This past week, I was invited to sub with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra for their Christmas concert.  It always a thrill to get an unexpected gig!

There was a whole variety of holiday-themed pieces on the program. The first half of the concert featured the Guelph Youth Singers, plus a trio of siblings performing Telemann’s Concerto for 3 Trumpets.  The second half consisted Act 1 of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, plus a few other selections from the ballet, featuring students from the Oakville Ballet.  I enjoyed how we played numbers besides the movements from the Nutcracker Suite, which are often programmed by orchestras for their holiday concerts.  While I still love the Nutcracker Suite, it was great to play parts of the ballet that aren’t performed as often in a concert setting.

The dancers from the Oakville Ballet were fantastic, and their costumes were gorgeous!  Southern Ontario got its first snow storm of the season the same afternoon – it felt very appropriate to be playing “Waltz of the Snowflakes”.  In spite of the inclement weather, the concert hall was nearly full.  The drive back to Toronto after the concert was quite slow, but luckily we all arrived safely.  It was definitely a very fun concert, and I hope to be invited back to play with the GSO again!