The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is bringing their beautiful orchestral sounds into the open air once again this summer.
Select ensembles of musicians have already played free concerts in Devon, Fort Saskatchewan, and Beaumont. Next up, Stony Plain and Castle Downs!
Cosette Justo Valdés, Resident ESO Conductor, is the conductor of the ESO Outdoors series. When we reached her, she was in the midst of rehearsals for the concerts.
“I’m excited about the variety of the program,” she says. “There are these pieces that are quite serious and then there are pieces that are more pop repertoire, by Lennon and McCartney, we’re doing some Latin American music, a waltz. It’s just fun for the audience. It’s a whole journey.”
The outdoor concerts have a totally different vibe than the orchestra’s usual space – the beautiful Winspear Centre concert hall.
“Inside, it’s more serious,” Justo Valdés says. “It doesn’t mean it’s more meaningful or more important, it’s just the quality, the character. Inside the acoustics are perfect and there is more silence. Outside it’s more relaxed, people can bring their children, there will be noises, there will be dogs, there will be nature.”
“The wind takes our scores sometimes and we have to chase them,” she continues, laughing. “We’re more prepared for the unexpected, we embrace it.”
One memory stands out.
“I remember our soloist, Eric Buchmann, was playing, and the wind was really aggressive. I had stand by him, to hold his stand with my left hand and then was conducting with the other hand until the end of the piece. It was fun, it was like, ‘okay, here’s the challenge!’”
It created a focused atmosphere, she says, as the audience watched the added excitement unfold.
“It’s never boring. Never! Not with live performance. Anything can happen,’ she says.
The outdoor shows are also special because the audience and the musicians can interact more. People can come and meet the orchestra members and share what they loved about the show.
“It’s important for classical musicians to experience this type of more chill presentations of programs so we remember also that we do this for fun, for connection with people, and for entertainment.”
After shows in Devon, Fort Saskatchewan and Beaumont, ESO Outdoors has one show remaining, one in Stony Plain on August 25. And the fresh-air orchestra excitement doesn’t end there for Edmonton! Symphony Under the Sky at Snow Valley takes place August 21-24 and Symphony in the Square in Churchill Square is August 30-31.
