk. A native of Toronto, he began his music studies at the age of 5 and holds degrees in conducting from the University of Toronto and the University of Cincinnati. He has established himself globally as one of a handful of conductors who can move between the classical and rock worlds and is a highly sought-after symphonic arranger. He has worked with artists in many genres, including Blue Rodeo, Styx, Sarah Slean, Chantal Kreviazuk, and The Beach Boys, to name just a few. Mr. Thachuk has been the music director of the Niagra Symphony Orchestra for the past 11 seasons and is also the conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s BPO Rocks! series.
Being able to program Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to end the season is a thrilling milestone for the KSO as COVID restrictions continue to ease. “We are very excited to be able to once again perform a full symphony with 46 musicians on stage for the first time since March of 2020,” said Kamloops Symphony Executive Director Daniel Mills. “We are hopeful that this is a sign of things to come for our 2022-23 Season.”
The concert is being preceded by our rescheduled presentation of iskwē & the KSO on Thursday, April 21, also in Sagebrush Theatre.
Tickets for both iskwē & the KSO and Beethoven & Tabla are $40, $15 for Youth (under 19), $15 for KSOundcheck members, and are available from Kamloops Live! Box Office. Although audiences of 100% capacity are allowed in accordance with provincial health regulations, as a courtesy to all those in attendance, automatic spacing will be added between parties upon the purchase of tickets.