Calgary Classical

Astralis Quartet is a string quartet based in Calgary, comprised of three colleagues from the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra , plus the Co-Artistic Director of the Kensington Sinfonia , with John Lowry and Eric Auerbach, violins; Alexander Beggs, viola; and Andrea Case, cello. The quartet shares a passion for performing chamber music by living composers, and is excited to present both classical and modern works for Alberta audiences.

Crisantemi is their final performance of the season, taking place at 3 PM on Sunday, June 7 at the wonderfully resonant St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, at 1121 14 Ave SW in Calgary.

The program opens with Franz Schubert’s Quartet No. 10 in Eb major. Composed when Schubert was just 16 years old, this piece was originally written to be played at home with his father and brothers. Fittingly nicknamed the "Household" Quartet, it captures a charming, youthful spirit.

Giacomo Puccini’s Crisantemi (Chrysanthemums) was composed by Puccini in 1890 at age 32. He was deeply moved by the death of King Amadeo I of Spain (who was also an Italian prince), and composed the work all in one night. White chrysanthemums are used in Italy for funerals and graves, and this piece sings as a haunting lament. Puccini later incorporated themes from Crisantemi into his opera Manon Lescaut.

Astralis Quartet will also present another world premiere of esteemed Canadian composer Allan Gordon Bell, whose string quartets they have been recording. The latest in the series, Phenomena (2026), is an encounter with the music inherent in five elemental states of being. With five short movements and four even shorter solo commentaries, the piece distills the outsight (Jane Goodall) and in-scape (G.M. Hopkins) that such an encounter evokes. The composer will be present on Sunday and will speak about Phenomena.

Join Astralis Quartet for this uniquely curated and meticulously prepared program of old and new chamber music at the beautiful St Stephen's Anglican Church, with a reception to follow.

There’s something magical about watching a young artist step into the spotlight - especially when the music they perform demands the skill and maturity of a seasoned professional. Calgary Civic Symphony’s 49th season finale, Rising Stars, does exactly that, celebrating four of Calgary’s finest young classical musicians.

Since 1987, the Rotary Calgary Concerto Competition has served as a springboard for many of Canada’s leading classical musicians. Alumni include internationally acclaimed pianist Jan Lisiecki, cellists Luka Coetzee and Isabella Perron, and Arnold Choi, Principal Cellist of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.

Each year, four winners are selected to perform as soloists with the Calgary Civic Symphony in this signature concert - a rare and inspiring opportunity for young artists to take the stage with a full symphony orchestra.

Read full story: https://www.calgaryclassical.ca/feature/143-Bright-Futures

Rotary Calgary Concerto Competition 45th Annual Rotary Calgary Concerto Competition

There are moments in music where boundaries feel less like lines and more like meeting places. Cyan Tones, presented by the G*i Lan Ensemble this Asian Heritage Month, is built entirely in that space — where East and West, tradition and experimentation, and film and contemporary composition meet.

Taking place on Friday, May 15, this special concert brings together Alberta’s leading Chinese instrumentalists alongside Calgary’s original string orchestra Kensington Sinfonia for a one-night program that blends new Canadian composition, traditional repertoire, and iconic film music.

At the heart of the evening is a world premiere by oboist and erhuist Jace Eagle Bear, alongside selections from the score of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon — music that has long resonated across cultures for its sweeping emotional language and evocative musical storytelling.

The title Cyan Tones draws from the Chinese word qing (青), a colour that exists between blue and green — neither fully one nor the other, but something living in-between. In the same way, qing yin (青音), or “cyan sound or tone,” becomes a metaphor for the concert itself: a sonic world that resists categorization.

The program features works by living Canadian and Chinese composers including Jace Eagle Bear, Tse Taishun, Li Bochan, and Andrew Staniland, alongside traditional pieces reimagined for an ensemble that bridges Chinese instruments such as erhu and p**a with Western strings.

It is not simply fusion — it is conversation.

Read full story: https://www.calgaryclassical.ca/feature/140-Cyan-Tones

Some songs stay with you forever.

Pop Goes the World celebrates 20 years of Cum Vino Cantus with a vibrant collection of favourite works from across the ensemble’s history — the music that helped define the journey.

An evening of music, community, and celebration awaits, followed by a reception with snacks and drinks.

Celebrate the milestone and experience the music that keeps the world popping with life.

