Saturday, June 24 — A Free, Day-Long Celebration of Indigenous Culture and Collaboration with the VSO

On Saturday, June 24, 2023, the VSO Indigenous Council and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) will host The Path Forward

SHARON, BRAM & FRIENDS BRING FAMILY FUN TO THE ORPHEUM

  Pangburn Philosophy presents the legendary family act live on September 18, 2016  Make Sunday, September 18 an amazing afternoon of sing-along fun for the whole family with legendary children’s singers Sharon, Bram & Friends live at The Orpheum, presented by Pangburn Philosophy. Featuring favourite hits such as “Five Little Monkeys,” “Skinnamarink,” “Tingalayo” and “She’ll Be … 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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#FridayFavourites – what’s on this weekend and the week ahead

  Madama Butterfly – Stunning Performances Moved Me to Tears   Handel’s Apollo e Dafne and Bach’s Orchestral Suite in C Major   Chan Centre presents – Words in Motion   Vancouver Bach Choir closes 85th Season   On 21/22 March, wish the whole world bon appétit with Good France   PILGRIMMEAGE: ROYAL DINETTE JOINS … Read more

Phantom of the Opera – February 20

Vancouver Bach Choir Unites Silent Film and Haunting Score in  – Phantom of the Opera –   Concert’s much-awaited reprise weaves a screening of the cult-classic with live performance for an evening of gothic romance and lurking horror Vancouver Bach Choir presents the return of Andrew Downing’s spectacular multimedia work Phantom of the Opera, February 20, 2016, 8pm … Read more

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