Museum of Vancouver Demonstrates Cultural Power of Collecting in Immersive New Exhibition – All Together Now –

Interactive display shines spotlight on fascinating local collectors and treasures that help us understand our history and community The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) is pleased to present an intriguing exhibition about the significance of collecting. All Together Now: Vancouver Collectors and Their Worlds – on view at MOV from June 23, 2016 to January 8, 2017 – features … Read more

Quintessence Tour visits Vancouver

  On May 26 the APVSA came once again to Vancouver to present an exciting range of wines to the local wine importers and distributors. The wines are presented in a private space for an “invitation only” opportunity to taste excellent wines of the various regions of Europe. Always top quality wines that are the best … Read more

#FridayFavourites – what to do May 27 – June 2

  Lillooet Outdoors Festival May 27 – 28   Blue Grouse Welcomes the World to Vancouver Island   Marquis Wine Cellars invites you to … SYNCHROMESH   EAT AND COOK GOOD FOOD   Roll up your sleeves and let’s start baking!   HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY: RAILTOWN CAFE ANNOUNCES 2016 DATES FOR ITS … Read more

Lillooet Outdoors Festival May 27 – 28

  Are you ready for some great adventures? The place to be for guaranteed adventures is Lillooet for the inaugural Lillooet Outdoors Festival coming up on May 27-28. Neil Curtis from Green Earth Strategies, and one of the organizers of the festival explained, “Lillooet offers an incredible bounty of outdoor activities. The Lillooet Outdoors Festival … Read more

The Vancouver Academy of Music Celebrates Gershwin

 

On May 15th, in the exquisite Orpheum Theatre, a receptive audience anticipated the final concert of the 2015/16 season of the Vancouver Academy of Music Symphony Orchestra (VAMSO). It was a celebration of the music of George Gershwin, the distinguished American composer who pioneered the fusion of jazz and classical music, and whose diverse and timeless compositions proved as fitting to the legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein as to the inimitable blues singer, Janis Joplin.

As the lights dimmed, the crowd hushed and Leslie Dala, Music Director of VAMSO took the podium.  In moments, the opening measures of ‘An American in Paris’ danced to the rafters as the young musicians expertly swept the audience to the bustling sounds of the Champs Elysées,  over to the bent notes of heartsick blues, and back again.

The next stop was 1924 New York.  It was there that Gershwin wrote ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ for a New York concert performance that would be forever etched in time.   Before sitting at the piano, Maestro Dala spoke of the event.  He drew in the audience with a passionate depiction of the brilliant, innovative triumph of Gershwin’s pioneering fusion of classical music with elements of jazz vibrantly evident in ‘Rhapsody in Blue’.  Effortlessly chasing note after note along the keys, Dala took us to the place where words can’t go.

VAMSO’s one hundred plus senior members continued to entertain, masterfully elevating and inspiring the audience with their talent and vigorous spirit.  As a parting gift our experience culminated with a medley of musical highlights from Gershwin’s masterpiece, ‘Porgy and Bess’.

Each visit to the Orpheum Theatre evokes poignant, personal memories for me, at once captivating and mesmerizing.  At the end of this performance, I reflected on how well both the Orpheum Theatre and Gershwin’s music provide a particular continuity to an ever-changing world.  They seamlessly connect the old and the young in a shared artistic experience equally relevant to the great grandparents of yesteryear and the young performing musicians of today.

This concert underlined the importance of celebrating musical achievement in a worthy venue. How wise and forward thinking it was to preserve the magnificence of the Orpheum Theatre for future generations, and how wise and forward thinking it is to support the Vancouver Academy of Music and its talented, aspiring musicians.

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Donnelly Group preparing for legendary Vancouver Craft Beer Week

  Celebrating brewing culture with beer passport, BBQ & festival pop-ups Vancouver Craft Beer Week is the city’s biggest annual celebration of brewing culture and, as this year’s festival Presenting Sponsor, Donnelly Group is excited to offer a full menu of craft-brewed features and events in its pubs. Beer lovers can get warmed up for … Read more

Lucky’s Doughnuts Packs A Punch on  National Doughnut Day: Friday, June 3

  Two “hole” new ways to sweeten summer’s tastiest holiday   Friday, June 3 is National Doughnut Day and 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters and Lucky’s Doughnuts is offering up two deliciously different ways to celebrate:   1. Coffee and Doughnut Deals Available at both Lucky’s Doughnuts Kitsilano (2198 W 4th Ave.) and Main Street (2902 Main St.) locations: Pair any … Read more

Blue Grouse Welcomes the World to Vancouver Island

  Historic Cowichan Winery Holds Open House Sunday, May 29 When:  Sunday, May 29 from 12noon to 5pm Where:  Blue Grouse Estate Winery, 2182 Lakeside Road, Duncan, BC, V9L 6M3 What:  Blue Grouse Estate Winery’s Annual Public Open House     Details: •Free admission to the public, families are welcome •Meet the winemaker Bailey Williamson •Complimentary … Read more

Marquis Wine Cellars invites you to … SYNCHROMESH

  5:00 pm – Thursday, June 2 – SYNCHROMESH Needing an after work wine wind up? Join us for a free tasting of five wines featuring proprietor Alan Dickinson renowned Rieslings of Synchromesh Wines. Synchromesh is a small, family run operation focused on producing terroir-driven, world class Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Wines are born … Read more

THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR JOINS THE 27TH SEASON OF BARD ON THE BEACH

  Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival continues its 27th season with The Merry Wives of Windsor. Back after its award-winning 2012 run at Bard, this is a big, bold, rollicking romp full of high-spirited fun. Directed again by Johnna Wright, the ‘60s music-filled production is set in Windsor, Ontario and runs from June 17 … Read more

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