The author of "The Hockey Sweater", Roch Carrier, will read with the Georgian Bay Symphony as they perform an orchestra version of his iconic story. Composed for narrator and orchestra by Abigail Richardson-Schulte the piece has been performed over 30 times in such places as Toronto, Calgary, Regina, Hamilton, North Bay and now Owen Sound.
There will be two presentations of "The Hockey Sweater" on Saturday December 10th. The first will be as part of the afternoon Family Christmas Concert, 4pm at OSCVI. This is a pay-what-you-can event as a gift to the community from the Symphony. "There are so many financial demands on family budgets this time of year. We are thankful to sponsors such as the Rocking Horse, Christy Kelly of Investors Group and Leflar Foundation for allowing us to offer this one hour afternoon concert as a pay-what-you-can event", says GBS Board Chair Nancy MacDonald. The concert will also include a carol sing-along and some area mascots, with Blinky from the Festival of Northern Lights in attendance. Roch Carrier's The Hockey Sweater books will be available for sale as well.
The second opportunity to experience "The Hockey Sweater" special event is at "A Christmas Spectacular" that evening at 7:30pm. The concert will include a holiday piece by local composer Richard Mascall, seasonal favourite, other orchestra music and a carol sing-along or two. In the evening patrons will be able to purchase The Hockey Sweater and Roch Carrier will be signing copies.
The Hockey Sweater Fun Facts: Over 300,000 copies sold. Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk took a copy to the International Space Station to read. The first lines appeared on the $5 bill in 2001. A copy was given as an official gift from Canada to the infant Prince George.
In 1979 Carrier was asked by CBC radio to write an essay on "What Quebec Wants". He was dissatisfied by the essay and asked if he could back out. He was told a time slot was already booked for Monday broadcast so write whatever he wanted. So he sat down at the kitchen table over the weekend and wrote about his childhood in Ste-Justine, Que during the 40s. The following year it was made into a National Film Board short with illustrations by Sheldon Cohen.
In 2012 Canadian composer Abigail Richardson-Schulte, who read the story when she was a child growing up in Calgary, was commissioned by the TSO, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Calgary Philharmonic to set the story to music. In preparation for writing the piece she travelled with Carrier back to his home town. Percussionists are keep very busy during the performance including creating the sound of skates on ice by scraping broken tiles together. "The best way to see how it works is just to attend a concert when the piece of music and my little reading are included," said Carrier. "It works wonderfully. People enjoy it. I was very lucky to have Abigail Richardson doing that piece of music." The piece has been performed by nearly every professional orchestra across the country, and has been experienced by more than sixty thousand audience members.
Her most current projects include a complete family concert commissioned by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra based around Dennis Lee's "Alligator Pie".
Media Contact: David Adair, GBS Manager 519-372-0212