Strathcona Symphony Orchestra Launches Their Upcoming Season with a Musical Tribute to Walt Disney’s 125th Birthday

Strathcona Symphony Orchestra Pays Musical Tribute to Walt Disney

The Strathcona Symphony Orchestra Launches Their Upcoming Season with a Musical Tribute to Walt Disney’s 125th Birthday

Walt Disney had a lifelong passion for pairing classical pieces with animation to make orchestral music fun and accessible to all ages. The Strathcona Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is excited to present “From Fantasia to Frozen: Celebrating Walt Disney's 125th Birthday,” featuring excerpts from his iconic cinematic masterpiece, Fantasia, and compositions from Disney movie favourites such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Frozen, and The Little Mermaid.

Performances are on Saturday, December 12, @ 7 pm and Sunday, December 13, @ 2 pm at Courtenay’s Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Ave. Tickets go on sale October 15th on the SSO website, https://strathcona-symphony-orchestra.tickit.ca/, priced at $25 for adults and $15 for children aged 12 and under.

The SSO sells out many of their concerts, and this fun-filled and lighthearted program is sure to entertain everyone from toddlers to seniors. The orchestra hopes this season’s winter concert is part of everyone’s holiday calendar.

SSO Music Director Kenji Fusé aims to inspire concertgoers to remember when they first heard a Disney soundtrack. Some listeners might have been exposed to Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, or Bach for the first time when watching Fantasia.

“I am a big fan of the classic Disney movies,” said Kenji. “I especially love Fantasia, which contains some of the greatest classical music of all time.” “I decided to become a musician after hearing Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring at the age of 12,” he said. “The dinosaur sequence, which accompanies the incredible score, also thrilled me deeply as a child.”

When Kenji later taught and coached the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra, he was delighted to learn that Disney films were still resonating with young people. The classic animated film, Frozen, stands out as a favourite among a new generation of Disney fans.

“It is incredible that Disney films still resonate with audiences,” said Kenji. “Mickey Mouse turns 100 in 2028, but this year, we want to wish Walt Disney a happy 125th birthday!”

If you are dreaming of sugar plum fairies dancing in your head (Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker), wishing you were walking through a pastoral setting (Beethoven’s first movement, Symphony No. 6), musing about elegant ballroom dancing (Beauty and the Beast), or imagining an icy winter journey (Frozen), treat yourself and your family and come to the SSO’s winter concert!