{"id":117928,"date":"2025-09-26T16:53:18","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T20:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=117928"},"modified":"2025-09-29T08:00:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T12:00:01","slug":"interview-conductor-martin-macdonald-soprano-allison-cecilia-arends-talk-cathedral-bluffs-symphony-orchestra-2025-26-launch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/09\/26\/interview-conductor-martin-macdonald-soprano-allison-cecilia-arends-talk-cathedral-bluffs-symphony-orchestra-2025-26-launch\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Conductor Martin MacDonald &amp; Soprano Allison Cecilia Arends Talk About Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra 2025\/26 Launch"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_117931\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117931\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-117931\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165125.962.jpg\" alt=\"Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra and conductor Martin MacDonald (Photo courtesy of CBSO)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165125.962.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165125.962-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165125.962-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165125.962-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-117931\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra and conductor Martin MacDonald (Photo courtesy of CBSO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra will launch the 2025\/26 season, their 40th, with a program appropriately titled 40 &amp; BEYOND. The concert on October 4 takes a look at the history and future of the orchestra through its program.<\/p>\n<p>From Beethoven to John S. Gray, operatic arias, and a monumental symphony, the musical mix touches on four decades of the community orchestra and its legacy.<\/p>\n<p>LV spoke to conductor Martin MacDonald and soloist, soprano Allison Cecilia Arends, about the music and more.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_117934\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117934\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-117934\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165629.232.jpg\" alt=\"L: Conductor Martin MacDonald (Photo courtesy of Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra); R: Soprano Allison Cecilia Arends (Photo: Kevin Clark Studios)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165629.232.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165629.232-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165629.232-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165629.232-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-117934\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L: Conductor Martin MacDonald (Photo courtesy of Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra); R: Soprano Allison Cecilia Arends (Photo: Kevin Clark Studios)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Conductor Martin MacDonald: The Concert<\/h2>\n<p>Launching the 40th season is a significant milestone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is really something,\u201d he says. The very first concert of the first season also took place in October 1985. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty much 40 years to the day,\u201d he says. It\u2019s not just the orchestra as an organization that has endured. \u201cWe have some members of the orchestra who have been with us for 40 years. They can offer a really great perspective on what we\u2019re doing,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>Through that time, there\u2019s been a remarkable continuity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn 40 years, the orchestra is on their fourth music director.\u201d MacDonald took over the role in 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The program dips into the history of the orchestra, but also looks to its future. It honours the legacy of the first three Music Directors, and opens with Beethoven\u2019s Egmont Overture, Op. 84.<\/p>\n<p>The Egmont Overture was the favourite work of Clifford Poole, founder of CBSO and its first Music Director. The orchestra\u2019s very first concert also opened with that work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe thought it would be really neat to open the 40th season with the same piece,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s got all sorts of drama and a thrilling finale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Robert Raines was the orchestra\u2019s second Music Director. John S. Gray\u2019s Episodes (2003) will be performed as a nod to his tenure.<\/p>\n<p>Contemporary Canadian composer John S. Gray is self taught as a composer, and studied piano privately in his native Halifax, Nova Scotia. He\u2019s known largely for his chamber, piano and electroacoustic works, which have been performed in North America.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had commissioned some Canadian pieces during his tenure,\u201d MacDonald says of Raines. John Gray\u2019s piece is one of them. Gray is also a recording engineer who\u2019s come back to help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s come to record some of our concerts,\u201d Martin says. He adds that the occasion is a wonderful opportunity to bring the piece back into circulation \u201cIt\u2019s a really mysterious, wonderful,\u201d he says. \u201cThe music sort of lurks around corners.\u201d The music has a watery theme. \u201cIt\u2019s a really neat piece and we\u2019re happy to bring it back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ed Franko (TrypTych Opera in Toronto) and Norman Reintamm (Conductor of the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra), present Don Giovanni in the P.C. Ho Theatre of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Toronto on February 15, 2014:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mss3faKT-34?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Norman Reintamm was the orchestra\u2019s third MD, and was named Conductor Emeritus of CBSO. \u201cHe really championed our formal vocal competition. It was a big part of his legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Opera is on the program in his honour. \u201cLet\u2019s bring back a former winner of that competition, and who\u2019s gone on to a wonderful career.\u201d Allison Cecilia Arends is the soloist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe wanted to offer up a lot of variety for the opening concert as well. We wanted to have a celebratory feel.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWe wanted to bookend it with Beethoven,\u201d MacDonald says. Beethoven\u2019s Fifth Symphony closes the program. \u201cWe\u2019ve done a Beethoven symphony in every season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Choosing the very familiar work offers an opportunity. \u201cBeethoven 5 gets played a lot, but it\u2019s also wonderful vehicle for the orchestra to build the sound. There is so much in there that you can keep rediscovering every time,\u201d he says. \u201cBeethoven has endured for so long for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He points out that it was considered revolutionary for its time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a piece that people recognize so well, but will not necessarily recognize everything they think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also a good push forward for the orchestra\u2019s next four decades, and the orchestra\u2019s musicians have a lot of enthusiasm for performing it. He notes their clean sound and adherence to the score. \u201cThere\u2019s one thing about this orchestra that I\u2019ve noticed during my tenure is that they play Beethoven with a lot of enthusiasm, and they play it very very well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allison Cecilia Arends (soprano) sings Ach Ich Liebte (from Die Entf\u00fchrung aus dem Serail) by Mozart live in concert in the P.C. Ho Theatre in Toronto on March 26, 2013. The Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra conducted by Norman Reintamm:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oRZRo87bsJ4?