PROGRAMME
Final Fantasy - Prelude
by Nobuo Uematsu (arr. Johnathan Dagenais)
To Zanarkand (from Final Fantasy X)
by Nobuo Uematsu (arr. Andrés Soto.)
Liberi Fatali (from Final Fantasy VII)
by Nobuo Uematsu (arr. Andrés Soto.)
INTERMISSION
Materia Symphony
by Nobuo Uematsu (arr. Alexandre Choinière.)
Movement 1 - Avalance
Movement 2 - Shinra
Movement 3 - Cetra
Movement 4 - Meteor
Audience Survey
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PROGRAMME NOTES
Materia Symphony, inspired by the original Final Fantasy VII soundtrack, narrates the game through the orchestra. Nobuo Uematsu’s masterful music is arranged in 4 movements that convey key moments, from Aerith’s delicate theme to the cataclysmic battle against Sephiroth.
The first movement begins with the iconic opening sequence and centres on Midgar’s early events. Characters like Tifa and Barrett are introduced, along with the struggles faced by the protagonists and AVALANCHE until their escape from the city.
The second movement focuses on Shinra’s insatiable hunger for power. After journeying through the oppressive atmosphere of their Mako reactors, we follow their actions until the awakening of ancient beasts, the WEAPONS, and their demise caused by the creation of the Mako Cannon.
The third movement revolves around the mystical characters of the story. We witness haunting scenes left behind by the mysterious creature known as JENOVA and the nervous battles against it. The second half retells the pivotal events leading to Aerith’s fate. We accompany our protagonists as they find their way through the City of the Ancients and the temple where Aerith prays. During Aerith’s Theme, the choir sings Cloud’s poignant monologue as he holds her in his arms one last time.
The fourth movement tells the final events of the story and its resolution. Starting with the cold of the North Cave and quickly erupting into the famous and calamitous One-Winged Angel, the symphony concludes with the uplifting ending sequence with the Lifestream and connects back to the opening of the game.
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
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The Ottawa Pops Orchestra (OPO) is a community orchestra dedicated to programming orchestral pops repertoire in order to enrich and inspire the community through accessible, relevant, and passionate performances. Founded in the spring of 2017 by a collective of young musicians, OPO strives to bridge the gap between classical orchestral repertoire and popular music, curating innovative concerts that redefine the orchestral experience for today’s audience. Simply put, OPO inspires, engages, and educates the greater Ottawa/Gatineau area.
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Jonathan Dagenais holds a Master’s degree in Conducting from McGill University and a Bachelor’s degree in Composition from the Université de Montréal.
In addition to teaching at CEGEP and university (music theory, composition, ear training, musicianship, and conducting), Mr. Dagenais enjoys an active career as a composer and arranger for wind orchestra. His works have been performed repeatedly by numerous Canadian university and high school ensembles. They also appear on several professional recordings. His compositions are found in many North American concert band music festival syllabi and are currently published worldwide.
Jonathan is the conductor and artistic director of the Orchestre à Vents Non Identifié (OVNI), a Montreal wind orchestra that he co-founded in 2005. OVNI is an ensemble dedicated to collaborative and active listening, tone quality, refined interpretation, and humour. In 2010 and 2017, he was appointed conductor of the McGill Wind Orchestra. In 2012 he was a guest conductor for the Montreal Pop Symphony Orchestra. Jonathan Dagenais is also the conductor of the Cercle Philharmonique de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a position he has held since September 2012. In September 2015 he was named conductor of the Orchestre de jeux vidéo (Montreal Video Game Orchestra), an ensemble dedicated to video game soundtracks. A long-time fan of video games and their music, this was a natural marriage of two of his passions. Most recently, in 2019, he was appointed principal conductor of the Ottawa Pops Orchestra.
Jonathan Dagenais is a conductor, clinician, and educator for the Twigg Musique Company in Quebec and a Yamaha Canada Master Educational Artist. .
Jonathan Dagenais’ official web site: http://www.jonathandagenais.com
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Deirdre Kellerman (she/her) is a choral conductor and music educator based on unceded Algonquin territory (Ottawa, ON), where she conducts Tone Cluster – quite a queer choir. Previous conducting positions include Artistic Director of Hypatia’s Voice, conductor and pianist with the Ottawa Children’s Choir, Assistant Director of the Ottawa Choral Society and Director of Music at First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa.
