The VSO Brings Pop-Up Piano Performances to YVR Airport to Celebrate BeethovenFest

About BeethovenFest

The VSO Celebrates Beethoven 250 from March 7 – 15 with a series of concerts featuring compositions by one of the greatest music masters of all time — Ludwig Van Beethoven.

From a re-creation of the night in 1808 that changed music forever — when Beethoven premièred his 5th and 6th Symphonies, the 4th Piano Concerto and the Choral Fantasy in the same evening – to an exploration of the senses with a special seating arrangement that lets you listen from within the orchestra, VSO BeethovenFest will leave you with a new love of the greatest music master of all. As a through-line, Maestro Tausk invites you to take in Beethoven’s 5th, with its famous opening motif, three different ways. First, as the inspiration for generations of composers to come, in the company of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1; second, in a special seating arrangement that lets you listen from within the orchestra; and third, as part of that most remarkable concert in 1808.

About Vancouver Airport Authority

Vancouver Airport Authority is a community-based, not-for-profit organization that manages Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Canada’s second busiest airport, YVR served 25.9 million passengers in 2018. Fifty-six airlines serve YVR, connecting people and businesses to more than 125 non-stop destinations worldwide. In 2019, YVR was voted Best Airport in North America for the tenth consecutive year in the Skytrax World Airport Awards. Vancouver Airport Authority is a dedicated community partner and in 2018 donated more than $1,000,000 to local organizations. We are committed to creating an airport that British Columbia can be proud of: a premier global gateway, local economic generator and community contributor.

About the VSO School of Music

Poised to enter its tenth year of operations, the VSO School of Music serves a mission to enrich lives through the joy of learning, playing and performing the world’s great music; to make these experiences accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, playing level or economic circumstances; and to nurture creative and engaged members of society through achievement in the musical arts.

Because of its unique relationship with the Grammy® and JUNO award-winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the VSO School of Music provides a learning environment in which students gain an unparalleled educational experience by working closely with professional musicians in the fields of classical, jazz and world music.

The school engages a faculty of 122 of Vancouver’s finest teachers, including members of the VSO, and serves over 1,750 students annually. Since opening, around 8,000 students and families have enrolled, and almost 200 bursary and scholarship awards have been given to students in need.

About the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1919, the Grammy and Juno-award winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is one of the largest arts organizations in Western Canada, Canada’s third largest orchestra, and one of the few orchestras in North America to have its own music school. The VSO and Music Director Maestro Otto Tausk celebrated the orchestra’s 100th anniversary season in 2018-2019.

The mission of the VSO is to create, curate and connect irresistible musical experiences. The VSO fulfills its mission by presenting passionate, high-quality performances of classical, popular, and culturally diverse music; creating meaningful engagement with audiences of all ages and backgrounds; and developing and delivering inspirational education and community programs. Performing more than 150 concerts per year throughout Vancouver, the surrounding communities, and the province of British Columbia, the VSO serves over 270,000 patrons annually, including 50,000 children and young adults. The VSO has an operating budget of $18 million, 104 full-time employees (70 musicians and 34 staff), and is governed by a 21-member board of directors.

Media release and banner provided by Sarah Yu, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

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