What do a retired vertebrate palaeontologist, a woodworker, a special needs teaching assistant, a full-time musician, a retired French teacher and a graphic artist have in common?
This isn't a set up for a bad joke - it is the magical world of Stars Shine Brighter on the Sunshine Coast, presented by the Coast Symphony Orchestra (CSO) on Feb. 4 and 5.
The concert features friends and neighbours from the Sunshine Coast as soloists; hence the question, what do all these diverse people have in common? Their love of music, and the joy they anticipate in sharing the solos they have chosen.
In consultation with artistic director Edette Gagné, performers John Storer, Bev Burgoyne, Danielle Stephens, Nina Headrich, Yvonne Mounsey, Kathleen Hovey and Douglas Hagerman have chosen works from Bach through Haydn to Saint-Saëns as solos and duets they will play with orchestral accompaniment.
The magic comes as the music starts, and the musicians' individual minds and histories meld together into one orchestral family. They forget who is still in high school and who taught high school a decade ago. They don't notice gender, religion or politics, because they are enthralled in the magical process of bringing music to life, as they translate the map of notation into the memories of a shared musical journey.
The CSO's light classics concert will also showcase the percussion section with a rousing opera chorus by Verdi, and will start and end with works for full orchestra from late Romantic Russia and America. With Edette's pre-concert chat and a post-concert reception of light refreshments, Stars Shine Brighter is the perfect antidote to the winter blues.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children under 12, available at Laedeli in Sunnycrest Mall, Strait Music and Bluewaters Books. The concerts are set for 2 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Sechelt Indian Band Hall and Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. at the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse Theatre.
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