I enjoyed our first-ever Red Deer Symphony Orchestra and celebrated Robbie Burns Day all at once. On a trip to Scotland some years ago, I bought a Mackenzie tartan kilt, sgian-dubh (dirk), socks, sporan, and belt. My wife, Janet, bought a Mackenzie tartan sash and brooch. For this special evening, I rounded out my outfit with a Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket, dress shirt and gillies borrowed from my friend Buck Buchanan.

We were looking about as fine as we possibly could but we didn’t shine as brightly as did the members of the RDSO. We were literally blown away by the power and expertise of the more than 40 musicians. Wow! I am not well versed in classical music but the performances were truly memorable.

Guest violinist, Kai Gleusteen, played the entire first half of the program on a violin made in 1781 by J.B. Guadagnini. I had the pleasure of meeting the star performer afterwards and learned the value of this prized violin – over a million dollars. When I asked him if there was a future for budding musicians, he said, “There is always room for young musicians with talent and dedication. What there isn’t is audiences. The general public no longer seems to understand or appreciate classical music.”

Admittedly, I am one of those people. I’ve had a bit an education (thank you Noreen Kester, music teacher at Aspen Heights Elementary who played classical music every morning over the intercom prefaced by a short educational script).

Thanks to the quality of the symphony and assisted by Conductor Claude Lapalme’s humourous and insightful explanations, I did appreciate and understand more than I thought I would.

Added to the music was the opportunity to see all kinds of Red Deer friends I haven’t seen for years. We took advantage of ordering a wee dram in advance so it was waiting for us at the intermission and we maximized our visiting time. Good stuff!

Will we return? Absolutely! We are looking forward to “A Night at the Movies” at the Memorial Centre on March 23. See you there?