Spitfires and the Symphony: Windsor Symphony Orchestra marries classical music and the good ol’ hockey game

Windsor Symphony Orchestra (WSO) debuted their new Christmas album before the Windsor Spitfires game in Windsor, Ont. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)

When you think of the music most often heard in a hockey arena, you’re likely thinking more booming bass than sweeping strings… but the opposite was the case as the Windsor Spitfires played host to the Erie Otters Thursday night.

Inside the concourse between periods, the Windsor Symphony Youth Orchestra performing live music – with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra (WSO) debuting their brand new Christmas album before the game.

“It is on one hand unusual to find us, the WSO, at a hockey arena,” says Maestro Robert Franz. “On the other hand, this orchestra performs throughout the county all the time. It’s part of who we are.”

Franz, led the orchestra through a performance of a brand new song, never performed for a crowd before — a musical arrangement of the Canadian children’s book 'Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates.'

Hockey fans were excited to see the show.

“I think it was the best,” says Chase McKim, who came out with his mom and brother. “I kinda like how the tempos of the beat went exactly like how the story’s mood was going.”

The arrangement of 'Bobby Orr and the Hand-Me-Down Skates,' is one of eight tracks on the 'WSO’s Christmas, eh?' – the first commercial album they’ve put out in 15 years.

On the album, narrated by Peter Mansbridge, with AM800’s Dan MacDonald stepping into the role at the debut.

Kara Kootstra, who co-authored the original book with Orr, says seeing the arrangement performed live Thursday night made her emotional.

“I don’t think many authors get to hear their words come to life,” she says. “The music is so emotional, it has almost an epic quality to it.”

Aside from the obvious hockey elements to the track debuted Thursday, Franz says the marriage between the symphony and the Spitfires makes more sense than you might think.

“The very first hockey game I ever went to I was blown away by how the hockey players communicated with each other without speaking,” he says. “We do the exact same thing when we play on stage.”

You can purchase the WSO’s holiday album 'Christmas, eh?' at the Capitol Theatre Box Office or find it on Amazon, Spotify or Apple Music.