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Renowned cellist joins Victoria Symphony for event Saturday in Duncan

New conductor Christian Kluxen leads the orchestra in an evening of exceptional music

Exceptional talent hits the stage at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m. as newly arrived conductor Christian Kluxen and his Victoria Symphony are joined by internationally renowned cellist Raphael Wallfisch.

Kluxen and his musicians received 10 minutes of standing ovations following their September concert in the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre. In a review, maestro Kluxen was called a Symphony Titan for his masterful performance.

The event on Nov. 25 offers a tasty menu.

Elgar’s famous ‘Cello Concerto’ will be played by Wallfisch, who, according to the Symphony Society’s Ted Rhodes is “one of the most renowned cellists performing on the international stage”.

Wallfisch is regularly invited to play at major festivals such as the BBC Proms, Edinburgh, Aldeburgh, Spoleto, Prades, Oslo and Schleswig Holstein and has a world-wide career playing with such orchestras as the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Berlin Symphony, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Warsaw Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic and many others.

Attending this concert, you’ll be hearing Wallfisch at the height of his career.

Also on the program is Vaughan Williams ‘Tuba Concerto’, played by Paul Beauchesne, who has been principal tuba with the Victoria Symphony since 2004, and was selected in 2011 as the Distinguished Alumni Award recipient for the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Fine Arts.

He has performed with the Boston Symphony, Sante Fe Symphony, New Mexico Symphony, Calgary Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver Ballet Orchestra, Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra as well the NADEN Band, Calgary Jazz Festival Orchestra, the Wild Rose Jazz All Stars and the Band of the Ceremonial Guard.

The concert concludes with Elgar’s crowd-pleasing ‘Enigma Variations’.

After you hear it, you won’t be surprised to learn that this piece, which musically describes 13 of the composers’ best friends, has been recorded by more than 60 orchestras.

Tickets are $50 for adults and $10 for students and children. Groups of 10 or more get the reduced price of $30 per adult, and anyone willing to sit in the first three rows can also pay only $30.

Call the Cowichan Ticket centre at 250-748-7529 to reserve your seats.

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Celebrated cellist Raphael Wallfisch will play with the Victoria Symphony in Duncan on Nov. 25. (Submitted)