When Calgarians think of the Nutcracker, the first thing that comes to mind is the ballet rendition of Tchaikovsky’s classic—but the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has something even higher in mind than the graceful leaps of Alberta Ballet this December.

On Dec. 9 only, the players of the Phil will be on stage along with L.A.’s Troupe Vertigo, the internationally famous circus troupe founded by Cirque du Soleil alumni Aloysia Gavre and Hollywood director and producer Rex Camphuis for A Cirque Holiday Soiree.

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra CEO Marc Stevens said that this year they wanted to do something different to complement their traditional and much-beloved Christmas performances.

“We’re always looking for fun holiday fare for everybody to enjoy, from all of the family to all of our communities. We’re looking for things like this, which we know are a wonderful combination of the two art forms: circus and with orchestral music behind that,” he said.

“This is something that doesn’t have to be a Christmas, but this is a great time to do a particular style of show with the circus performers, and we know it’s popular.”

Stevens previously worked with Troupe Vertigo while working with the National Art Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, calling them a superb ensemble.

The circus has performed previously with orchestras across North America, including those in Chicago, Oregon, Phoenix, and Winnipeg.

Ballet not entirely eschewed from performances

If people still have the ballet in mind, Stevens said that the performance would be conducted by Julian Pellicano, who is the Principal Conductor of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

“He does all sorts of performances, orchestra, film, and these kinds of things, He’s very used to being able to find the right speeds for the music and the right remote way of presenting that music that works for dancers, and I think that there’ll be something very similar with these circus performers,” Stevens said.

The players themselves will be on stage with the Troupe Vertigo performers as well, something that Stevens said audiences and the players themselves were likely to find exciting.

“You’ll see the orchestra behind the performers, and certainly, I’m sure some will be narrowing their eyes if a circus performer gets too close,” he said .

“We have a lot of safety elements in place, as you can imagine, to make sure that the circus performers, the orchestra and the audience are absolutely safe as they do this. But I guess that’s part of the thrill of a circus performance. There’s amazing physical feats that that you just can’t imagine them happening and working.”

Among the music that has been selected for the afternoon and evening showings of A Cirque Holiday Soiree will be selections from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and a “fabulous” rendition of Sleigh Ride which eschews the 1960s version of the original orchestral piece.

“There are a few surprises in there,” said Stevens.

Tickets for the Dec. 9 show are going fast this year he said, faster than the tickets sold for last year’s sold-out presentation of Home Alone with the score played by the Calgary Phil.

“This is way ahead of the trend even for Home Alone, so we’re very excited about it. There are still tickets available, but we recommend people get them as quickly as possible because we are predicting a sellout,” Stevens said.

“We’re expecting the last few tickets to fly off the shelves, but it’s pretty accessible this year at $34 and up. But you need to get in there pretty quick to make sure that you get the bargain.”

Performances run at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. at the Jubilee Auditorium.

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11005E9860080DC4.

Other offerings from the Calgary Philharmonic this Christmas season

Among the other holiday and Christmas offerings available from the Calgary Phil this year are performances of Handel’s Messiah on Dec. 1 and 2, and the traditional Christmas performances on Dec. 5–7 at Grace Presbyterian Church.

The latter, said Stevens, is sold out but the Calgary Phil has created a waiting list for people still looking to attend.

For those folks who really want to see the orchestra do Tchaikovsky as it was intended by the composer himself, the Calgary Phil will be offering something for ballet lovers as well.

“Our friends at the Alberta Ballet are performing the Nutcracker with our orchestra players in the pit supporting that over the next over the next few weeks, so we strongly recommend people support them,” Stevens said.

The Calgary Phil is also holding a Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert on January 1, at 2:30 p.m.

For full details on those performances, see calgaryphil.com/events.