The Spice of Life… and Concert Programing

1. Calgary Phil fans ‘jumped in the line’ for Harry Belafonte and the Orchestra at the Jubilee Auditorium in December 1977. A member of the rarefied Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony winners club, Belafonte wasn’t the only such artist to appear with the Phil — fellow EGOT Marvin Hamlisch joined us in the ’80s and ’90s.

2. Tanya Tagaq brought her artistry to 2019’s Late Night: Sensory Overload concert. The Calgary Phil has been thrilled to collaborate with musicians such as Tagaq, Jeremy Dutcher, Cris Dersken, and many others, in presenting works that fuse orchestral traditions and Indigenous influences with cutting edge sounds.

3. Since 2019, the Taylor Family Foundation has sponsored an annual concert series that’s run the gamut of guests such as the inimitable Bernadette Peters, international vocal sensations The Tenors, Canadian country music stars Paul Brandt, Brett Kissel, Corb Lund, and, this season, Tenille Townes.

4. Yo-Yo Ma as he appeared in the pages of Prelude over 30 years ago. Making his Calgary Phil debut in 1993, he performed Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Orchestra as led by Conductor Laureate Mario Bernardi. Yo-Yo Ma returned to the Calgary Phil in 2017 and 2025 for concerts led by former Music Director Rune Bergmann.

5. Education and Outreach has played an important role at the Calgary Phil since day one. In 1956, the Orchestra played three concerts at Viscount Bennett for students from that school as well as from Altadore, Currie, King Edward, Melville Scott, Sunalta, and William Rees schools.

6. Calgary’s very own dance-pop sensation Kiesza dazzled at a 2024 homecoming concert developed in collaboration with the Calgary Phil. With her orchestral debut here, she joined the ranks of Canadian pop and rock artists such as Jann Arden, Rufus Wainwright, and Chantal Kreviazuk who have performed with the Phil. 

7. Variety extends not just to what you’ll hear but where you’ll hear it. Over the course of its history, the Orchestra has performed across the city and beyond. From Mozart on the Mountain in the 90s to present day Phil in the Park, and from WinSport this past November to the Corral in 1969, the Calgary Phil loves bringing the music to different venues. 

8. The one, the only… Ray Charles — with your Calgary Phil at the Olympic Saddledome, 2 November 1995. What more can you say? 

9. Canadian fiddler Natalie MacMaster in concert with the Orchestra in 2008. Other artists from Canada’s east coast who have performed with the Phil include Heather Rankin, Ashley MacIsaac, and The Barra MacNeils (plus MacMaster once again in a 2018 return engagement). 

10. True North: A Symphonic Ballet marked Canada’s 150th in 2017 with new works by five Canadian composers and featured dancers from H/W Ballet. The Orchestra has a rich history of working with artists and organizations from across the performing arts spectrum, including Calgary Opera and Alberta Ballet. 

11. Chewie makes a cameo ahead of Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert in 2024. Movie concerts, in which the Orchestra engage in the exacting feat of playing soundtracks live-to-film, are among the Phil’s most popular offerings. The saga continues with Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in concert this May at the Jubilee Auditorium.

12. When Herbie Hancock comes to town, it makes headlines. The venerated jazz genius presented George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in collaboration with the Orchestra.