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Victoria Symphony celebrates 30 years of making a splash in the harbour

Annual B.C. Day weekend staple brings classical music to the masses on Aug. 4
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Victoria Symphony music director Christian Kluxen enthusiastically conducts the orchestra during the 2018 Symphony Splash on the Inner Harbour. The massively attended by-donation event returns to the barge in the harbour on B.C. Day weekend, Sunday, Aug. 4. Photo courtesy Victoria Symphony

Heralding the halcyon days of August, the Victoria Symphony Splash is as much a part of the city’s summer calendar as blooming rose gardens and ocean dips.

On Sunday, Aug. 4, join tens of thousands of your closest friends and neighbours in Victoria’s Inner Harbour for a relaxed afternoon of picnicking, before the VSO, led by Maestro Christian Kluxen, takes to the floating stage to enchant and enthrall as the sun languidly sets over the city.

The 2019 Victoria Symphony Splash young soloist is pianist Carey Wang, a student at Oak Bay High and an award-winning young musician. Photo courtesy Victoria Symphony

Now in its 30th year, this by-donation event is one of the most direct ways the Victoria Symphony Orchestra showcases its work and shares its passion for classical music with the wider Victoria community.

As groups spread their blankets and set up folding chairs on the front lawns of the B.C. legislature, kayakers and canoeists take to the water, mooring their crafts as close to the barge as possible to get the best view.

A major element of this annual concert is the performance alongside the symphony of a young soloist. This year, Carey Wang, an award-winning pianist and Grade 9 student at Oak Bay High, will take to the stage as part of the evening’s program.

The entertainment begins with the opening act, the Naden Band, at 4 p.m., followed by the Orchestra Parade and the Symphony taking to the stage at 7:30 pm. During the intermission, the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) Pipes and Drums band will be parading.

A family friendly beverage garden, sponsored by Lighthouse Brewing and located on Belleville Street between The Empress and the Royal BC Museum, will be serving a variety of beers and wine from 3 to 9:30 p.m.

The magical evening comes to an epic finale with the playing of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, set to a glittering backdrop of fireworks, and the playing of “Amazing Grace.”

For more information on this concert or the VSO’s coming season, visit victoriasymphony.ca.