The Calgary Bridge Orchestra is a volunteer-based group made up of close to 40 young musicians who were brought together through their shared passion for music and a desire to serve their community. The youth-led music collective aims to bridge the diverse communities within the city. “The good thing about this is I feel like we’ve kind of created a sense of community and a sense of connection with each other,” said Isaac An, who works in business outreach with the Calgary Bridge Orchestra. “And there are many repeat volunteers year after year so far and we hope to see that again and again even after they’re not like a youth anymore. I hope that they come back and we hope to also gain new members and just grow our orchestra in general.” Proceeds from its performances, excluding expenses, go directly toward charitable causes. Its Aug. 8 concert at River Park Church raised $5,000 for the Alberta Children’s Hospital. In 2025, the group donated to Vancouver based First Steps Health Society, an organization working to prevent child malnutrition in North Korea. “Our goal is to combine the passions and talents of people through music,” An said. “I think that what we’re doing is very helpful to not just our community in Calgary, but also internationally, with First Steps in North Korea and we hope to continue helping the communities all around, not just in Calgary.” The orchestra is led by conductor So Myoung Park and composer and assistant conductor Noel Lee. The volunteer-run group rehearses and performs during the summer months and provides a training ground for musicians who aspire to take their musical careers to the next level. “Our CBO is more than an orchestra,” Park said. “We share life through music, we volunteer with joy, it’s our playground, it’s a movement for the next generation.” Nolan Asplund plays the French horn and has just completed his first season with the orchestra. The 18-year-old is enrolled in the bachelor of science program in anthropology at the University of Calgary. He says the summer schedule is perfect for members who are mostly students. “It requires a lot of practice, it requires a lot of dedication, motivation, passion, everything,” he said. “It’s quite something to juggle, but it is so rewarding when you are at those concerts, when you get those performances, when you hit that note and it’s just perfect as well — you just get this adrenaline rush and it is absolutely amazing.” Adinah Lee, 19, plays the viola and is in her second year with CBO. She has been performing in Calgary for several years. “When I walk into the room, I see such diverse members and from different high schools and different band programs and orchestra programs that I would have never really met if it was not for Calgary Bridge Orchestra,” she said. Lee is entering her second year of civil engineering at the University of Calgary and enjoys playing in front of an audience. “We actually had two concerts this year,” she said. “One was at the Alberta Children’s Hospital on July 25, so we played for the patients, families and staff and yeah, it was really exciting to play songs that the children would know from Studio Ghibli, from Disney and some songs like ‘Let It Go,’ and the kids absolutely loved it at the hospital.” Members of the orchestra say that while they’re enrolled in various courses in high school and university, they’re still passionate about playing an instrument and can pursue that passion through the orchestra.
