October 2023 – Vancouver Island Symphony, Beethoven and Shostakovich
Join Heather as she performs as a core member of the Vancouver Island Symphony. Come feel the excitement of the first season with their new Artistic Director, Cosette Justo Valdés.
Bite by Bekah Simms takes us on a journey where we introspectively rediscover ourselves. Followed by Beethoven where we revel in the angelic, blooming, daring and celebratory spirit of his and finally, Shostakovich’s legendary 5th Symphony , which inspires us bravely to confront formidable challenges, and to ultimately transform the human condition, improving the world around us.
CONDUCTOR: Cosette Justo Valdés
GUEST ARTIST: Philip Chiu, PIANO
Heather Walker is a professional horn player and a core member of the Vancouver Island Symphony. When not performing music, she teaches the Alexander Technique out of her studio in Nanaimo, B.C. The Alexander Technique is an extraordinary method to learn to move with more awareness and ease, creating optimal movement patterns that help alleviate symptoms of tension, back and neck pain, repetitive strain injuries, and postural problems among others. For more information on the Alexander Technique please contact Heather at 250-716-3464.
October 2023 – Okanagan Symphony Orchestra “New Discoveries”
Join Heather as she performs with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra:
Kelowna – Friday, October 20th, 7:30pm
Kelowna Community Theatre
Penticton – Saturday, October 21st, 7:00pm
Cleland Community Theatre
Vernon – Sunday, October 22nd, 7:00pm
Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre
Melodies abound in our season opener. Virtuoso violinist Timothy Chooi shares the lyricism of Samuel Barber’s beautiful violin concerto. Dvořák’s musical postcard from the Old World to the New is brimming with wonder, joy, and grandeur, filled with restless energy, melodic invention, soulful pleasure, and limitless promise.
PROGRAM
AGÓCS | …LIKE TREASURE HIDDEN IN A FIELD
BARBER | VIOLIN CONCERTO
DVOŘÁK | SYMPHONY NO. 9, “NEW WORLD”
ARTISTS – TIMOTHY CHOOI – VIOLIN
Heather Walker is a professional horn player and active freelancer. When not performing music, she teaches the Alexander Technique out of her studio in Nanaimo, B.C. The Alexander Technique is an extraordinary method to learn to move with more awareness and ease, creating optimal movement patterns that help alleviate symptoms of tension, back and neck pain, repetitive strain injuries, and postural problems among others. For more information on the Alexander Technique please contact Heather at 250-716-3464.
October 2023 – Vancouver Bach Choir performs Mozart and Haydn
Join Heather as she performs horn with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra this Thanksgiving weekend.
The Vancouver Bach Choir is joined by members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra to present two great works of the Classical Western Art Music Era, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. The choir and orchestra will be joined by a stellar quartet of local soloists.
FEATURING
Leslie Dala | Conductor
Vancouver Bach Choir
Members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra
Magdalena How | Soprano
Katie Fraser | Mezzo Soprano
Ian McCloy | Tenor
Philip Wing | Bass
Heather Walker is a professional horn player and a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Use the Alexander Technique to improve posture, reduce tension, and to live with more ease of movement and lightness of being. For more information about the technique, please contact Heather at 250-716-3464.
September 2023 – Kamloops Symphony “Rhapsody in Blue”
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Join Heather as she plays horn with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra.
Enter into Autumn with musical musings on summertime, an attractive piano concerto composed by one of the first female African-American composers to achieve success in her lifetime, and a tribute to Kamloops-born jazz clarinetist and composer Phil Nimmons. Cap it all off with Gershwin’s immensely popular Rhapsody in Blue.
FEATURING
Dina Gilbert, conductor
Daniel Clarke-Bouchard, piano
Rachel Casponi, soprano
PROGRAMME
Samuel Barber: Knoxville: Summer of 1915
George Gershwin: Summertime
Florence Price: Concerto for piano
Phil Nimmons: Arrangements of Original Tunes
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Heather Walker is a professional horn player and a regular performer with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra. When not performing music, she teaches the Alexander Technique out of her studio on Vancouver Island. The Alexander Technique is used to become aware of harmful movement patterns, change your thinking, and improve habits and posture. It is a method that can be used by anyone to live with more ease, poise, and balance in their lives. For more information about the technique, go to AlexanderTechniqueCanada.ca, or contact Heather.
