Musical Magicians – Time Together at the WSO

My 13-year-old daughter and I are WSO buddies.  I’m really cherishing the time we spend together at these concerts, and I can’t imagine my life without your music.

When I was growing up in the 80s and 90s, my grandmother had season tickets for the ballet, and I was the lucky one who always got to attend with her. While I enjoyed the dancing and costumes, the thing I remember most was the music. I was never close enough to see the musicians, and when I was young (they were hidden in the pit), I thought they were magicians because they made their silly-looking, shiny instruments make sounds that I couldn’t see but I could feel. They transported me to worlds I never knew existed in the way writers do with books. I have kept those pieces of music with me throughout my life, and since then, have seen WSO performances from time to time when I could afford to go on my own.

I took my oldest to a few Sundays with the Family, but I could tell she liked it, but wasn’t in love like myself. My youngest daughter is a different story. During 2020, I signed my then-9-year-old up for piano lessons, and because of the isolation, she immersed herself in music. Now at 13, she has learned fiddle, trumpet, tenor saxophone, euphonium, and now double bass in Grade 8 band and jazz band. I took her to some WSO performances over the last few years, but when she won a Soundcheck Pass for outstanding performance at Summer Band Camp (2 years in a row), that really got her interested in watching live music. I finally had a person to go with me who loved the music and performances as much as I did. She always wants to be as close as possible to see everything, that’s why From the Inside Out was so amazing for both of us, for different reasons. We sat beside the trumpet players who are always hidden in the back during performances, getting a chance to ask questions and follow along with them on their pages. We loved seeing all the pencil notations and how different it looks from the music she plays for her school band. It was, hands down, my favourite performance I’ve been to at the WSO. I felt like a VIP, sitting beside the magicians from my childhood and getting to feel like a kid again at 46. Please do more of those performances because it was so much fun.

I have a bit more money now and can afford to go to anything I want, and I hope that my donation and future donations will help keep this vital part of Winnipeg’s community here for the next generation. I can’t imagine a world without these talented musical magicians who make our hearts full and spread happiness with their instruments.

Elizabeth Ashe, WSO Patron

Despite the positive news on so many fronts, the WSO still needs to bridge the gap created by post-pandemic sales losses and rising inflation. Every dollar makes a difference. We are so grateful for your support.

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