The OSM Rocks Out to Frank Zappa and Beethoven’s 5th Symphony

The evening of Saturday, October 26 will go down as a milestone after the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal erupts with Bogus Pomp by Frank Zappa and Teiresias by clarinettist Jörg Widmann in concert with Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. To see this uber-famous symphony in a brand new way, the acclaimed Kent Nagano put together Zappa and Widmann, two musicians who, like Beethoven, have their own unique voices that could never be overthrown by conformity. Here’s a little history that you may have not known: Maestro Nagano worked closely with Frank Zappa, so the musical relationship between the two has already been beautiful established.

If you arrive before the concert, you will have a chance to an interview with him by Matthieu Dugal of Radio-Canada and ARTV during a pre-concert discussion at 8pm. 

During the OSM Éclaté concert, 600 young professionals will participate at the 4th annual OSM+ Benefit Event. This initiative of the Young Ambassadors Club will make it possible to raise funds for the OSM’s educational mission, with all profits going to support its educational programs. At the same time, it attracts an audience of young professionals to classical music and the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, a perfect segue to get into this wonderful community. 

The evening will continue after the show and fall into the talented hands of fiery Montreal DJ Misstress Barbara, who will rock the night away.

The Evening program is as follows:

7pm: Cocktail buffet (Open to VIPs)
8pm: Pre-Concert Talk (Open to VIPs)
9pm: Concert
20:30pm: Apres-Concert with Mistress Barbara

We caught up with Caroline Healey, the VP of Sponsorship for the OSM+ benefit event and member of the Executive Committee of the OSM Young Ambassadors, to get some extra scoop on the event.

How will the genres of rock and classical integrate together on stage?
The musical piece composed by Frank Zappa that will be interpreted on Saturday, Bogus Pomp, is not rock music. It is more of a combination of contemporary and symphonic genres. I invite you to listen to it here.

The OSM is wildly popular with young professionals here; what do you think has attributed to its success?
Democratization of classical music is a tradition of the OSM since its beginning with Wilfrid Pelletier; with the educational mission and the OSM in the park, we’ve always try to reach everyone with our music. For more than 10 years now, we offer OSM pop, a combination of symphonic music and pop music, to reach a new and younger clientele. It was an occasion to collaborate with great Quebecers and Canadian artists that excel in their music (Simple Plan, Coeur de Pirate, and even DJ Champion, for the last OSM Éclaté). Even if we have a different program for those concerts, we never compromise on the quality because it makes a good introduction to symphonic music. The OSM really work on increasing the artist’s version of their song to create a unique concert and an interesting fusion between those two types of music. And the public is also responding very well.