August 2023 – Vancouver Island Symphony outdoors in Abbotsford & Parksville
The Vancouver Island Symphony under the direction of Calvin Dyck will present a Pops Show featuring lighter symphonic favourites by Strauss, Brahms, Rossini, Verdi, John Williams, and Henry Mancini, among others!
Friday, August 18th, 6:30 PM – Mill Lake Park, Abbotsford – FREE
Sunday August 20th, 4 PM – Parksville Outdoor Theatre (Parksville Beach Festival’s final day!) Tickets: Adult $40 + GST, Students (13-18) $10 + GST, Children (under 12 with an adult) Free. Tickets available for purchase on line here or in person at the McMillan Arts Centre (MAC) – 133 McMillan Street, Parksville, BC.
Heather Walker is a professional horn player and a core member of the Vancouver Island Symphony. When not performing music, she teaches the Alexander Technique out of her studio in Nanaimo, B.C. The Alexander Technique is an extraordinary method to learn to move with more awareness and ease, creating optimal movement patterns that help alleviate symptoms of tension, back and neck pain, repetitive strain injuries, and postural problems among others. For more information on the Alexander Technique please contact Heather at 250-716-3464.
August 2023 – Victoria Symphony and Opera at Butchart Gardens and Beacon Hill Park
Victoria Symphony at The Butchart Gardens
August 3 @ 8:00 pm
A signature musical event of the summer! The VS Orchestra, led by Maestro Timothy Vernon, performs at beautiful Butchart Gardens alongside soprano Aviva Fortunata, and young violin soloist Max Francis. This concert is included in the price of admission to The Butchart Gardens. Admission to the Gardens can be purchased in advance or upon arrival at the venue the day of the performance.
Symphony and Opera in Beacon Hill Park at the Cameron Bandshell
August 4 @ 5:00 pm and August 5 @ 4:00 pm
FREE! Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria offer two free full orchestral concerts at the Cameron Bandshell in beautiful Beacon Hill Park. Take a bench seat, or bring your own chair and blanket, and enjoy an early evening concert featuring excerpts from our upcoming Masterworks and Pops Series, as well as excerpts from Pacific Opera’s 2023/24 season.
As a prelude to the Victoria Symphony’s early evening performances, you’ll be serenaded by musicians from the orchestra and some special guests. Friday will feature a harp duo, while Saturday you’ll enjoy a brass quintet and a string sextet. Music from 5:00 pm Friday and 4:00 pm Saturday (Victoria Symphony Orchestra at 6:30 pm).
Heather Walker is a professional horn player, and a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Use the Alexander Technique to improve posture, reduce tension, and to live with more ease of movement and lightness of being. For more information about the technique, please contact Heather at 250-716-3464.
July 2023 – Victoria Symphony in Cowichan, Christ Church, The Atrium, and Market Square
Join Heather as she plays horn with the Victoria Symphony for their 2023 Summer Festival.
July 26 @ 7:30 pm, T. Gil Bunch Centre for the Performing Arts, Brentwood College, July 27 @ 7:30 pm, Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria
Critically acclaimed Canadian pianist Lorraine Min plays Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21, accompanied by the Victoria Symphony. This performance is led by VS Associate Conductor Giuseppe Pietraroia and also includes Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3, inspired by the composer’s travels through the dramatic Scottish landscape
Mozart and Martinis at the Atrium
July 28 @ 5:00 pm, The Atrium on Yates Street, Victoria
Start your weekend right with a cocktail, appetizers, and the excellence of the Victoria Symphony in the most intimate and informal of settings. One of our signature events, this highly social gathering takes quality music outside the concert hall and offers an entirely different VS experience! Mozart, martinis, and more, as we share music of Haydn, Handel, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn. Doors at 5:00 pm (VS Orchestra at 6:00 pm).
