We want to share a few photos from last Monday’s masterclasses and concert with the amazing Pacifica Quartet and Cantaré Children's Choir. Thanks to each member of the Pacifica for participating in free public masterclasses with Calgary’s talented music students from School of Creative and Performing Arts and Mount Royal University Conservatory. Thank you to Catherine Glaser-Climie and her impressive Cantaré Children's Choir for their riveting performances in our season opening concerts that marked the Canadian premiere of James Lee III's “Pitch In,” a beautiful work inspiring our audience to action to address food insecurity on campus. Thanks to our many concert-goers who brought nonperishable items to donate to the University of Calgary Student Union. Thanks to our concert co-sponsor Louise Moore, one of our longest supporters of Calgary Pro Musica. Our concert was sponsored in honour and memory of Enid Higham, whose children, partners and grandchildren traveled from around Canada to attend Monday’s concert. Thanks to Neuhoff Capital Corporation and the Edmonton Community Foundation for being our season co-sponsors and to our season sponsor Tristram Chivers. What a terrific start to our 49th season. We look forward to welcoming you at our first Horizons Series concert with Dreamers' Circus on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 PM. #calgarychambermusic #chambermusicyyc #cpmmastersseries (fb)

Bravo to the Pacifica Quartet and Cantaré Children's Choir led by Catherine Glaser-Climie on your outstanding season opening concert Sunday night at the Rozsa Centre. After Samuel Barber wrote the second movement of his Quartet in B Minor, Op. 11, in 1936, he wrote to Orlando Cole, cellist of the Curtis String Quartet, "I have just finished the slow movement of my quartet today (and) it is a knockout!” This movement, which Barber later scored for full orchestra and which has become the famous “Adagio for Strings,” is a salve for our turbulent times. It allowed our audience to take a collective breath and to listen closely to this deeply emotional piece whose haunting melody passes from violin to viola and cello before a powerful climax, a dramatic pause and a somber return of the theme. This piece acts as a calming and contemplative start to the program that also explores the issue of food insecurity. James Lee III’s thought-provoking, beautiful and effective piece (its Canadian premiere), heard with the fabulous Cantaré Children’s Choir, implores people to “pitch in” because “People are hungry, yet people continue to waste food.” Thank you to so many of the concert-goers for bringing non-perishable food donations for the University of Calgary’s Student Union. Dvorak’s American Quartet was unsurprisingly the crowd favourite of the evening. After a standing ovation, we were treated to an encore: a cheeky tango by Piazzolla. You can catch this concert again tonight at 7:30 PM. Arrive at 6:45 PM to catch the pre-concert talk with Dr. Kenneth DeLong. Stay after for a free post-concert reception with the musicians. Purchase tickets online at calgarypromusica.ca and or at the Rozsa Centre Box Office starting at 6:30 PM. Adults: $48, Seniors/Under 30: $38, Student Rush: $5, Musicians’ Union: $15 All are welcome to to join for free, public masterclasses with each of the quartet’s four musicians: violinist Simin Ganatra, violist Mark Holloway and cellist Brandon Vamos at Mount Royal University Conservatory and Austin Hartman at the University of Calgary’s Rozsa Centre UCalgary Arts. #cpmmastersseries #calgarychambermusic (fb)