Newswire | Experience the world-premiere of Oscar and other free community events

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Register now to experience Oscar—a joy-filled, soul-stirring performance celebrating the legacy and extraordinary talent of Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson!

This world premiere of Oscar expands on the children’s book Oscar Lives Next Door by Bonnie Farmer, imagining young Oscar’s journey from illness to international acclaim. Over the last 18 months, Honens has brought together a creative team to transform this story into a musical celebration brimming with rhythm, movement, and heart.

Featuring narrators, pianists, and dancers from across Canada, Oscar invites families and community members to come together to relax, learn, and celebrate the joy of music. Blending original jazz- and classical-inspired piano with choreography and lyrical storytelling, it captures the energy, resilience, and brilliance of one of Canada’s greatest musicians.

Originally to be premiered for 1,600 elementary school students from across Calgary, Oscar is now open to the public. While the teacher strike has led to the cancellation of school trips, we want to ensure students, teachers, and families still have the opportunity to experience Oscar, and now so can you!

The production is led by a powerhouse team: narrators Samantha Whelan Kotkas and Priscille Bukasa, pianists Chris Andrew and Marianne Trudel, and dancers Sabrina Naz Comanescu and Shemar Herbert.

Oscar is proudly made possible through the generous support of Andrea Brussa and Irene and Walt DeBoni.

Oscar

Thursday 23 October, 10:30 am, Jack Singer Concert Hall, Werklund Centre

Admission is free with registration. For those unable to attend in person, the performance will also be livestreamed at honens.com/livestream so everyone can share in the celebration.

Register now

Masterclasses

One of the great parts of having internationally acclaimed Jurors in Calgary is giving local students an opportunity to learn from them!

On 18 and 19 October (Saturday and Sunday) Anne-Marie McDermott and Janina Fialkowska will share expert musical insights and personalized feedback with six Canadian piano students from The Honens Lab.

Admission is free with registration.

Masterclass I with Anne-Marie McDermott

Saturday 18 October, 9 am

Masterclass II with Janina Fialkowska

Sunday 19 October, 9 am

Register for Masterclass I

Register for Masterclass II

There’s even more available on the University of Calgary campus … in addition to the community events above, you can enjoy these bonus opportunities to learn from our artists while they’re in Calgary for the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition!

Honens Artistic Director Jon Kimura Parker, 2018 Honens Prize Laureate Nicolas Namoradze, and composer of the 2025 Honens Competition commissioned work Iman Habibi offer seminars and a masterclass to University of Calgary students, which are also open the the public.