Spring is in full bloom! Please do enjoy the amazing weather outside, but if you are looking for some events to attend, why not check out some of the following around town? Have a Happy May Day, Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day everyone!
* * *
Super Seniors
Apr. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Ever wonder what it would be like to be alive and kicking at 105? In her new comedy, Super Seniors being performed at the Presentation House in North Vancouver, playwright Kathryn Shaw takes you to the Fairfield Residence to meet three women over the age of 105 who have differing responses to their extraordinarily long lives. Based on experience with her own ancient family members, the writer brings insight and humour to the conundrum of extreme old age. Check out the theatre’s website for tickets and
more information.
* * *
Imaginario: An Imaginary Songbook of Renaissance Spanish Music
Apr.27, 7:30 p.m.
Thousands of vihuelas were built and played during the 16th century. Still, only five or six survived and to complicate matters; there are differing opinions about whether these surviving instruments should be called vihuelas or guitars. If so many people played the vihuela in sixteenth-century Spain, why are there so few surviving instruments? The body of surviving books of the vihuela repertoire is very small. From the surviving vihuela books and other manuscript sources, musician Ariel Abramovich has created a new imaginary songbook that provides an essential contribution to the vihuela repertoire with various instrumental and vocal combinations. Imaginario offers a listening experience that blends the real and the imaginary without a discernible line of demarcation.
* * *
Auditory Borderlands – sounding The Dusk Meridian
Apr. 28, 8 p.m.
Taking the sculptural and lighting elements of Keith Langergraber’s installation, The Dusk Meridian, as a polydimensional score, an ensemble of Vancouver-based musicians will create an ambient musical reading of the piece. The musicians will be arranged within the gallery plaza to create an immersive spatial experience, and audience members will be encouraged to move through the space to create their own uniquely shifting aural and visual perspectives. Check out the Vancouver New Music website for
more information.
* * *
In the Distance – Music from Croatia
Apr. 29, 7:30 p.m.
Turning Point Ensemble will be conducted by leading Croatian composer and conductor Berislav Šipuš in a rare opportunity to experience first-hand the distinctive and colourful contemporary music culture of Croatia. The concert itself is an ambitious and rich collection of work for a large ensemble representing a number of generations of Croatian composers. It will include In der Ferne (In the Distance) by Šipuš (with Vancouver soprano Robyn Driedger-Klassen as soloist), as well as works by Srđan Dedić, Marko Ruždjak, Krešimir Seletković and Stanko Horvat.
* * *
11th Annual Party for the Planet
Apr. 30, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
www.surrey.ca/partyfortheplanet
The Party for the Planet returns to the Surrey Civic Plaza on April 30. Sit and learn about various environmental topics in their Speaker Series. The Environmental Workshops encourage active participation and inspire you to learn about different sustainable topics. There will also be many performers, food trucks, exhibitors and a plant sale. For more information about the party, please check out the City of
Surrey’s website.
* * *
HMS Pinafore
Apr. 30–May 8
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedic tale is a delightful combination of forbidden love across class divides and the shenanigans that take place along the way. Poking fun at social hierarchies and packed with absurd characters, this wildly popular operetta delivers plenty of laughs and memorable music. This joyful production is directed by Brenna Corner and conducted by Rosemary Thomson and features the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Chorus. For cast information, tickets and showtimes, please visit the Vancouver
Opera’s website.
* * *
Start with Art
Apr. 30–June 4
Start with Art is a unique exhibition that focuses on encouraging young people to appreciate, collect and curate their own art collection – with a special price list just for kids 16 and younger! For this 17th annual exhibition The Seymour Art Gallery assembled a fantastic group of established artists who work in a variety of media and artwork in the gallery is hung at “kids-eye-view,” making Start with Art truly kid-centric. Through the exhibition publication, exhibiting artists also offer advice for budding artists and frequently spark the idea in kids that one day their work could be shown in a gallery too.
* * *
BODYTRAFFIC: Mixed Repertoire
May 5–6
BODYTRAFFIC have achieved the rare feat of being chameleon-like and utterly, completely themselves. Under the auspices of Lillian Rose Barbeito and Tina Finkelman Berkett, the company has conquered the contemporary dance world, with stunning performers, technical mastery, and a commitment to the most challenging repertoire. This mixed program includes some of their most celebrated performances – from the rhythmic aggression of Baye & Asa’s The One to Stay With, to the whimsy and humour of Matthew Neenan’s A Million Voices, the dreamlike quality in Alejandro Cerrudo’s PACOPEPEPLUTO and SNAP, Micaela Taylor’s layered take on social pressure and urban diversity. BODYTRAFFIC’s ability to embody a multiplicity of choreographic languages in their own style defies easy categorization. Eclectic, virtuosic and unafraid to take on any dance language from hip hop to ballet, they are their own masterwork.
* * *
Art Vancouver
May 5–8
Since the first edition of Art Vancouver was launched in 2015, the fair has played host to over 500 artists and galleries that show their work at the Vancouver Convention Centre each spring. The show strives to bring together the global arts community in a city with young and rapidly growing creative talent. Featuring an array of reputable galleries and artists from Canada and around the world, exhibitors can showcase their art work on a thriving and prestigious platform to a global audience. For a complete list of artists and exhibitors at this art fair, please check out
their website.
* * *
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
May 5–15
After two years of online presentation, DOXA, Western Canada’s largest documentary film festival, returns to present a hybrid 21st edition, screening in theatres and streaming online from May 5–15. In a return to form, DOXA will screen its roster of crucial and thought-provoking documentaries in theatrical venues across the city, bringing filmmakers and audiences together for a long-awaited communal cinema experience. And for folks who prefer to view from the comfort of their own homes, most festival films will be available to stream online for select durations between festival dates. The festival will showcase a total of 55 features and mid-lengths, 24 short films, both pre-recorded and live Q+As, as well as Industry events and multiple opportunities for filmmakers, audiences and industry professionals to connect, both virtually and in person.
