University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra performance of Reflections

Classic 107: U of M Symphony Orchestra offers ‘Reflections’ on tragedy and healing

March 25, 2025 —

It’s a concert that blends the old with the new, and inspires both conversation and reflection.

The latest offering from the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra is literally called Reflections, and it offers up very personal pieces that the students that comprise the orchestra cab relate to on a very intimate level.

The concert’s centerpiece is “My Name is Amanda Todd” by the late Manitoban composer Jocelyn Morlock. It was inspired by the British Columbia teenager who took her own life back in 2012 after a campaign of online bullying and harassment against her.

“I would say that it is definitely a struggle in terms of university programming to program things that are relevant to the now,” says Monica Chen, conductor of the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, noting that there are certain pieces that the students have to play in order to gain the skills required by academia.

To read the entire article, please follow the link to Classic 107.

Desautels Faculty of Music

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