Victoria Symphony at Market Square
July 29 @ 4:00 pm, Market Square, 560 Johnson St., Victoria
The Victoria Symphony presents an evening of classical favourites and features an appearance by young violin soloist Max Francis. Join us from the steps of Market Square, or one of the courtyard restaurants, for an evening of Mozart, Mendelssohn, and more! As a prelude to the Victoria Symphony’s performance at 7:30pm, you are welcome to join us for a series of chamber music concerts featuring musicians from the orchestra and some special guests.
When not playing horn professionally, Heather also teaches the Alexander Technique. The technique is a way to learn about your habits and movement patterns that may be affecting the way you live – from tension to bad posture to repetitive strain. The Alexander Technique is a tool to help you learn awareness, change habits, and live with more ease and efficiency. It can be life-changing! For more information, please contact Heather at 250-716-3464.
July 2023 – Opera in the Park, Free concert in Deer Lake Park, Burnaby
Opera in the Park – July 16, 2023
Powerhouse singers and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Chorus will perform instantly-recognizable classics like Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen, the Queen of the Night’s hair-raising aria from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and highlights from Gaetano Donizetti’s triumph of the comedic opera buffa style, Don Pasquale.
WHEN: Sunday, July 16, 2023
WHERE: Deer Lake Park, Burnaby (6450 Deer Lake Ave)
ACTIVITIES BEGIN: 3 PM
OPERA IN THE PARK CONCERT: 7:30 PM
COST: FREE
REFRESHMENTS: Outside food is permitted. Food trucks will be on-site.
A wide range of exciting family activities including face painting, musical games, balloon twisting, circus characters, and more will commence at 3pm. A high energy 45 minute pre-concert celebration of the human voice featuring Indigenous artists, JUNO-nominated musica intima, and more will be live on stage from 5:15-6pm. Please leave your large tents/umbrellas at home. Remember to arrive early as parking is limited.
Heather Walker is a professional horn player and a core member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. When not performing music, she teaches the Alexander Technique out of her studio on Vancouver Island. The Alexander Technique is used to become aware of harmful movement patterns, change your thinking, and improve habits and posture. It is a method that can be used by anyone to live with more ease, poise, and balance in their lives. For more information, go to AlexanderTechniqueCanada.ca
May 2023 – An Evening with tenor Gregory Kunde at the Orpheum, Vancouver
Join Heather as she performs with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra at the Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver.
North Star Performing Arts Management presents: Ten Year Anniversary Gala Concert, featuring world renowned tenor, Gregory Kunde, with conductor Leslie Dala, soprano Katie Wang and members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
Heather Walker is a professional horn player, a core member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Use the Alexander Technique to improve posture, reduce tension, and to live with more ease of movement and lightness of being. For more information about the technique, please contact Heather at 250-716-3464.
May 2023 – Beethoven’s Epic Ninth Symphony in Kamloops
Join Heather Walker as she performs on French horn with the Kamloops Symphony: https://www.kamloopssymphony.com/
Beethoven’s ODE TO JOY
Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13, 2023, 7:30 pm
Sagebrush Theatre
1300 9th Avenue, Kamloops
Monumental. Epic. Profound. There is no shortage of words to describe the exquisite tour de force that is Beethoven’s beloved final symphony.
FEATURING
Kamloops Symphony Orchestra
Dina Gilbert, conductor
Suzanne Taffot, soprano
Stephanie Tritchew, mezzo soprano
Dillon Parmer, tenor
Alan Corbishley, baritone
KSO Chorus, Tomas Bijok chorusmaster
PROGRAMME
Violet Archer: Poem for Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 “Ode To Joy”
The approximate duration of the concert is 90 minutes without an intermission
Heather Walker is a professional horn player, a long-time performer with the Kamloops Symphony, and a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. Use the Alexander Technique to improve posture, reduce tension, and to live with more ease of movement and lightness of being. For more information about the technique, please contact Heather at 250-716-3464.