Since settling in Ottawa in 2015, Deirdre has become a regular fixture in the area’s choral community. As a workshop facilitator and guest conductor, she has worked with the Cantata Singers of Ottawa, Ottawa Gay Men’s Chorus, Canadian Centennial Choir, and CAMMAC. Deirdre has studied across North America, including a residency at the Banff Centre’s Choral Art program. She was nominated for the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting in 2018 and 2023. An avid chorister, Deirdre has sung with a wide variety of ensembles, including Xara Choral Theatre and the National Youth Choir of Canada, and she currently sings with Aella, an upper-voice ensemble. When not in choir rehearsal, Deirdre runs DKmusic, where she teaches voices, piano, and conducting.
Deirdre holds a M.Mus in Conducting from the New England Conservatory and B.Mus in Vocal Performance from Acadia University.
Website: https://www.deirdrekellerman.com/
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Alexandre Choinière was born in 1991 in Granby, Quebec. He earned a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 2017 and plays bass trombone in several musical ensembles in Montreal.
His diverse musical background, including jazz, classical, pop, and electroacoustic music, is reflected in his compositions for orchestra and big band. He has been arranging for the Orchestre de Jeux Vidéo since 2010 and for Jazz’n Geek since 2019.
MUSICIANS
CONDUCTOR
Jonathan Dagenais
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Mathieu Roy
Violin I
Justin Azerrad-Kendall*
Jerry Wang
Helen Hopfauf
Kent Swenson
Farid Mullally
Naomi Brown
Mattea Sayyman
Alana Esty
Violin II
Gabi Nowicki*
Ghislain Granger
Seemah Mullally
Chloe Stewart
Amy McCarthy
Christine Yu
Gabriel Karam
Viola
Rachel Ostic
Katherine Muldoon
Vanessa Kraus
Arianna Diab
Cello
Jean-François Marquis*
Charlotte Tyhurst
Niah Vardy
Keith Lau
Double Bass
Iris Leck
Ricardo De Rozario-Navas*
Emily Hsueh
Ceecee Holz
Marc Candeliere
Flute
Mandy Wilk*
Emily Calongcagong
Kyle Myrfield
Oboe
Celina Hawkins*
English Horn
Mélanie Thériault
Clarinet
John Hong*
Felicia Persaud
Larry Sargent
Bass Clarinet
Jessica Lafontaine
Bassoon
Max Ostic*
Tomoko Swenson
Contrabassoon
Joey Smith
Horn
Sophie Shah
Magdalen Forshaw
Ian Tubman
Eamonn Kennedy
Sue Kim
Trumpet
Veronique Dupuis
James Lamarche
Nathalie Boisvert
Mylene Mercure
Aaron Patterson
Louis-Claude Campeau
Trombone
Denis Rousseau*
Annick Deguire
Bass Trombone
Justin McLean
Tuba
Alexandre Seaman
Zachary Lavigne
Timpani
Matthew Bouziotas*
Percussion
Konrad Zetzsche
Austin Laprade
Martin Hubert
Elliot Gow-Kateb
Electric Bass
Ceecee Holz
Piano
Elli Kozak
Synthesizer
Christian Belter
CHOIRISTERS
CHOIR DIRECTOR
Deirdre Kellerman
Soprano
Alice Russell
Autumn Brooke
Cindy Klaus
Donna Fok
Elisabeth Gebhard
France Godard
Gabrielle Wilson
Jamie Gooch
Jay Morrison
Lauren MacDonald
Manon McDonic
Tsoa Raholison
Valerie Sirois-Delisle
Alto
Adrienne Keene
Allyson Tayler
Corinne Carbino
Inari Tubman
Isabelle de Bruyn
Lasha Shaw-Korchynski
Marse Ramirez Luna
Morgan Lynch
Patrizia Paulus
Pirahashini Thayanithy
Sylvia White
Valerie Hum
Tenor
Axandre Lemours
Cameron Aitken
Chalanna Gibson
Colum Grove-White
Ivonne Shoucair
Jaime Sadgrove
Johnathan Bentley
Owen Cameron
Sebastian Rodriguez Mayen
Sue Farley
Bass
Claude Schryer
Daniel Lee
Francis Maher
Glen Seeds
Jean Bossuet Lazarre
Kevin Alexander
Nikhil Gopal
Sam Paquette
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD
The magic unfolding before you is the result of countless hours of dedication from our talented musicians, staff, volunteers, and the unwavering support of our donors, sponsors, and audience members like you. Every note played, every moment shared, exists because of this community's passion for live orchestral music.
