THE KENSINGTON SINFONIA SOCIETY

Kensington Sinfonia is chamber orchestra that performs a mix of Baroque and contemporary classical music. The following is our primary ongoing programming: Main Series - three concerts per season performed at St. Stephen's Anglican Church in downtown Calgary. This is a more traditional concert series with two halves and multiple classical compositions. There is a mix of Baroque and contemporary music. Special focus is paid to Canadian composers and underrepresented groups such as Indigenous composers female composers and BIPOC composers. Kensington Sinfonia regularly commissions new works for these concerts. Brewery Sessions - the Brewery Sessions always occur between one and two weeks following the Main Series. They feature the Kensington Sinfonia String Quintet accompanied by a guest artist from Alberta in a contrasting genre. We rotate partnerships with local breweries that provide performance space free of cost. This season featured the following: Daniel Pelton - Composer and saxophonist Noble Oney - Performer and drag king Wakeford Brewster - Former Calgary poet laureate Composer and former Artistic Director Donovan Seidle composes arrangements to a selection of songs by the guest artists that allows the quintet to perform along with 3-5 of the guest artists' songs. The remainder of the concert features the string quintet playing condensed versions of music from the preceding Main Series concert. Concerto Competition - with the exception of the pandemic seasons Kensington Sinfonia holds an annual concerto competition for young artists up to the age of 21. Auditions are held and the winner receives $500 and the chance to perform with Kensington Sinfonia in our last Main Series Concert each season. Amici String Program - every two seasons we collaborate with the young musicians in the Amici String Program. They rehearse and receive master classes from our musicians and perform live in concert with us in our second Main Series concert. Co-productions - each season we collaborate with organizations such as the National Music Centre and the Calgary Public Library to produce concerts. This year we contributed to Chinese New Years Celebrations in Calgary.