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Event Description

Victoria, BC – The Victoria Symphony is pleased to announce the artistic lineup for the 16th annual Victoria Symphony Splash. Taking place on Sunday, July 31, beginning at 4pm, the Inner Harbour is transformed into an outdoor concert stage, with children’s activities, local food vendors, and live music. Performers this year include the West Coast Celtic group from the concert stage at Butchart Gardens Kitangus, dancers from Victoria’s own O’Brien School of Irish Dance, and the musicians of the Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific. The smashing finale of the evening will feature the Music Director Tania Miller leading the Victoria Symphony with special guest young soprano Heather MacLeod.

Victoria Symphony Splash is the largest annual symphony event in North America, attracting up to 40,000 Victoria residents and visitors. The unique setting for the performance is on a barge moored in Victoria’s Inner Harbour, in front of the picturesque Provincial Legislature.

Victoria Symphony Splash appeals to audiences of all ages; the music performed is a mix of classical and popular selections, and a talented young soloist is featured each year with the assistance of the Leslie and Murray Glazier Young Musicians Fund. The concert concludes with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, complete with bells, cannons and fireworks.

Victoria Symphony Splash is presented annually by the Victoria Symphony. This open air event is not possible without public donations - please give generously.

Tania Miller’s appointment as Music Director of the Victoria Symphony confirms her reputation as a consummate musician and leader. At the age of thirty-five, Tania is the youngest current Music Director of a major Canadian orchestra and the first Canadian-born woman to be appointed to such a significant post in the history of the industry in Canada.

Kitangus has been exciting audiences since 1995 with their unique blend of folk music and song that the band calls "West Coast Celtic". From the concert hall to the folk club and many a public house in-between, this band shares a passion for their music. Kitangus music is a reflection of old world traditions fused with a new world sound. With many original compositions and a myriad of songs and tunes from Ireland, Scotland, England and Canada, Kitangus has developed a sound that is uniquely "West Coast".

The O'Brien School of Irish Dance celebrates its ten year anniversary this year in Victoria with 45 male and female dancers ranging from 4 years to adult. The dancers compete at regional, national and international competitions - including three who have just returned from Nashville, Tennessee for the North American Championships where nearly 5000 dancers competed. The school performs throughout the year at various functions and events - including the World Curling Championships, Canada Day at Canada Place Vancouver, and in local venues.

The Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific, Canada's Navy band on the West Coast, is a multifaceted ensemble of thirty-five professional musicians who, as ambassadors of national pride and goodwill, perform throughout Canada and abroad. The Naden Band is a highly visible touring ensemble that serves as a liaison between the military and the public through its musical support of military, governmental, and civilian functions.

Fourteen-year-old soprano Heather MacLeod has been studying voice privately at the Victoria Conservatory of Music for three years with Signi Murgatroyd. Heather has had many wonderful singing opportunities in Victoria, including appearances with Pacific Opera Victoria and the Victoria Symphony. In March 2003 she won the Junior Vocal Award in the 2003 Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival and was a runner-up in the B.C. Provincial Performing Arts Festival. In 2004 Heather and pianist Claire Butterfield were the winning team in the Junior Division of the Victoria Conservatory of Music’s German Lieder Competition.

In 1990, the Victoria Symphony launched a bold experiment when it played its first-ever Symphony Splash. It was conceived as the Symphony's fiftieth anniversary thank-you to the people and businesses of Victoria. Thousands of people showed up at the Inner Harbour to watch the orchestra play on a barge moored off shore. And they have been coming ever since, in greater and greater numbers.

The next year donation barrels were set up, staffed by volunteers. In 1992, organizers arranged for a larger barge and a better sound system and by 1993 concrete pilings were put in the harbour to provide permanent moorage for the Splash barge.

Succeeding years have seen many improvements. Streets around the harbour are closed off. Fireworks have been added to the finale of the 1812 Overture and glow ropes are sold so that the audience can "conduct" it. Each year, a young performer is the featured soloist.

Symphony Splash is now one of the largest annual symphony event in North America, attracting up to 40,000 Victoria residents and visitors, and over 300 volunteers contribute to its goal of bringing the symphony to the people