Legendary rock drummer to perform with Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Drummer Stewart Copeland of The Police perform during a concert at Madison Square Garden, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

An iconic rock and roll drummer is taking the stage alongside the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra to reimagine some of his chart-topping hits.

The WSO said in a news release that Stewart Copeland, former drummer of iconic Brit band The Police, will perform with the symphony on March 28.

The performance is billed as a ‘deranged,’ high-energy orchestral concert that reimagines the band’s biggest hits, like “Roxanne” and “Don’t Stand So Close To Me.”

Copeland said the new take on the old hits was inspired by his post-Police work as a composer, specifically when he reworked the songs to score a movie he made of footage of the band in its heyday.

“I had to carve up the music to serve the scenes in the movie, and once the scalpel was out, a whole new frenzy of inspiration from Police music began,” he said in a news release.

Tickets are currently on sale for the March 28 performance.

Copeland will also appear on stage at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Concert Hall for an intimate fireside chat, sharing stories from his life as a performer, composer and writer.

Details can be found on WSO’s website.