Your ESO Gears Up for a Spectacular Summer Season

By Micha Oostenbrink

Grab your hat and lawn chair – your Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is getting ready for another summer full of music!

From August 15-25, ESO Outdoors, presented by RE/MAX, returns to bring live orchestral music into your community. Now in its fourth year, the popular series will make the same stops as last year in Devon, Fort Saskatchewan, Beaumont, Stony Plain, and Castle Downs Park in Edmonton. Over the years, ESO Outdoors has flourished into an accessible, community-building event where anyone can experience the magic of live orchestral music.

This year, members of your ESO will be performing works by beloved composers including Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Brahms, as well as other special treats, like The Devil Went Down to Georgia and music by The Beatles. ESO Resident Conductor Cosette Justo Valdés will lead the orchestra, along with a variety of soloists from the ESO. ESO Outdoors concerts are free, but we kindly ask that you consider making a donation online or in person to help ensure we can continue to provide these performances for the community.

Symphony Under the Sky returns to Snow Valley this year due to the ongoing closure of Hawrelak Park. From August 21-24, the festival, presented by RE/MAX, will feature audience favourite conductor Bob Bernhardt as he takes your ESO through two enchanting programs over four days.

Hear Mozart’s treasured “Jupiter” symphony, Rossini’s quirky Overture to The Barber of Seville, and two thrilling solos by ESO Concertmaster Robert Uchida on August 21 and 23, and gorgeous pieces centered around the theme of love and romance on August 22 & 24. Grab a bite to eat at the food trucks on site and enjoy an evening in the great outdoors – don't forget to bring your blanket or festival-height chair.

Finally, after the success of last year, your ESO is thrilled to present Symphony in the Square again in downtown Edmonton on August 30 and 31. This year will feature two free performances of Disney in Concert Once Upon a Time in Churchill Square with conductor Bob Bernhardt and four Broadway-calibre singers. Symphony in the Square is the ultimate can’t-miss event to end the summer, with music from Encanto, Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Tangled, The Lion King, and many more fun surprises. Arrive early and bring the whole family downtown for some fun festivities and enjoy an evening out!

Visit WinspearCentre.com/Summer for more information on all of our summer concerts.