Celebrate the blossoming of a new season with the Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra’s Spring Equinox Concert next weekend.
It’s the second of three concerts in the CMO’s Sunday Matinee Concert series, and on March 26 the orchestra will be welcoming pianist David Antoniuk to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre stage where he will perform Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor. This will be Antoniuk’s orchestral debut with the CMO.
Known for his versatility, musical sensitivity and expressive interpretations, Antoniuk is at home in a wide variety of musical styles, including classical, jazz, and popular music.
He holds a degree in Piano Performance from Trinity Western University, where he studied with Betty Suderman and Kathryn Schmidt. Antoniuk has served as répétiteur for several musical theatre productions, accompanied the TWU choirs on their tour to Ottawa and New York City, including a performance in Carnegie Hall, and has worked as a musician on Holland America Cruise Line in the Mediterranean.
Antoniuk currently performs as a solo pianist, accompanies several local choirs, teaches private lessons, and frequently collaborates with singers and instrumentalists. He also performs regularly as part of the Somerset Trio, alongside cellist Ben Goheen, and violinist Alana Lopez.
He especially enjoys learning new music, improvisation, collaborating with other musicians, and composing.
To complete the program selections for the Spring Equinox Concert, CMO artistic director, Gregory Douglas Johnson, will be including music from two other romantic composers — Schubert and Beethoven. Two marvellous overtures, and a symphonic masterpiece from Beethoven will round out the second half of the program.
The Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor was composed in 1830 when the composer was only 20 years old. Actually, the second concerto Chopin wrote was published as the first. He performed the piece himself as a farewell to Warsaw. It was enthusiastically received by the audience of more than 700.
One concert review stated it was spirited and original, the music is timeless, and has been used recently in the movies The Lady in the Van and The Truman Show.
The Chilliwack Metropolitan Orchestra’s Spring Equinox Concert takes place Sunday, March 26 at 3 p.m. at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.
Tickets $25/adults, $15/students and available at the Centre Box Office, by phone at 604-391-SHOW (7469), or online at chilliwackculturalcentre.com.