When Longfellow wrote that “Music is the universal language of mankind,” he could well have been talking about The Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra’s season opener – East Meets West. This unique blend of musical traditions from China and the West builds on the tremendous success of the premiere East Meets West performance in our 2015-2016 program.
For the Western part of the programming, the SPO will perform the Theme and Variations from the Suite No. 3 by Tchaikovsky, the Poet and Peasant Overture by von Suppe and In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt by Grieg. These works will showcase the versatile solo and ensemble skills of the Orchestra.
To represent traditional Eastern/Chinese culture, the SPO will feature Yiping Chao, an amazing soprano and a cellist in the SPO. She will sing a collection of Chinese folk songs and arts songs, for soprano and orchestra. These songs aim to support the popularization of Chinese folk songs in the GTA. Ms. Chao will also sing an aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Baritone Wu Yun will sing the Tordeador Song from Bizet’s Carmen and will join Yiping Chao for a few other songs.
The SPO is commissioning Kevin Zi-Xiao He, a young graduate student from the University of Toronto, to compose Beyond the Gate of Supreme Harmony. This work will serve as a link between Eastern and Western musical traditions.
East Meets West
September 26, 2015, 8:00 p.m.
Salvation Army Scarborough Citadel, 2021 Lawrence Avenue East (at Warden)
