Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

I feel lucky to have the CPO around and they are a brilliant group of musicians that attract a lot of talented guests and special programs.
If you are under 29 you’re super lucky and have the opportunity to see many of the amazing shows for $ 15 for you AND a another $ 15 gets you a guest of any age and often you’re getting some pretty nice seats out of the deal (unlike many other youth or student programs). You just have to register for cpossibilities on their website and you’ll get a monthly e-​mail about the shows you can get cheap tickets for. It takes a bit more planning ahead but it’s worth it as probably 80% of the concerts open up for cposs. This is a program I liked (when I was young enough *sniff*) because I needed to get out of school before I could justify even that $ 15 for a night out but it allowed me to get involved and fall in love with music without the largish investment. Since music was not a large part of my childhood, that connection was something CPO did for me from scratch in my mid to late 20s. There are plenty of youth targeted shows … superheros, star wars, star trek, bugs bunny, Nightmare Before Christmas, fantasia, ET, circus acts… these type of shows were gateway concerts for me into some more of the classics but it was nice to start with music I knew well from the movies.
I think the only caution would be you may realize you are like me and have 11 CPO concerts in a season (after you’re no longer getting cheap tickets but have development a taste for the good seats) and you only have 2 saddledome concerts in that same time frame. It makes me feel like I’m suppose to be a grown up or something now.

It’s cultural archeology in real time with incredibly skilled players and an amazing conductor. If you watch sports because you like to see a big group of people do something coordinated and you don’t mind different kinds of music, this is your thing.

I have been to quite a few CPO performances — from the classical «The Planets» to the tech-​nerd «Video Games Live». We just watched «Viva Las Vagas» over the weekend and once again, the CPO did not disappoint.
I am not a trained musician. Unless you count my mad recorder skillz, my ability to play the Entertainer on the piano (only song I know…), and the fact I felt inclined after a few drinks to purchase a violin online and then had an adventure with my brother picking it up. So you’re probably asking yourself ‘who is this girl, rating something that she knows so little about?’ — I am the general public. That enjoys evenings out in cultural settings. And I am pretty positive about what I like and don’t like. And I know I like the time I have spent enjoying live music from the CPO.
The venue is alright. Seating in the centre of the mezzanine can be awkward if you’re later then the rest of your row. Not a lot of space to walk through, even with people standing. But c’est le vive! What better way to get to know one another then rubbing up to another? I have sat all over this venue, and the sound is pretty good no matter what. Obviously there are optimal spots, but even in the third balcony during Blue Jeans series evening of Billy Joel’s music, I had a rocking time!
I hope the younger crowd becomes more interested in attending events at the CPO. I have had some great conversations with the people sitting around me – but I have to shout so they can hear me. And I can’t really relate to the all the way things used to be. So I feel it should be our mission as the future generation of angry… er…cultured geriatrics to bring a friend to a CPO event now. Keep the music alive!

A quality orchestra with reasonably priced performances as far as these things go. They really have something going pretty much every week, which is impressive. They try to spice things up a bit with video projections and imported guests sometimes. Post show discussions with the performers in the lobby are a nice touch. Even if you don’t know your Brahms from your Beethoven, they have plenty of special performances throughout the the year that are more contemporary, like the music of Star Wars, or The Motown Sound. Yes, you can dress up, but as this is Calgary you can go in a nice pair of jeans too. :-)
The main complaint is not about the orchestra, but their typical venue, the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Getting around during intermission is a bit of a madhouse unless you’re at orchestra level, and even then, the bathrooms and concessions are overwhelmed.

I want to give this ensemble a five star rating. One’s ears know this to be the irrefutable case. Yet the programming necessitates a four star review, for now. To let the reader know, I am biased against the ‘war-​horses’ of the western orchestral tradition. Enough with the Handel!
Having said that, my model agnosticism shows when I declare that the symphonic Beethoven marathon was a feat that cemented this orchestra as a major technical ‘player’ globally. Especially the one-​two punch of the eighth and ninth symphony. What showed me that this group knows what it’s doing was at the beginning of the fourth movement of the ninth. When the leitmotifs of movements one through three are angrily refuted, then synthesized into a transformative motif which symbolizes the acceptance of the past as a Nietzschean trajectory through one’s limits and flaws into a future of self-​aware creation and imposition of will. This group didn’t just play the notes — they got the recapitulation of evolution as being wonderfully conflated with the development of the individual.
Another slice of technical joy recently was the performance of JS Bach’s concerto for oboe d’amore — flawless execution.
The CPO has been teasing the audience with avant programming as well. The timing and emotional electricity of Hermann’s Psycho score was NAILED.
In short, a five star orchestra that only needs to be allowed the full wingspan of cutting edge programming (IE Morricone, Reich, Palestrina, et cetera) so that it may truly fly. Spread the word — and bring your friends.
Post Script — the Haagen Daz really makes the intermission fun.

