All Events

April 27, 2012, 8:00 pm
Tommy Banks and Friends
As well as representing Alberta in the National Senate since 2000, The Hon. Tommy Banks has had an illustrious career spanning decades as an acclaimed performer, arranger, and conductor of jazz ensembles and symphonic pops shows. As the coordinator and occasional guest conductor of the ESO in the 1970s, The Hon. Tommy Banks returns to the helm of the Orchestra and is joined by close friend and internationally renowned Edmonton-based musician PJ Perry in a celebratory night of music. Alberta-based folk-pop group The Original Caste will also be featured.

April 28, 2012, 8:00 pm
Tommy Banks and Friends
As well as representing Alberta in the National Senate since 2000, The Hon. Tommy Banks has had an illustrious career spanning decades as an acclaimed performer, arranger, and conductor of jazz ensembles and symphonic pops shows. As the coordinator and occasional guest conductor of the ESO in the 1970s, The Hon. Tommy Banks returns to the helm of the Orchestra and is joined by close friend and internationally renowned Edmonton-based musician PJ Perry in a celebratory night of music. Alberta-based folk-pop group The Original Caste will also be featured.

May 4, 2012, 7:30 pm
Dreaming of Carnegie
In a unique night, the ESO presents the same program they will take to the stage of New York’s acclaimed Carnegie Hall with several outstanding soloists who hail from Edmonton. John Estacio’s Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello was written for the ESO’s inaugural performance at the Winspear Centre in 1997. Allan Gilliland’s Dreaming of the Masters III was composed for Edmonton’s celebrated trumpet virtuoso Jens Lindemann. The ESO’s new Composer in Residence Robert Rival will also write a new work for this memorable concert.

May 5, 2012, 8:00 pm
Dreaming of Carnegie
Applause Series
In a unique night, the ESO presents the same program they will take to the stage of New York’s acclaimed Carnegie Hall with several outstanding soloists who hail from Edmonton. John Estacio’s Triple Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello was written for the ESO’s inaugural performance at the Winspear Centre in 1997. Allan Gilliland’s Dreaming of the Masters III was composed for Edmonton’s celebrated trumpet virtuoso Jens Lindemann. The ESO’s new Composer in Residence Robert Rival will also write a new work for this memorable concert.

May 8, 2012, 7:30 pm
The ESO at Carnegie Hall
In celebration of its 60th season, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra has been invited to perform at New York's legendary Carnegie Hall. As part of the second annual Spring for Music festival, the ESO joins five other North American orchestras in performing a series of creative, provocative and stimulating concerts.
Learn more at ESOinNYC.com.

May 11, 2012, 7:30 pm
Just For Laughs: John Pinette
Still Hungry
A six-time Just For Laughs Festival veteran, John Pinette has been making audiences laugh for over twenty years. The food-obsessed, storytelling Pinette delivers smart, original, Bill Cosby-influenced observations on everyday life. John has toured across Canada with Just For Laughs selling out shows in all major cities and his new one-hour stand-up special John Pinette: Still Hungry premiered on July 29 on Comedy Central.

May 17, 2012, 8:00 pm
The Last Night of the Proms
Some traditions just get better with age, and the Last Night of the Proms is one of them. The yearly end of the London summer festival comes with a feast of mainstays: classical hits, exciting new music, singing traditional songs, and a special guest with remarkable talent. In the ESO’s tribute to this legendary annual event, young American soprano Mela Dailey sings Puccini, Lehár, and more. One of the ESO’s most popular guest conductors, Bob Bernhardt, is back, to turn the Winspear Centre into the Royal Albert Hall just for one night.

May 23, 2012, 7:30 pm
Bach, Haydn & Beethoven
Canadian violinist Marc Destrubé makes his ESO debut performing outstanding Violin Concertos by Bach and Leclair. Colourful programmatic works by Haydn and Beethoven will be heard in the final Midweek Classics concert of the season.

May 27, 2012, 2:00 pm
Beethoven’s Pastorale Symphony
Robert Schumann’s Cello Concerto is one of the most treasured examples of the form, and the ESO is pleased to present much sought-after David Requiro as guest soloist. After joining the ESO as a violinist, Stefan Jungkind became Principal Viola of the orchestra in 1997. He presents Romanian master Georges Enesco’s Concertpiece for Viola. The concert also includes one of the most famous celebrations of the marvels of nature, Beethoven’s “Pastorale” Symphony.

May 29, 2012, 7:30 pm
Elliot Madore
It’s difficult to resist the panache in Toronto-born baritone Elliot Madore. Winner of the 2010 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and not yet 25 years of age, he is already gaining international raves for his voice and artistry. Performing arias and songs from Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, Die tote Stadt, and Carousel with the orchestra, this rising operatic star will also present a recital of music by Schubert, Ravel, and Falla accompanied by Bill Eddins at the piano.

June 1, 2012, 8:00 pm
A Tribute to Ray Charles
The great blues master Ray Charles set the standard for greatness during a remarkable career that spanned more than five decades. This celebration features multi-instrument virtuoso, dynamic vocalist, and protégé Ellis Hall singing hits including Georgia on My Mind, Hit the Road Jack, Let the Good Times Roll, and Unchain My Heart. Having performed and recorded with musical giants like The Temptations, Patti Labelle, and Stevie Wonder, Ellis Hall will take you on a trip down memory lane with diverse music of an American legend.

June 2, 2012, 8:00 pm
A Tribute to Ray Charles
The great blues master Ray Charles set the standard for greatness during a remarkable career that spanned more than five decades. This celebration features multi-instrument virtuoso, dynamic vocalist, and protégé Ellis Hall singing hits including Georgia on My Mind, Hit the Road Jack, Let the Good Times Roll, and Unchain My Heart. Having performed and recorded with musical giants like The Temptations, Patti Labelle, and Stevie Wonder, Ellis Hall will take you on a trip down memory lane with diverse music of an American legend.

June 8, 2012, 9:30 pm
Late Night Brahms
Having grown up in Edmonton and studied piano at Alberta College and the University of Alberta, Angela Cheng is one of the world’s finest classical pianists. She has been consistently cited for her superb musicianship and brilliant technique, and is an audience favourite in her former city of residence. Joining Bill Eddins for a Late Night concert featuring the music of one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period, Angela Cheng performs Brahms’ First Piano Concerto, a showpiece of grandeur and utmost technicality. Bold in his exploration of harmony and rhythm, Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes for vocalists and piano, plus his exotic Hungarian Dances, will also be heard.

June 9, 2012, 8:00 pm
Angela Cheng plays Brahms
Encore Series
Edmonton-raised pianist Angela Cheng frequently returns to the Winspear stage to celebrate. She helps conclude the season of Masters with the powerful First Piano Concerto of Brahms, one of the most involved and expressive works for piano and orchestra ever written. By the time he composed his Third Symphony, Brahms was the highly-regarded guardian of the classical tradition passed down from Beethoven, and his F Major Symphony is rich with melody and a profound harmonic palette.