The Victoria Symphony celebrates the bright lights and popular musicals of Broadway this Friday and Saturday (March 9-10) with the talented students of the Canadian College of Performing Arts.
Broadway Lights marks the seventh time that Canadian College of Performing Arts (CCPA) students have joined the orchestra for a celebration of the enduring popularity of the Broadway musical.
The concerts are a favourite of symphony audiences and sell out quickly.
“We’re thrilled to collaborate once again with CCPA”, said Victoria Symphony executive director Kathryn Laurin. “Working with arts organizations like Pacific Opera Victoria, the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, Dance Victoria and the Canadian College of Performing Arts provides opportunities for us to showcase all our talents and strengthen the arts in our community.”
Nestled in the village of Oak Bay, CCPA is one of Canada’s notable training centres for a career in the performing arts. Students, selected during national and local auditions, embark on an intensive two-year conservatory-style diploma program to hone their talent and skills as actors, singers and dancers. Over the past 20 years graduates of CCPA have followed their passions with careers on stage, television, in film, in recording studios, in arts administration and arts education.
Conducted by Victoria Symphony Pops Conductor Emeritus, Brian Jackson, with stage direction and choreography by CCPA co-founder and managing director Jacques Lemay, Broadway Lights features music and extravagant production numbers from both classic and contemporary musicals.
Highlights include: “2nd Street” by Harry Warren, “Show Boat” by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, “Crazy for You” by George and Ira Gershwin, “The Producers” by Mel Brooks, “Ragtime” by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens and “Les Misérables” by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil.
Broadway Lights is presented March 9 at 8 p.m., with a Saturday matinee March 10 at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $32 and are available at www.rmts.bc.ca.