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Award-winning composers and musicians Layale Chaker, Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne share a worldly musical mix that reflects on the ephemeral meaning of home at the Chan Centre on May 5. The show, titled The Journeyed Compass, takes listeners through original compositions by the trio, blending Middle Eastern, South Asian and Western Classical music, as well…
The Jeremy Ledbetter Trio takes audiences on a jazzy musical journey at Hermann’s Jazz Club in Victoria on Apr. 16. While the trio is named after its pianist and composer, Ledbetter says that the talent of drummer Larnell Lewis and bassist Rich Brown makes it possible to make thrilling music at a breakneck pace a…
Vancouver-raised new music ‘monster pianist’ Vicky Chow returns to her hometown as she embraces her acoustic piano roots and performs Philip Glass’ Piano Études, Book 1. This homecoming brings back a wealth of positive emotions for Chow. Since moving to New York in 2001, she welcomes every opportunity to return, and Vancouver is more than…
Music has the unique ability to bring communities together, elevate and empower the human spirit and help people overcome traumatic events in their lives. This is the philosophy that inspired the creation of Thrive Refuge, a charity organization dedicated to providing access to musical education for refugees arriving in Canada. Founded by Ray Zhang and…
Musicals are effective at allowing audiences to step into a character’s experience. Love, family, growth and community abound in the story of Starwalker, a musical created by Indigenous, two-spirit storyteller Corey Payette. Starwalker will be performed, Feb. 17 to Mar. 5, at the York Theatre. In creating the show, Payette says he drew on his background as a…
Taiwanese Canadian harpist Vivian Chen joins in Chor Leoni’s annual Christmas choral celebration at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church from Dec. 16–19. The celebrated harpist has performed with the Vancouver Opera and on the international stage and is excited to bring forth a joyous seasonal reprieve that is equal parts serene and light-hearted. “Sometimes for Christmas…
Music is an experience. Unfamiliar sound, such as classical, allows the listener a chance to explore says David Bui. Bui leads the third and final show, Nov 20, in the Music is a Theme Park series, a kids-focused concert series presented by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Leading the VSO as its RBC assistant conductor, Bui says the…
A true way of understanding a culture is listening to the music of that culture, says Juno-nominated Adham Shaikh. Shaikh, a B.C.-based producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, performs Oct. 7 at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Creativemornings Vancouver. “[I’m] just trying to curate some interesting journey through this unique 30 years of music,” says Shaikh.…
The Chan Centre at UBC and Musqueam are hosting ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire), an inaugural Indigenous festival-style concert, from September 17–18 which aims to celebrate creativity, culture and community. The show, which takes place ahead of Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation, will include a host of musical performances…
Fostering fun and community to live audiences – by bringing funk, motown and soul along the way – Queer as Funk, a queer-led inclusive band, is set to bring a good funky time to the TD Community Plaza for the Coquitlam Summer Concert Series on Friday, Sept. 2. “It’s that sort of mission of building…
Separation, both animal and human, from the natural world needs to be healed through musical connection, says Leah Abramson, singer-songwriter/composer of Songs For a Lost Pod. Using orca vocalizations as rhythmic beats, Abramson explores themes of interspecies communication, intergenerational trauma, and sorrow for a polluted planet. The show is imbued with compassion for orcas, who have…
Pianist Ian Parker brings his classical talent, and a handful of musical friends, to the Kay Meek Centre for a Ukraine benefit concert on May 29. The performance features an assortment of classical music pieces from Bach, Saint-Saens, Brahms and Schumann, that were either composed or arranged for a more intimate chamber group. The net…
Music is engaging storytelling for Anishinaabek MC and singer-songwriter Leonard Sumner, who performs a mix of roots, country, and hip-hop. Sumner brings to the Chan Centre on March 5 his people’s tradition of storytelling by speaking truth to his experience, and encouraging others to do the same. “It’s super important to see Anishinaabek people telling…