Can’t really add anything new to the other reviews in the way of raving about the awesomeness of the CPO, but what I will add is that they really nail variety, in that if you browse through their shows you will find there really is something for everyone. I also appreciate their Rush hour shows, which are one hour, after work shows at rock bottom cheap prices. These are a great way to introduce yourself to the CPO without making a full on committment to an evening production.
I agree, with Shannon S. — you should go.

What to say about a group of musicians who make great music and obviously have fun doing so?
What I like about the CPO is the huge variety of music they offer. It is not ‘classical’ only but something for every taste. They do everything from Bach to Strawinski as well as ABBA, The Beatles, film scores like Star Trek, Psycho and The Wizzard of Ozz and a lot more. The orchestra shines brightest when they can do what they do best: classical concerts.
One of the important things to mention is the «cpossibilities» program, which gives young people aged 15 to 29 the chance to experience the CPO for $ 14 and even buy a second ticket for a guest (friend/​family) for the same price, no matter which age the companion is.
So take out granny for a concert :)
Update ²⁰¹²⁄₁₃ season:
In more and more of the ‘POP-​series’ concerts and some of the specials the CPO is only acting as ‘background noise’ and sometimes they even seem to be ignored by the guests performing in front of them (hey — at least say thank you to the orchestra before you leave the stage guys!). Dear CPO management: a sold out concert house is not everything — keep up quality!

You should go. The CPO is world class and definitely worth the money. Excellent musicians… it always lifts my mood to hear them play. And no… I’m not old or a musician myself. I’ve been going on and off since my early twenties.

A –List. Recommended. The CPO creates the finest live music in the city. You can go to the Saddledome for the big names. You can visit the Jubilee for others as well. You can even turn on your high priced digital equipment at home or even your mobile iPod for that matter. However, if you are wanting to experience the essence of brilliantly written pieces expertly played that may inspire you in some way, this is for you. The conductors and musicians are first rate, the seating is varied and accessible to most, the pre-​concert talks are interesting and the service is helpful and reliable. The best parking can be found at City Hall for 5 bucks and a short walk through the pedway system. Take your parking ticket stub with you and pay at the booth found halfway in the pedway system before the concert to avoid long lineups. Well done, CPO!

I really wish I could get out to hear these guys more often. I suppose that means that the times I do attend a concert are just extra special these days. This review is based on my CPO concert-​going experience spanning 16 years, with some specifics on the last two concerts I attended.
The CPO is truly one of the top orchestras in the country. The group has come a long way since its inception in 1955. Like all world-​class orchestras, they offer the staples of concert series: Baroque (the Serenade Series), Classical and Pops. In more recent history, they have added a new music festival, a Tchaikovsky Festival and crowd-​pleasing specials like Jeans & Classics, Video Games Live, Bugs Bunny on Broadway and Star Trek. Their Saturday Morning at the Symphony Series is also quite popular.
I attended the Video Games Live 2.0 concert and one of the New Works performances in May. Their website provides a lot of information to help you make your purchase. The Box Office is extremely friendly, efficient and helpful when you need to contact them with a question or group ticket purchase.
The VGL 2.0 concert experience was a blast! They had gaming stations in the lobby, a costume contest, CD’s, t-​shirts, giveaways, and the Nintendo people were there. Even the Blindfolded Pianist of Youtube fame made an appearance. It was a huge celebration of gaming. Members of the audience came up to play Space Invaders and Guitar Hero. The orchestra played the music to match the players’ progress (or lack thereof).
In contrast, the New Works concert was a celebration of our Canadian composers. This was held at the Rozsa Centre. The group looked crowded on stage, but it somehow worked. I loved how the newest cellist waded his way to the front of the stage to make some opening remarks. There are a lot of new, fresh faces in the orchestra and they are giving the CPO a cool, hip vibe.
That’s a good thing. Yes, the orchestra needs to sound good, but to attract younger audiences, they also need to exude a bit of that «coolness factor», whether they’re playing Bach, Brahms, Alan Gordon Bell or Bugs Bunny.
The artists came out to talk after each performance as well.
Those Hagen-​Daaz bars are a great treat too.
Venues are top notch. The Jack Singer Concert Hall has wonderful acoustics. If you’re going for sound, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. If you want a good view, some seats are better than others. There is a good range of tickets, from dirt cheap to top of the line to meet any budget.
Seating is really good at the Rozsa Centre. It’s a smaller facility but everything sounds and looks good in there. It’s got a more intimate feel to it as well.
As for the «front of house» environment, they’ve recently made some updates in the lobby that make traffic flow smoother, but that’s the EPCOR Centre’s domain so I won’t go more into that.
It’s really cool that they have orchestra members interacting more with the public with things like SMATS, opening addresses and the Ask a Musician section on their website.
Berthold Auerbach once said that «Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.» Does the CPO deliver on this? Yes they do. They are a dedicated bunch and they play «con molto espressione».
[EDIT: To be absolutely honest, I worked @ CPO a very long time ago. It’s been over 12 years ago and I don’t know anyone there anymore so I trust that it’s safe to review without any conflicts.]