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>Allison Cecilia Arends, soprano<\/h2>\n<p>Allison Cecilia Arends has wanted to perform since she was a child.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt actually goes back quite far, and it&#8217;s kind of a family favourite story,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>She grew up in a family where she heard classical music on the radio and records, although no opera per se. One night, her mother was out with friends, and came home late.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was watching the Three Tenors, and I was totally transfixed. My father couldn\u2019t tear me away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Noting her passion, her parents started her in piano lessons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike most kids, I went through a stage and wanted to quit piano,\u201d Allison says. She found out, though, that her piano teacher also taught singing lessons. As a bargain with her mother, she agreed to continue with piano provided she could also add singing lessons.<\/p>\n<p>She was reminded of that history not long ago when visiting her parents in Regina. Allison found an old box of childhood paraphernalia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was going through some of my old scrapbooks,\u201d she recalls. She found a grade three project that had students writing about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Allison was surprised to see that her answer had been \u201copera singer\u201d. During her teens, she wasn\u2019t always so sure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved physics in high school as well as music,\u201d she says. It would be grade 11 before she settled on music as a career choice. She credits great teachers for encouraging her ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m the only musician in my family,\u201d she says. \u201cI&#8217;ve really had fantastic mentors along the way.<br \/>\n\u201d She\u2019s often made friends of former teachers, and now does a significant amount of teaching herself, including sitting on adjudication panels.<\/p>\n<h3>Cathedral Bluffs SO<\/h3>\n<p>CBSO ran a vocal competition for a number of years, and Arends is a former competitor \u2014 and winner. \u201cI think it was about 15 years ago,\u201d she recalls. \u201cIt was called the Clifford Poole Competition. It was great.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She says she still performs her competition selection, the Ach, ich liebte, war so gl\u00fccklich aria that Konstanze sings in Mozart&#8217;s Die Entf\u00fchrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio), K. 384.<\/p>\n<p>Allison returned to perform with the orchestra as a soloist several years ago. Her experience underscores the important role that community orchestras like Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra play in the local music ecosystem, reaching beyond the usual concert hall crowd.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis brings music to a different community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allison Cecilia Arends, Soprano; Rachael Kerr, Piano: O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi) by Puccini:<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SFhZ4ek8KnI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>The Concert<\/h3>\n<p>Her repertoire for the concert includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mozart \u201cRuhe Sanft, Mein Holdes Leben\u201d from Zaide, K. 344<\/li>\n<li>Bellini \u201cQui la voce\u201d from I puritani<\/li>\n<li>Gounod \u201cAmour, ranime mon courage\u201d from Rom\u00e9o et Juliette<\/li>\n<li>Puccini \u201cO mio babbino caro\u201d from Gianni Schicchi<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Putting together the list wasn\u2019t a challenge. \u201cFor me, no. I love programming,\u201d she says. \u201cI was so fortunate with Martin that he gave me so much leeway.\u201d After a discussion about the other pieces on the program, it was decided that operatic arias would balance out a large work like Beethoven 5.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s performed the Puccini piece many times, and Mozart\u2019s \u201cRuhe Sanft, Mein Holdes Leben\u201d from Zaide, K. 344was a fourth year university project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then I kind of put it away for a while,\u201d she says. She says she dusted off the music again during the pandemic. \u201cI think it has just one of the most remarkably beautiful melodies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Allison wanted to mix up different languages and periods. The concert was also an opportunity to cross a couple of pieces off her wish list.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not have a chance to do any of the big Bellinis,\u201d she says. \u201cIt&#8217;s been on my wish list for 15 years. I love singing bel canto. I love the music from that era,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n<p>For the Gounod, she picked the uber-dramatic \u201cPoison Aria\u201d from Rom\u00e9o et Juliette. \u201cWhich has also been on my wish list for a long time,\u201d she explains. \u201cThis one, the Poison aria, is so dramatically interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It captures Juliette\u2019s thoughts and emotions, including her last minute doubts, just before she takes the poison that is supposed to put her to sleep.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe music really reflects that. It&#8217;s quite dramatic. And I love, love French opera,\u201d Arends adds. \u201cIt was really fun to select the repertoire. Those really stuck out.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find more information and tickets for 40 &amp; BEYOND on October 4 [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/cathedralbluffs.com\/tickets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra will launch the 2025\/26 season, their 40th, with a program appropriately titled 40 &amp; BEYOND.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":117931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,76,19,875,29,38,43,4557,56,63],"tags":[5904,673,4267],"yst_prominent_words":[6616,6613,6826],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2025-09-26T165125.962.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-uG4","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117928"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117928"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117959,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117928\/revisions\/117959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117928"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=117928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}