SYMPHONY IN THE SUMMER FESTIVAL
Where: Various venues, including Market Square and Beacon Hill Park
When: Thursday, July 27 through Saturday, Aug. 5
Tickets: victoriasymphony.ca
Symphony in the Summer debuted last year as a placeholder event — one that was meant to soften the loss of the beloved Symphony Splash.
Now, the Victoria Symphony’s outdoor summer series is designed to stand on its own, with six free and ticketed events over a 10-day period at five unique locations starting tonight.
The 2022 event was anchored by a socially distanced outdoor concert on the grounds of the sa国际传媒 Legislature, featuring the Victoria Symphony and Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies. Organizers decided against an event of similar size for this year’s edition, with inflation and post-COVID uncertainty among the factors that went into the decision.
“Ideally, we’d like to do both [Symphony Splash and Symphony in the Summer], which is what last year was in a way,” said Matthew White, the symphony’s chief executive officer.
”But coming out of the pandemic, we’ve got some pretty serious production-cost issues. The fixed infrastructure and expenses are essentially double what they used to be. It’s radically more expensive, not just a little bit more expensive.”
Symphony in the Summer offers a more-than-suitable replacement. It gets underway tonight with a concert at Christ Church Cathedral, featuring Victoria-born, Vancouver-based pianist Lorraine Min, and runs over two weekends, with a mix of classical and opera concerts set for Market Square, the Butchart Gardens, and Cameron Bandshell.
Indoor events held at The Atrium and Christ Church Cathedral are also on the schedule, in addition to collaborations with Pacific Opera.
White said he’s ecstatic that the Victoria Symphony is using venues and spaces not often inhabited by the classical music world.
“It’s easy to forget that Victoria is one of the most beautiful places in the country. You’ve got facilities like the Butchart Gardens, which is an incredible spot to hear outdoor music. And then you’ve got the Cameron Bandshell, which is also a lovely spot. We’re just trying some different things. I see no world in which this isn’t going to be fun.”
The mixture of free and ticketed programming is a benefit to both supporters and passersby, and White believes the multi-hued approach provides a sustainable model. “Accessibility is really important to us. This is an opportunity to make the symphony accessible to literally anyone who is interested, and to do it in places that are really special.”
That said, White will always look at ways to re-mount Symphony Splash, which for decades was one of the city’s most popular events. In the face of untenable production costs, however, he’s turned his focus to ensuring Symphony in the Summer is successful as the organization’s new tentpole outdoor event.
“Instead of getting a lot of pushback, it seems people are keen and into trying new things. There’s always the hope that when you put on concerts in non-traditional locations you meet new people. It’s not just a question of providing a new window on what the symphony does, in the context of people who already know about it, it’s an opportunity to be out there for new people to see you.”
