Brantford Symphony Orchestra (BSO) brought audience members back in time with its “Ballroom Live!” concert at the Sanderson Centre for Performing Arts on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
During the event, about 20 BSO players came together to form the “Brantford Salon Orchestra” and perform the popular and light classical music from the Golden Age.
“Tonight, we’re going to take you back to the early 1900s to give you a bit of a glimpse at how people used to entertain themselves,” said Philip Sarabura, the BSO’s Artistic Director and long-time Conductor. “…See, back then, people would go out to the local dance hall or ballroom, or if you were in a major city, maybe a grand salon at one of the big hotels; there, you would dance and socialize, or just listen to the music that was being provided by the live group of musicians. The kind of music you might expect to hear, is the kind of music that we have tonight.”
Throughout the evening, Sarabura provided the audience with small anecdotes about the different songs, providing some history here and there, or commenting on the state of the world at the time.
To enhance the atmosphere and add to the overall mood, local ballroom dancers, Brian and Kelly Sloat of AIM Dance Studio, joined the band on stage to demonstrate some of the period’s popular dance steps.
During the first act of the show, attendees were treated to a lineup of ten songs, including Cecil Mack and James P. Johnson’s “Charleston,” Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,” Larry Shield and Henry Ragas’ “Clarinet Marmalade,” Ruth Lowe’s “I’ll Never Smile Again,” and George Gershwin’s “Fascinatin’ Rhythm.”
After a short break, the BSO later opened up the last half of the concert with Franz von Suppé’s “Light Cavalry Overture.”
The program also featured six other songs including Cole Porter’s “Night and Day,” Milton Ager and Jack Yellen’s “Happy Days Are Here Again,” Gus Kahn and Egbert Van Alstyne’s “Memories Waltz,” and Victor Herbert’s “Royal Sec,” eventually concluding with Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”
During intermission earlier in the night, Fernando and Silvia Muniz and Joe and Lynne Persia, said they thought the show was “terrific.”
The Persias, who take ballroom dancing lessons at AIM Dance Studio, said they were happy to be there not only to enjoy the music but to see the Sloats perform as well.
When asked what their favourite performance of the first half was, Joe in particular said he loved hearing Johann Strauss Jr.’s “Blue Danube.”
“Though I have to admit, it had the old Looney Tunes cartoons running through my head,” he said with a chuckle. “You don’t realize just how many of these songs are part of the soundtrack to our lives.”
The concertgoers also added that it was always nice returning to the Sanderson Centre, with Fernando even noting the space was truly a hidden gem.
“Silvia and I are from Waterloo, so we go to the theatre there, but we came to the Sanderson Centre a couple of years ago for the first time and we had no idea there was something like this in Brantford,” said Fernando. “It’s almost like stepping back through time when you’re here… it’s such a jewel.”
Given that it was announced at the beginning of the show that Sarabura, a highly accomplished conductor, violinist, and organist, who has been with the BSO since 2008, would be retiring at the end of the 2025-2026 season, Joe said it felt especially nice to be there.
“I’m glad we have the opportunity to see the conductor before he retires this year,” he said. “Lynne and I have seen him and the Brantford Symphony Orchestra perform a couple of times and they’re always so wonderful.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
