Feats of speed, skill and\u00a0stamina will be on full display this weekend at the Centennial Concert Hall as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra presents The Orchestra Games.\u00a0Over the course of the hour-long performance, musicians will\u00a0represent\u00a0different nations to\u00a0showcase\u00a0their strengths on the musical world stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI find that most people don\u2019t know that musicians themselves are also incredible athletes,\u201d says the WSO\u2019s RBC Assistant Conductor Monica Chen, \u201cbecause music itself requires such incredible precision,\u00a0skill\u00a0and muscle training,\u00a0too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Different skillsets from different nations\u00a0<\/p>\n
Similar to\u00a0how countries competing in the actual Olympic Games may have strengths in certain events, so too does the music of a country have a distinct, shining characteristic that gives it renown on the world stage. Those characteristics will be on display\u00a0largely through\u00a0folk song arrangements that Chen and the WSO have curated for The Orchestra Games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this concert really blends both the incredible skill of the musicians as well as the cultures of the various countries that we\u2019re visiting,\u201d says Chen,\u00a0adding that\u00a0previous\u00a0iterations of this concert have been a highlight because of the reception that it gets from young people. \u201cThey\u2019re\u00a0really excited\u00a0to hear countries like the Philippines, South Korea, Nigeria, countries that they\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0often hear on the big stage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0expect to\u00a0want to hear those\u00a0big things, and they just want to hear what is relevant to them right now, and a lot of what is relevant to them right now is everyone around them and learning [that] Canada is a mosaic country.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Audience\u00a0participation a key feature\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alongside\u00a0showcasing\u00a0the orchestra\u2019s musical athleticism, Chen also has plans to get the audience involved in The Orchestra Games.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve built in some rhythmic activities for them, some choral activities for them that they can try just to really feel a part of the symphony,\u201d she says, adding that\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a good way\u00a0to keep younger audience members engaged in the onstage proceedings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The audience\u2019s involvement also solidifies that The Orchestra Games are more about the deeper ethic that\u00a0also underlines the Olympic Games: global unity. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0less so a competition between all the different countries, but\u00a0rather celebrating\u00a0all of them together,\u201d smiles Chen.\u00a0<\/p>\n