Manitoba Live Music Event

About

MCO tour de force concert — an intimate showcase
with Karl Stobbe & Rachel Kristenson

The Manitoba Chamber Orchestra is “Canada’s tiny, perfect chamber orchestra” (Toronto Star). We say it often in our communications, and from time to time we can’t resist shining a spotlight directly on the esteemed musicians who work closely with the MCO.

In this tour de force concert we do just that, with blistering solos from “master soloist” (London’s Sunday Times) and MCO concertmaster Karl Stobbe, and from Rachel Kristenson, who often sits second principal violin with the MCO. It will be an intimate affair in the marvellous setting of Westminster United Church.

Much could be said about the quirky form of Haydn’s 45th Symphony. But perhaps the quirkiest thing of all is what inspired its composition. Haydn and his gang of musicians had been cooped up for much longer than expected in Prince Esterhazy’s summer home, and were dying to go home and see their families. Rather than appeal directly to the Prince for sabbatical, Haydn implanted the request in the music itself. During the final movement, each musician puts down their instrument, blows out the candle on their music stand, and leaves the stage in turn. The Prince took the hint, as the next morning the musicians woke up to discover carriages waiting to deliver them home.

Our March concert also includes Mozart’s beloved 29th symphony and the premiere of two new works commissioned through our New Concerto Project. One is a double violin concerto by the brilliant JUNO Award winner Vivian Fung, whose music is celebrated for integrating non-Western folk music, Tibetan chant, and Brazilian rhythms. The other is a work by Kevin Lau, a prolific composer of orchestral, chamber, ballet, and film music, who studied with composer Christos Hatzis, another long-time MCO collaborator.

A superb concert that will inspire pride in some of Canada’s top musicians and composers.

Our concert soloists

Karl Stobbe is one of Canada’s most accomplished violinists, and the MCO’s Concertmaster. Noted for his generous, rich sound, and long, poignant phrasing, he is described by London’s Sunday Times as “a master soloist, recalling the golden age of violin playing — producing a breathtaking range of tone colours.” Karl has performed in many of North America’s most famous concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, the National Arts Centre, Roy Thompson Hall, Segerstrom Hall, and the Chan Centre.

Rachel Kristenson is Concertmaster of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra in Kelowna and often sits Principal Second Violin with the MCO. Mrs. Kristenson graduated from the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music with Bachelors and Masters degrees in Violin performance, and has performed with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Symphony New Brunswick, Symphony Nova Scotia, Fairbanks (Alaska) Symphony, and others.

Tickets, at $35 for adults, $33 for seniors and $15 for students and those under-30 (incl. GST), are available at McNally Robinson, Organic Planet (877 Westminster Ave), and on MCO’s Ticketline at 204-783-7377.