The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has received an apology from VANOC after the musicians walked away from participating in the Games’ opening ceremony.
VANOC asked the VSO to pre-record music for the opening event, but did not ask the musicians themselves to appear in the show. Maestro Bramwell Tovey, conductor of the VSO, was also to be replaced in the telecast of the ceremony by another conductor who would mime his role along to the pre-recorded performance.
In a joint press release this weekend, both parties patched things up. The VSO will participate in playing throughout the Cultural Olympiad, as well as performing the national anthems of more than 90 countries to be used throughout the Games.
The orchestra will still not appear during either the opening or closing ceremonies, though some of the symphony’s musicians have teamed up with international players to record some music for both events.
