Image
Summary
The Regina Symphony Orchestra’s (RSO) first Pops concert of the 2019-2020 season is Jeremy Dutcher with the RSO on Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Conexus Arts Centre.
The music of Dutcher, a tenor and composer, occupies space in the classical and traditional, operatic power and the tuneful melodies of his Wolastoq First Nation. His debut album, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, was selected as the Canadian album of the year by an 11-member grand jury of journalists and music industry figures and received the prestigious 2018 Polaris Music Prize.
Performer, composer, activist, musicologist, these roles are all infused into Dutcher’s art and way of life. His music transcends boundaries. It is unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day struggles of resistance.
A member of Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, Dutcher first took music studies in Halifax before taking a chance to work in the archives at the Canadian Museum of History, painstakingly transcribing Wolastoq songs from 110-year-old wax cylinders, which became the inspiration for his debut album.
Dutcher is no stranger to Regina as he performed here at the inaugural RSO’s Forward Currents Festival in the spring of 2018 with the Regina Symphony Chamber Players.
“We are excited to welcome Jeremy Dutcher back to Regina and to perform his work at the first Pops concert of the season,” said Music Director Gordon Gerrard. “His voice and music are really unlike anything many in our audience will have heard before and we are honoured to have him in Regina as part of his North American symphony tour.”
Tickets are available at reginasymphony.com and the RSO Box Office 306-586-9555.
There will be a pre-concert presentation by Edward Doolittle from First Nations University at 6:45 p.m. in the Theatre Lobby. Doolittle created the game Screeble, which is a tailored version of Scrabble so that the game can be played in Cree rather than English.
The RSO’s Pops series features the best film scores, Broadway hits and favourite pop tunes – all featuring the full orchestra with renowned guest performers. There are four other Pops series concerts this season:
- Home Alone in Concert on Dec.14. (The RSO will screen the movie and the orchestra will play the entire soundtrack live to the film!);
- Saskatchewan’s own Belle Plaine and the RSO on Feb. 15, 2020;
- The True Jive Pluckers with guest conductor and former RSO conductor Victor Sawa on March 21, 2020; and,
- An Evening with Pink Floyd: The Wall and the Dark Side of the Moon on May 2, 2020 (Jeans 'n Classics interprets the music of legendary rock group Pink Floyd.)