{"id":95367,"date":"2023-03-16T12:25:27","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T16:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=95367"},"modified":"2023-03-16T13:21:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T17:21:55","slug":"preview-maestro-carlos-bastidas-talks-ontario-pops-orchestra-debut-album-release-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/03\/16\/preview-maestro-carlos-bastidas-talks-ontario-pops-orchestra-debut-album-release-concert\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | Maestro Carlos Bastidas Talks About Ontario Pops Orchestra Debut Album Release & Concert"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L-R:
L-R: Conductor Carlos Bastidas; Violinist Yanet Campbell Secades; Bassoonist Marlene Ngalissamy; Violinist Tanya Charles Iveniuk (Photos courtesy of Ontario Pops Orchestra)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Ontario Pops Orchestra and music director\/conductor Carlos Bastidas are celebrating the release of their debut album with a concert in Toronto on March 31. The release, Breaking Barriers<\/em>, spotlights Black women in the role of featured soloists: violinists Tanya Charles Iveniuk and Yanet Campbell Secades, and bassoonist Marlene Ngalissamy.<\/p>\n

\"Ontario
Ontario Pops Orchestra (Photo courtesy of OPO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carlos Bastidas and Ontario Pops Orchestra<\/h3>\n

Maestro Carlos Bastidas came to Canada from Colombia to study music. \u201cI\u2019ve been taking music since I was 11 years at the National Conservatory in Colombia,\u201d he says. He moved to Canada to pursue his studies at the University of Ottawa. \u201cMy main instrument at the time was the bassoon. Back in the 90s, there wasn\u2019t a conducting program.\u201d<\/p>\n

He began with playing professionally as a bassoonist in various orchestras, while studying conducting as well. \u201cAfter doing that for a couple of decades, [and] after seeing so many conductors, I thought, I can do that better,\u201d he says. \u201cUsually when people ask me, I say I play 65 different instruments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founding the OPO has been a winding road from its inception in 2014. \u201cIt was a journey. We started out the orchestra, and I\u2019m kind of a modern conductor in that I use a lot of social media.\u201d What he started with was the idea of creating a community orchestra in Etobicoke. \u201cYou don\u2019t start with a professional orchestra,\u201d he says. He was amazed at the response. \u201cI got 345 replies from people who wanted to play in the orchestra.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a series of auditions, the orchestra got started. \u201cWe are the only pops orchestra in the GTA.\u201d With several other orchestras in the GTA alone, all performing essentially standard concert repertoire, it left a gap, he felt. \u201cI don\u2019t want to do the same thing.\u201d That\u2019s especially true if you\u2019re reaching beyond the usual concert audience demographics. \u201cPops gives me a wider range of programming. I can do from a Broadway show to Dvorak Symphony No. 9. For classical, I try to program pieces that people are familiar with.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it was well received and growing, the Ontario Pops Orchestra as a community ensemble essentially dissolved when the pandemic hit. Carlos always had bigger plans for the ensemble; the lockdown simply brought the situation to a head. \u201cThat\u2019s when I jump started the professional orchestra,\u201d he says of the reset. \u201cIt was a pivotal moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the help of some sponsors and from the Toronto Musician\u2019s Association, he started to put the next step into place. During the pandemic, they played concerts without an audience to record the results.<\/p>\n