Canada’s Ballet Jörgen Presents Coppélia, a Comedy With Love

Toy Story-esque Ballet That Brings A Life-Sized Doll to Life Will Amuse and Delight Audiences of All Ages on March 2

Coppélia is one of the world’s oldest surviving ballets and one of the most performed comedic ballets. It is a daring, bold, playful story about a beautiful life-sized doll who comes to life and the men who fall in love with her. Touring British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba this winter, Canada’s Ballet Jörgen (CBJ) bring their contemporary retelling of this classic fairytale to Horizon Stage on Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Coppélia takes audiences into the mysterious mind of Dr. Coppélius, a lonely and disillusioned toy maker who wishes he could bring a perfect doll to life to become his perfect wife. He creates Coppélia, a life-sized dancing doll so gorgeous that Nathanael, one of the local villagers, falls madly in love with her. Nathaniel’s spurned sweetheart, Klara, enacts revenge by dressing as the doll and pretending to come to life to punish him.

Emotional and captivating, Coppélia is one of the best balletic representations of fantastical storytelling the world over and is one of CBJ’s most popular family ballets. Told through vibrant choreography, it features a set of large interlocking geometric shapes which are integrated into the production through intricate scene changes.

Choreographed by the award-winning Bengt Jörgen, CBJ’s Artistic Director and CEO, and set to the original score by Leo Delibes, Coppélia is an international co-production with The Hong Kong Ballet. It originally premiered in 2001 and audience members young and old have been thoroughly captivated and delighted by it ever since.

Canada’s Ballet Jörgen is a classical ballet company based in Toronto that aims to make ballet accessible and relevant to 21st century audiences. CBJ likes to tell Canadian stories and always reflect a Canadian identity in their programming. As an added bonus, the company’s local participant program will bring local young dancers from Spruce Grove and surrounding areas to join their professional dancers on stage. The local participant program allows the students (age 14+) the opportunity to experience being part of a professional production while also allowing the company to support the local dance community. 

Bring your family to see Coppélia, a real life Toy Story told through dance, at Horizon Stage on Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for Adults and $30 for Students and Seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave), by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online through Ticketpro.ca.

Go On a Musical Journey with an Incredible Classical Concert Pianist

Avan Yu will share his stories, inspirations, and extreme musical talent at Horizon Stage on February 25

A musician’s voice mirrors their path through life. Travels, influences, people, and encounters combine to create a unique story. Playing since he was five, and beginning his public career at age 14, Avan Yu has won competitions and awards, performed extensively throughout Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, and worked with world-renowned conductors and orchestras. In his deeply personal program, Journeys, Avan speaks about his experiences as a pianist, plays milestone pieces from his major performances, and shares music by composers who have shaped his artistic growth. Demonstrating delicate nuances and great technical facilities, Avan is an expressive performer who plays with a passion and freedom rarely seen in someone so young. In a tour coordinated by Prairie Debut, Avan is performing concerts across Saskatchewan and Alberta this winter, stopping at Horizon Stage on Monday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m.

One of Canada’s most exciting young pianists, at age 17 Avan Yu became front page news as the youngest competitor ever to win the Canadian Chopin Competition. He achieved international recognition when he triumphed at the Sydney International Piano Competition in 2012, winning First Prize along with nine special awards. He was noticed by Pinchas Zukerman and Bramwell Tovey who invited him to perform with their respective orchestras, the National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Vancouver Symphony. Since then, Avan has appeared with Yo-Yo Ma, Rafael Fruehbeck de Burgos, Christian Arming, Juanjo Mena, Johannes Moser, and the Armida Quartet. He has performed at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall (New York), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Philharmonie (Berlin), the Salle Cortot (Paris), and the Sydney Opera House.

From Hong Kong to Vancouver, to living in Berlin, Paris, and now New York, Avan’s destinations are a story of their own. His explorations have shaped both his life and his artistry. His latest recording of Liszt's piano transcriptions of Schubert's Winterreise and Schwanengesang won glowing reviews from critics and fans. Besides playing the piano, Avan has also written for the National Post, he loves studying languages, and in his spare time enjoys experimenting in the kitchen.

Avan Yu: Journeys, promises to evoke amusement and contemplation for audience members, as they delve into the life-story of a remarkable pianist. Don’t miss Avan Yu at Horizon Stage on Monday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for Adults and $30 for Students and Seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave), by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online through Ticketpro.ca.

“While he is second to few in the glittering virtuosity of which he is capable at the keyboard, 

there is also – and this is far more important – an ability to probe and reveal 

the inner depths of whatever he plays”

– West Australian