If you're moved by what you experience today and want to be part of our mission to redefine the orchestral experience, we invite you to get involved! Whether you can offer your time, talents, or resources, every contribution matters and helps us continue bringing these extraordinary experiences to Ottawa. As always, you can email us at info@ottawapopsorchestra.ca. We'd love to hear from you!
Thank you for being here. Your support means the world to us, and we can't wait to share what's next.
Now, settle in and let the music carry you away.
With gratitude,
Jessica Rollins, Chair of the Board of Directors
Pierre Foret, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
Sebastian Lacey, Member of the Board of Directors
INTERMISSION BAR
Join us in Woodside Hall before the concert, during intermission, and after the performance.
Drink tickets may be purchased in advance through Eventbrite (add-ons) or onsite at the front table in Woodside Hall across from the Sanctuary.
All drinks and snacks are to be enjoyed in Woodside Hall.
No food or beverages are permitted in the Sanctuary.
Menu
Prices plus HST
Wine
$10- EastDell Black Cab VQA
- Rosehall Run Unoaked Chardonnay
- Pelee Island LOLA Blush Sparkling Rosé
Beer
$10- Songbird Pale Ale 5.3% ABV
- Mr. Templeton’s Wee Heavy 7.5% ABV
- Freedom Machine Raspberry Pale Ale 5.5% ABV
- Stubborn Cardinal NEIPA 6.5% ABV
Cider
$10- 3 Bros Craft Farmgate Cider 7.0% ABV
- Bee Squared Craft Farmgate Cider 7.0% ABV
Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
$7- Atypique Non-Alcoholic Cocktails
- Fresh Non-Alcoholic • Bicycle Craft Brewery
Water or Carbonated Beverage
$2Snacks
$2–$4PARTNERS
Bicycle Craft Brewery, an Ottawa-based brewing operation since 2014. Visit them, in their tap room and stay for a beer or take home some cans and merch from their retail shop. Their lineup is always changing, with a few consistent mainstays, and our brewers are always dreaming up something new.
A wild apple tree was discovered on the border of what would become the Farmgate orchard. Over the next few years, more land was cleared, and trees were planted by the dozens. A little cider turned into a lot of cider, and the Davies Family wanted to share! So Farmgate was born: out of hard work, out of family, and out of a love of trees.
A Refined Hotel Experience
Step into a world of luxury accommodation and pristine hospitality. Embassy Suites Ottawa offers beautifully appointed rooms with popular attractions nearby, ensuring our visiting artists and staff enjoy a comfortable and memorable stay.
Thank you to our Donors
Below is the annual giving list, which includes private donors and corporate sponsors. List is complete as of April 1, 2026.
Champion $1,000-$2,999
Pierre Foret
Sebastian Lacey
Jessica Rollins
Mathieu Roy
Larry Sargent
Sustainer $250-$999
Ahmad Al Jumaili
Mark Constantine
Trina Dang
Véronique Dupuis
Emily Hsueh
Michael Hsueh
Alexandra McAllister
Felicia Persaud
Anne Marie Robinson
Evan Simcoe
Sander Verdonschot
Konrad Zetzsche
Associate $100-$249
Steve Elder
Ogba O
Friend $1-$99
Kaven Baker-Voakes
Marie Harrigan
Jean-Luc Martin
Alana Nugent
Administrative Team
Many members of our administrative team volunteer their time throughout the season, working behind the scenes to prepare each concert and ensure the best possible audience experience.
We are deeply grateful for their dedication and care.
Interested in joining the team?
Please contact us at info@ottawapopsorchestra.ca — we would be delighted to hear from you.
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Evan Simcoe
Associate Communications Officer
Konrad Zetzsche
Associate Marketing Officer
Emily Calongcagong
Social Media Manager
Veronique Dupuis
Translator
Emily Hsueh
Graphic Designer
Alexandra McAllister
Merchandise Coordinator
Sebastian Lacey
Sponsorship Coordinator
Celina HawkinsDevelopment Officer
Larry Sargent
Controller
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Courtney Shields
Front of House Manager
Liz Tam
Associate Front of House Manager
Jill Weber
Box Office and Patron Relations Manager
Jason Barnes
Bar Manager
Peter Zanette
Production Assistant
Julian Bertino
Audio Technician
Kat Wong
Lighting Technician
Samuel Vincent Coombes
Videographer
Volunteers
Various Roles
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Mathieu Roy
Manager of Artistic Planning
Justin McLean
Personnel Manager
Alyssa De’Ath
Orchestra Librarian
Kent Swenson
Artistic Administrator