Tay Tay with a string section? That’s what the Toronto Concert Orchestra has in mind for their next concert, titled Orchestral Wonderland: Taylor Swift Eras Encore. Artistic Director Sharon Lee has orchestrated some of the pop diva’s iconic hits for the ensemble to perform.
Orchestrated pop music has become a huge trend on social media, and we can’t help but love the way it’s introducing many people to the joys of orchestral music. We caught up with Lee to ask about the exercise.
TCO Artistic Director Sharon Lee: Q&A
What do you think of the growing interest in using orchestral instruments for pop songs? Obviously you are in favour! But, what do you think it adds to the music?
I feel like orchestral instruments are enjoying a bit of a renaissance right now, which is so much fun as a classical musician! Bridgerton, in particular, comes to mind in bringing the string quartet to the forefront of pop culture using massive pop chart hits.
I think this treatment offers so much possibility to popular music. With quartets, we often hear a paring down of texture to fit within the four players, which is beautiful in its own way. With orchestral arrangements that we’re performing at our upcoming Taylor Swift Eras Encore concert, we are adding texture and colours not usually found within the timbres readily available to pop music, allowing for exploration of musical ideas and phrasing that allude to, but are not completely directed by, the vocal line. We have a guest vocalist for this concert, and having the orchestra surrounding her also allows us to bring a new dimension to the song, interwoven with vocals, rather than the band in the background with vocals in the foreground.
What approach do you take in orchestrating the songs — i.e. do you try to stick fairly close to the original, while adding orchestral colours and textures, or do you perhaps add different elements to the music to take advantage of the medium?
To me, each song speaks in a different way. There are elements to some songs that stand out so much to me that I love creating little motifs of them and scattering them throughout the song, even if the original does not highlight this.
Also, sometimes I will take a cue from the original and lean into the vibe of a song with a more upbeat or more mellow vibe — playing with the pulse of a song in a way that feels authentic to what is already written.
Orchestral colours (especially performed by our fantastic TCO musicians) are endless in options, and I can truly write anything and our musicians can play them. This is a huge treat, and it allows me to dream up countermelodies or introductions that fit the character that I see in a particular song, and the result is a seamless performance of something new and something familiar.
What do the musicians think of playing this kind of material?
I think it depends on the musician! I feel like TCO is a group of musicians who are incredibly capable in a variety of genres. We’re very adaptable, whether it’s performing Beethoven, blockbuster hits, contemporary new music, or Taylor Swift.
And, I think our musicians enjoy the variety. Our musicians are all free to opt out of any concerts we offer, and the enthusiasm level is similar across the board, regardless of the genre of music presented. I do sense that the excitement level for Taylor in particular is very high—we have a few chats going with outfit ideas!
What kind of audience do you expect for this concert?
TCO has been presenting a mix of classical and popular for years! I like to call it “Classical Plus,” classically sounding music that is not necessarily classical in genre.
For this particular concert, we are hoping our audience — and orchestral audiences across the city — use this concert as a gateway opportunity to bring their friends who are new to classical music. This is a fantastic way to experience instrumental sounds in a familiar way. We’ve removed the medium from the usual longer pieces, so the audience can clap (or unwrap candies or get up for a drink or chat to their neighbour) every 3-4 minutes instead of the longer intervals of classical music.
In a similar way, I also feel this is a great way for a very classically-leaning audience person to experience pop music in a way that is more appealing to them, and broaden their own enjoyment of what the musical world has to offer. We’re offering a performance of textures that are familiar to the classical listener, bringing a tactile acoustic element to the songs that they are already surrounded by.
- Find more details and tickets for the February 23 concert [HERE].
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