It’s been a long time since Alexa Haynes-Pilon has performed in her hometown. As a “Basso Triple Threat” specializing in baroque cello, viola de gamba and bassoon, she’s in demand and spends her year performing all over the world. That makes it all the more special that she will return to perform in the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra’s Baroque Soul. Along with sharing the music she loves in the place it all began, Haynes-Pilon has another reason to celebrate.

Alexa Haynes-Pilon / Don Lassell

“It’s actually my Dad’s birthday! I’m rarely home for either of my parents birthdays so it’s why I chose this day. I guess I don’t have to give him a present now,” Haynes-Pilon jokes. “My aunts, uncles and cousins are coming in and my in-laws are driving up from Omaha. It’s going to be really special.”

“I can’t wait to show them what I’ve been up to as a baroque musician.”

After wrapping up the main stage season, the SSO is sampling what baroque has to offer with this final performance of the 2022/23 season. From her cello, Haynes-Pilon will lead the orchestra in a diverse program, everything from a baroque rock and roll show to pieces that are more serene. Composers like Vivaldi, Lully, Leo, Telemann and Handel are on the program.

“It’s like a puzzle. To truly understand baroque music, you have to dig in…”

“I love sharing baroque music with others. Showing off the different bows I use, the gut strings on my instrument that create the signature sound,” says Haynes-Pilon. “It’s like a puzzle. To truly understand baroque music, you have to dig in and research how it was performed back in the 17th Century so that you can recreate an authentic sound.”

This concert is also a chance for Haynes-Pilon to reunite with many of her childhood mentors on stage. She studied under SSO assistant principal cellist John Payzant for 15 years.

“I haven’t played with the SSO since I was 18 so coming home is really great and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with them,” she says. “I can’t wait to show them what I’ve been up to as a baroque musician. It’s exciting to come back to where I started, it’s my grounding.”