Season Seven - Episode One - Mark Turner

Hello and welcome to Season 7 of YXE Underground. I’m your host, Eric Anderson and in this episode, we take listeners to the TCU Stage where the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra is preparing for a show!

It’s a celebration of Fleetwood Mac’s career and so the symphony will be performing alongside a rock and roll musicians playing all of Fleetwood Mac’s hits. There is a great energy in the room and that extends out into the lobby where we find Mark Turner.

Mark is the CEO and Creative Producer of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra and seems to know everyone in the lobby. He’s shaking hands, having quick chats with people and sharing his enthusiasm for tonight’s show. 

Mark has gone through this lobby routine hundreds of times in the past 10 years with the SSO. His leadership and passion for connecting the symphony with different parts of our community has helped make the SSO one of the most successful symphonies in Canada. 

I’ve been a fan of Mark’s from afar for many years so it was a thrill to meet him in his office a few weeks ago to talk about his the incredible growth of the SSO and why connecting with diverse communities means so much to him.

We also discuss the challenges of standing out in a very competitive entertainment market and how the symphony could potentially evolve to include more audience participation in shows. 

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A big thank you to Saskatoon's Mutt Hutt Grooming for its support of this episode. If your dog or cat needs a haircut, Nikki and her team at the Mutt Hutt is the place to take them! We have been taking our dogs to the Mutt Hutt for more than 10 years and they are an exceptional group of people. 

Thank you for listening to this episode and for continuing to support a local, independent podcast in Saskatoon. 

Cheers...Eric 

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis