The Prince George Symphony Orchestra presents its latest Mainstage show, The Prince George Symphony Sessions: Shun uts’utejun on Saturday, April 15th at Vanier Hall.
This performance will feature local singer-songwriters Amy Blanding, Rachelle van Zanten, and Kym Gouchie all sharing the stage with the PGSO in this celebration of local music and musicians. All three women are well known to local audiences for their artistry and community activism. Despite working in different genres, the three are also frequent collaborators in performances around the region.
The collaboration was made possible by support from MyPG Community Grants and the Prince George Community Foundation, which allowed the PGSO to commission new orchestral arrangements of nine original songs by the songwriters. The arrangements were made by local composer and PGSO principal clarinetist Simon Cole. Cole has a decades long history of writing music inspired by northern landscapes which have been performed widely across Canada.
“This concert demonstrates that orchestral and popular music have so many similarities: they both make us feel strong emotions, they both bring us together in our shared humanity and both rejuvenate our soul,” said PGSO Music Director Michael Hall. “We have loved this opportunity to combine our different musical skillsets. As the concert title suggests, it is a joy to play music together.”
Shun uts’utejun is a Lheidli T’enneh phrase that means playing music together. It reflects the deeply collaborative nature of this project, showcasing the talents of every section of the orchestra, a three-piece band, and three vocalists from different genres.
Fans of classical, indigenous, folk or rock music will come together to appreciate the shared artistry of northern B.C. artists at Vanier Hall this Saturday night.
Prince George Symphony Sessions: Shun uts’utejen is sponsored by Telus. Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. (Vanier Hall) — Tickets and more information at PGSO.com