The Regina Symphony Orchestra and Holy Rosary Cathedral

The Regina Symphony Orchestra and Holy Rosary Cathedral

One of the many consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada was the shutting down of live symphonic music. After March 2019, orchestras across the nation, and globally, had to cancel their concert seasons in compliance with health-safety regulations regarding crowd gatherings.

Among the handful that tried to keep their musicians doing what they do best was the Regina Symphony Orchestra.  Unable to perform at the Conexus Centre, their usual venue, the RSO looked for other locations in the city. When their newly-minted Executive Director, Mike Forrester, was invited to view Holy Rosary Cathedral as a possibility, he was immediately taken by the acoustics and the beautiful space of the building, as were Music Director Gordon Gerrard and the musicians who visited the place two weeks later.

That was the start of the serendipitous relationship of the two iconic Regina establishments, both celebrating over 100 years of existence in the city.

Holy Rosary parish, under the pastorship of Rev. Danilo Rafael, was happy to open its doors and to be of service to the community. Accommodating the provincial safety restrictions in its space, the church welcomed many RSO patrons who had never before entered its doors. In an abnormal time of isolation and uncertainty, it allowed people to come together in safety to find comfort and kinship in the universal language of music, in the beauty and peace of the cathedral, and to find hope for better days to come.

In September, 2020 there were three well-attended free concerts to introduce the venue to the public. October and November saw almost weekly performances of the orchestra’s three concert series. There were ecstatic reviews of the wonderful sounds in our Romanesque  edifice, of the creative programming with a smaller orchestra. Then the curtain came down at the end of November with the advance of Covid and further provincial restrictions; the rest of the season was cancelled.

In response to the positive reactions and enthusiasm of its audience, the RSO asked to continue its relationship with the cathedral for its 2021/22 season. In addition, there was a Baroque series and a smaller-orchestral programme created to be performed  at the cathedral.

For centuries, hundreds of churches globally have been venues for the performance and preservation of traditional and classical music. It is with pride and excitement that we agreed to the use of our 100-year-old cathedral, with its beautiful stained glass windows and graceful arches and spires, to give pleasure to the community, to be integral in the aesthetic culture of the city.