Pop Goes the World | Cum Vino Cantus
Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 2:30 p.m.
Bethany Chapel of Calgary

More info & tickets: https://www.calgaryclassical.ca/event/1487-Pop-Goes-the-World

For audiences drawn to music that crosses cultures and centuries, Montréal-based ensemble Constantinople offers something distinctive. Blending historical traditions with contemporary interpretation, the group has built an international reputation for connecting musical worlds that don’t often share the same stage.

On Sunday, May 3, Constantinople returns to Calgary with Traversées, presented by Early Music Voices . The program invites listeners into a rich cross-cultural landscape, moving from medieval Spain and Italy to Persian music of the 16th and 17th centuries, alongside original works inspired by 13th-century Persian poetry.

At the centre of the ensemble is founder and artistic director Kiya Tabassian, a composer and virtuoso of the setar. Tabassian is known for his ability to bridge traditions — drawing from Persian classical music while engaging deeply with early and Mediterranean repertoires. His work often feels less like a fusion and more like a conversation across time.

Read full story through https://www.calgaryclassical.ca/feature/139-Music-Without-Borders

Experience music that transcends borders.

Montréal-based early and Middle Eastern music ensemble Constantinople returns to Calgary with another fascinating cross-cultural musical exploration featuring director Kiya Tabassian with Didem Basar and Patrick Graham.

Known for weaving together musical traditions from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and beyond, this concert brings together virtuosic performance and storytelling in a captivating blend of musical worlds.

They will bring us on a journey with musical treasures from medieval Spanish and Italian repertoire to Persian music from the 16th and 17th centuries, plus a few original compositions based on 13th-century Persian poetry.

Traversées�Sunday, May 3, 2026 | 3 PM | Christ Church Elbow Park

More info: https://www.calgaryclassical.ca/event/1397-Travers%C3%A9es

Presented by Early Music Voices

PREVIEW: Luminous Voices explores centuries of sacred music in season finale

As its 2025/26 season comes to a close, Calgary’s professional chamber choir Luminous Voices presents a program that reaches across nearly 300 years of music—bringing together two deeply expressive works that reflect on grief, faith, and the human experience.

At the heart of the April 3 concert is a pairing that feels both contrasting and connected: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and James MacMillan’s Seven Last Words from the Cross.

The evening begins with Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, written shortly before his death in 1736 at just 26 years old. Originally composed for a small religious group in Naples, the piece has become one of the most beloved works of the Baroque era —known for its emotional immediacy and operatic beauty. Even in its more intimate moments, it carries a sense of intensity that continues to resonate with audiences today.

From there, the program shifts into a very different musical language. James MacMillan ’s Seven Last Words from the Cross, composed in 1995, brings together contemporary choral writing with influences drawn from Scottish folk traditions, including the distinctive rhythms and ornamentation of bagpipe music. Written for choir and strings, the work reflects on the final words of Christ, balancing moments of stillness with passages of striking intensity.

“MacMillan’s Seven Last Words is an incredibly powerful work portraying human suffering,” says Artistic Director Tim Shantz. “It’s raw, deeply spiritual music that speaks directly to the listener.”

Read full story: https://www.calgaryclassical.ca/feature/134-Sacred-Works-for-Choir-and-Strings

"The Orchestra That Broke a Barrier"

The first Canadian orchestra to play in Carnegie Hall is a group you probably have never heard of. What this pioneering group says about the changing impact of women in classical music.

While women have always made music, they have often been kept away from the organized business of public performance, despite a culture that suggested playing the piano was a proper “accomplishment” for young ladies. Women were meant to perform only at home, never on the stage. Alma Mahler was a precocious talent before she met her husband Gustav, but he forbade her to compose. There were exceptions: Clara Schumann (née Wieck), for example, was known as one of the great piano artists of her age. Still, the world of orchestral playing was generally considered a male activity.

This started to change in the early 1900s. American violinist Maud Powell became a prominent soloist. Her career included performances with ensembles like the Berlin Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic, and her advocacy for the Sibelius Violin Concerto—she gave its first performance in North America—helped the work gain the popularity it still enjoys today. Powell was still touring when Ethel Stark was born in Montreal in 1910.

Read full story through https://calgaryclassical.ca/feature/132-The-Orchestra-That-Broke-a-Barrier

Written by Jonathan Gresl
Photo credit: Engin Akyurt via Pixabay