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Victoria Symphony Splash concert marks 30 years

40,000 attendees are exptected at the anniversary event
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A crowd of about 40,000 filled the Inner Harbour and the lawns of the Legislature and the Fairmont Empress during the 2013 Symphony Splash. (Sharon Tiffin/News Staff)

The Victoria Symphony is gearing up for the 30th anniversary of its Symphony Splash event. The concert will take place on Aug. 4 and the symphony will be stationed on a floating stage in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. The festivities will begin at 12 p.m., with a performance by the Albert Head Cadets on the steps of the Legislature, and will conclude with fireworks.

On Aug. 4, 1989, the Victoria Symphony put together a concert for about 1,000 people. Thirty years later, that same concert is expected to be attended by over 40,000 people. There is limited seating in the Grandstand, so guests are encouraged to bring chairs, picnics, boats and kayaks. The concert will also be live-streamed on Facebook for those who cannot attend.

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“Victoria Symphony Splash is a marquee event in the Victoria summer,” said Victoria Symphony CEO Kathryn Laurin in a statement. “We’ve seen plenty of changes over the past thirty years, but the essence of Victoria Symphony Splash remains the same: sharing extraordinary live music with our own community.”

The anniversary concert will be Music Director Maestro Christian Kluxen’s third.

“It’s all about rhythm this year,” he said.

The first half of the show will include music with a Mediterranean and Spanish influence. The second half will feature the “infectious rhythms of Central and South America,” Kluxen explained.

“And of course, no Victoria Symphony Splash would be complete without Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.”

This year’s Victoria Symphony Splash will feature several guest performers, including the Naden Band and a 15-year-old pianist, Carey Wang.

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Wang is this year’s Victoria Symphony Splash Young Soloist. The grade nine student at Oak Bay High has been playing the piano since he was four. He has studied with the Victoria Conservatory of Music and has won several awards for his skill.

The concert entrance fee is by donation. There will be donation barrels on site and a $5 donation will earn concert attendees a special button. Those who are interested in donating can also text “Splash” to 30222 to have $5 added to their phone bill.

There will be merchandise and food vendors in attendance and purchasing from them will also support the symphony. At 3 p.m., the food vendors will begin serving and the beverage garden run by Lighthouse Brewery will open then as well.


@devonscarlett
devon.bidal@saanichnews.com

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