SSO gives gift of music to families with Disney’s Frozen Live in Concert
“When you go to the symphony the music feels really close to you. You feel it in your heart.”
It’s a gateway to a love of orchestral music.
My entire life I’ve loved live performance. As a kid, there were band and choir concerts, music festivals and anytime the local arts council brought shows to town, I was firmly planted in my seat. I knew when I had kids, I wanted to share the joy and wonder of the musical world with them. Luckily, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra had my back.
“I love Frozen and when we go to the symphony, the music feels really close to you. You feel it in your heart.”
Katie and I at the SSO’s presentation of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Live in Concert. (2020)
While they may not be ready to sit through a traditional orchestra performance just yet, there is always a couple concerts that are a “must see” for my kids. For several years now, we’ve been making our way to the concert hall to experience the magic of music paired with animation they already know and love. On Saturday March 18th at TCU Place, the Zapshalla family will be singing along to Disney’s Frozen Live in Concert. When I asked my 8 year-old Katie if I should get tickets, she didn’t miss a beat.
“I want to go SUPER badly,” she says. “I love Frozen and when we go to the symphony, the music feels really close to you. You feel it in your heart.”
As the SSO’s CEO and Creative Producer says, “There’s nothing like hearing an orchestra in full flight.” Paired with world-wide hits like Let It Go, it’s easy to see how this concert will connect with a new generation of audience members. For those who’ve never been to a performance like this the concept is simple. As Frozen plays on a large movie screen, conductor Martin MacDonald will lead the SSO in performing the score.
Guest conductor Martin MacDonald will lead the SSO’s performance of Disney’s Frozen Live in Concert. (Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra)
“This really is an experience like no other. To be able to experience a live orchestra accompanying a film is something everyone should do,” says MacDonald. “There are so many nuances and complexities within the score you may not have noticed before and now, with the orchestra live, you’ll be able to experience it all in a really unique way.”
MacDonald says he’s thrilled for this performance and is flying his wife and daughter, also a Frozen fan, in from Toronto for the concert.
Katie has already started to plan her costume (she has a couple in the closet) and since I told her we had tickets, my little Elsa has been running around singing the tunes. When I asked her what she’d say to people who weren’t sure about coming, her recommendation was simple.
“I’d tell them it’s awesome!” She explains, “When I brought one of my friends the last time she liked it a lot. I mean who wouldn’t like the symphony?”
The SSO just announced plans for the 2023/24 season and she demanded to go through the program and make plans. It seems I have a new concert buddy.
Mission accomplished!
