What do the legends of Camelot, the worlds of William Shakespeare, Middle-earth, an ogre, a dragon trainer, a witcher, and the Knights Who Say "Ni!" have in common?

As it turns out... quite a lot.

Rather than building a concert around a single film, composer, or franchise, we started by asking our musicians what they had always wanted to play. Over the years, we accumulated a long list of repertoire suggestions that, while beloved, never quite fit into one of our themed concerts. We felt it was time to challenge ourselves to create a program that could stand on its own without relying on a single established brand. Some of you may remember Expect the Unexpected: A Musical Surprise, where we announced none of the repertoire ahead of time.

As we sifted through those suggestions, an unexpected thread emerged. Knights. Dragons. Castles. Epic journeys. Unlikely heroes. Comedy. What first appeared to be an eclectic collection of favourites became a surprisingly cohesive program spanning centuries of storytelling.

For nearly a decade, How to Train Your Dragon has been one of our most requested works, and we're delighted to finally bring John Powell's soaring score to the Ottawa Pops stage. Powell's name appears elsewhere on today's program as well. Before writing music for the dragon-filled skies of Berk, he had already crossed paths with another unconventional hero, co-composing the score for the original Shrek alongside Harry Gregson-Williams. It turns out there was always much more to Far Far Away than Smash Mouth.

That same thread runs throughout today's program. The legends of King Arthur inspired the beloved musical Camelot. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet later became one of Sergei Prokofiev's greatest orchestral and ballet scores. Monty Python and the Holy Grail gleefully turned Arthurian legend on its head before becoming the Broadway hit Spamalot, proving that even the grandest epics benefit from not taking themselves too seriously.

This concert would not have been possible without the tremendous work of arranger Kent Swenson, who spent countless hours preparing and adapting several of the works you'll hear today. We are also thrilled to welcome back longtime Ottawa Pops Orchestra collaborator Carmen Harris, and to feature our own Artistic Director, Mathieu Roy, as he answers Camelot's call.

We hope you'll laugh, perhaps shed a tear, sing loudly when the time comes... and always look on the bright side of life.