Lucas Waldin is passionate about education and outreach, and he’s particularly interested in the work of contemporary and Canadian composers.
As he prepares to lead a special tribute to composer Ennio Morricone, we asked him about that concert, and about the path that led him to his role as Artist-in-Residence and Community Ambassador with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
Where did your musical education begin, and when did you begin to study conducting?
I began playing the recorder when I was five years old, continuing with the flute when I was eight. After finishing my undergraduate studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, I started studying conducting, also at the Cleveland Institute.
Do you have a favourite composer to conduct?
John Williams, Alan Menken, Jeremy Dutcher.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
Cycling. I have a road bike that packs into a suitcase, and I take it whenever I travel for concerts.
What can people expect in the ESO’s special concert, “A Fistful of Film Scores,” which is a tribute to composer Ennio Morricone?
Morricone is one of the best known composers of film music. Many of his iconic scores were for Westerns, such as Once Upon a Time in the West, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. He also wrote memorable scores for films such as Cinema Paradiso and The Mission. This concert celebrates Morricone’s music with the full ESO, joined by the combined choirs of Greenwood Singers and All Points West Chamber Choir.
Would you choose a piece of music to send out to the CKUA audience?
The theme from Cinema Paradiso, performed on the violin.
Thank you so much to Lucas Waldin for sharing these thoughts with us.
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