SNB Launches Dynamic 40th Season with Enthralling “Bravo” Series
Symphony New Brunswick (SNB) is pleased to announce details of its upcoming 2023-24 season. This landmark 40thAnniversary season features the return of Maestra Mélanie Léonard for her third year at the helm as Music Director. Over the course of the season, Dr. Léonard will lead the orchestra in its signature “Bravo” series, six triumphant programs to be performed in each of Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John.
The season kicks off with the return of SNB's crowd-pleasing “Chart Toppers”, once again hosted by well-known singer/songwriter Hilary Ladd. The program showcases another top-10 countdown of the most popular orchestral selections of all time, with a line-up that includes music by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Mendelssohn, and Gershwin, among others.
In October, “Bruch & Brahms” features a beguiling performance of Max Bruch’s seductive Violin Concerto No. 1 by world-renowned violinist (and Itzhak Perlman disciple) Adrian Anantawan. The program opens with a new, full orchestra arrangement of Heather Schmidt's exciting River Run, which was commissioned by Dr. Mary Pedersen for its world premiere here in New Brunswick in 2023. The program concludes with the orchestra charming the heart with Brahms’ compelling Symphony No. 2.
In November, SNB welcomes virtuoso pianist and CBC “Hot 30 Under 30” headliner Victoria Wong for “Clockworks", featuring mesmerizing music from the cinematic masterpiece The Hours. Other timeless and timely pieces on the program include Haydn's Symphony no.101 ("Clock"), the world premiere of Sandman Lullaby Variations by Canadian composer Christian Girard, and Chopin's famous Minute Waltz.
The second half of the season opens in early March with “Symphonic Jazz", starring Juno Award winner Joel Millerand his combo for an exciting evening of jazz standards, old and new. In addition to a 10-piece set of original music by Joel Miller, the orchestra takes to the stage with toe-tapping favourites by Mancini, Gershwin, Bernstein, and Thelonius Monk.
Just in time for spring, SNB partners once again with Choeur Louisbourg for “Mozart's Requiem” as they bring this marvelous and mysterious masterpiece to life. Featured in the enchanting solo roles are soprano Innu Élisabeth St-Gelais, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Cuddy, tenor Owen McCausland, and bass Branden Olsen. The program opens with Mozart’s revered Symphony no. 40 – a first for Symphony New Brunswick and perfectly apropos for SNB’s 40thAnniversary celebration!
Finally, the season wraps up in May with “Echoes of Beethoven”, SNB's salute to heroism. The program features Beethoven’s mighty Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”), piano soloist Emmanuel Laforest, (winner of the 2023 CANIMEX Canadian Music Competition), and opens with Kelly-Marie Murphy's On Rethinking Heroism in the 21st Century.Bravo, indeed!
“We’re tremendously excited to welcome back Maestra Léonard to present our sensational fortieth season to the people of New Brunswick,” says SNB President Reid Parker. “Mélanie has compiled a series of riveting, vibrant programs that are sure to delight and enthrall audiences all across the province. We’re confident that our fortieth season will be our most memorable ever, even as we look forward to enchanting our listeners for many years to come!”