If last week was all about getting the jazz, this week is about pushing the boundaries of classical music with the Centric Music Festival, June 24-28.
Most of the concerts happen at CASA.
Artistic Director Jesse Plessis is excited about the expanded third annual event featuring talented musicians from Lethbridge to Mexico.
“ We’re a lot bigger this yea
r. We have eight concerts planned,” he said.
The concerts feature concerts from the classics as well as more contemporary works.
“It’s a multi-course meal,” Plessis described.
“So you’ll have all of these tastes that are different but they complement each other,” said Plessis, a talented pianist in his own right who will be playing fewer of the concerts this year, preferring to showcase the other musicians on the bill.
” I play here all the time,” Plessis continued.
“ I want to step back and give some of the other people the spotlight. So it will be nice to sit back and just listen,” he said, noting the festival is also a great opportunity for him to reconnect with old friends.
He played a couple of times at CASA on the weekend during the SOAR festival and Lt. Governor’s Awards and played a solo show at CASA the week before. He also performs semi-regularly at Plum.
He is excited about the first show of the festival — a tribute to Schubert.
The Centric Festival begins June 24 at CASA at 8 p.m. with Schubertiade, which will feature composer Brian Black with singers Ruth Phillips and Ian Fundytus and Plessis playing piano.
“Schubert is one of the great Viennese composers,” Plessis observed.
He noted there are a lot of familiar faces from previous Centric festivals includingCalgary based bass baritone Ian Fundytus, Aguascalientes, Mexico based pianist/ composer Luis Ramirez and Winnipeg based pianist / composer Theresa Thordarson who performs a lot on her own and with Winnipeg’s the Bison duo.
There are plenty of Lethbridge musicians involved including pianist composer Brian Black, composer Rolf Boon, Arlan Schultz, D Andrew Stewart, recording engineer Nicholas Goodman, pianist Bente Hansen, cellist Kris Hodgson, vocalist Mwansa Mwansa, sopranos Ruth Phillips and Martha Renner as well as the Christopher Byman Centric Festival Orchestra which is an ad hoc group of Lethbridge musicians put together just for this festival and the Incanto singers. Plus festival manager Shelby Thevenot.
The second concert will be a Thursday afternoon jam session at Plum featuring Heather Jean Jordan. It will feature original works and some of the other Centric performers.
Plessis is also pumped about the third concert — Celestial Mechanics at CASA, Thursday night at 8 p.m..
“ All of the pieces are related to space travel and physics, ” he said.
Plessis will be joined by pianists Theresa Thordarson and Luis Ramirez who perform pieces inspired by science, mathematics , physics and astronomy including the world premieres of new Luis Ramirez and Plessis works based on the works of Carl Sagan and astronomer Neil Degrasse. The concert will include selections from the movie Interstellar.
There will be a free concert in the Galt Gardens pergola, Friday, June 26 at 2 p.m. featuring the pianists performing classics by the greats like Mozart, Chopin and Beethoven.
Friday night features the fifth concert — Sonatas and So-Not-a-Sonata at CASA at 8 p.m.
The Bison Duo, aka clarinetist Christopher Byman and pianist Theresa Thordarson will perform Johannes Brahms’ Sonata No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 120 for clarinet.
In the second half, Banff based vocalist Heather Jean Jordan will join them for a selection of cabaret style musical theatre hits from Kurt Weill, Cole Porter and Tom Lehrer.
Lethbridge composers will be featured during a Saturday afternoon concert at CASA at 2 p.m. June 27 at CASA.
Plessis is also looking forward to the seventh concert — Antiphones and Images at CASA where Kathy Matkin Clapton’s Incanto Singers perform choral works for split choir. Theresa Thordarson and Luis Ramirez will be performing French and German masterworks for piano including Images by Claude Debussy and Beethoven’s Sonata No 30, Op 109 in E Major.
The festival winds up on Sunday night with the Symphony of SorrowfulSongs which will focus on Polish and eastern European composers. Performances include Fryderic Chopin’s Piano Concert No. 2. Martha Renner will sing Henryk Górecki's Symphony No. 3 The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs which explores the themes of motherhood, war, separation and death.
“I’ve always had a love for Polish and Eastern European composers,” Plessis said.
The festival has become quite popular.
“ A lot of people who had never really listened to classical music before were there last year and told me to keep doing it,” Plessis said, adding the idea is to make classical music more accessible.
“It’s music for everyone. Chopin, Mozart and Beethoven were the rock stars of their time,” he said.
“So we‘re all about doing that and bringing it to everybody,” he said.
He noted the Centric Festival has also become an immediate hit for performers as well.
“ Right after this is over, I’ll get started on next year. I already have people signed up for next year,” he said.
Tickets are $10 for students, $15 for students for each show, $15 for students, $20 for the Antiphon and Images concert and Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Or weekend passes are available for $30 adults, $20 students. A full festival pass costs $65 adults. $45 students and 12 and under.
