Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra presents

Rising Beats on the Infinite Horizon

November 28, 2010 at 8 pm
The Historic Theatre at The Cultch
1895 Venables St., Vancouver
 
Tickets: $25 general / $15 students, seniors, VICO members, groups of 10+
Box Office: 604-251-1363 or online at tickets.thecultch.com 
General info: 604-224-6201 or info@vi-co.org

Rhythm: it’s the heartbeat of music the world over, a powerful means of connection between different cultures and traditions. The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra explores this nexus and its vast musical potential, in the major concert event of its 2010-2011 season. Rising Beats on the Infinite Horizon features the 22-member VICO with special guest percussionists Curtis Andrews, Jonathan Bernard, Joseph “Pepe” Danza, Daniel Tones, Niel Golden, Jason Overy and Boris Sichon, and New York City-based oud player Baruch al-‘Ajam. The programme includes three world premieres by acclaimed BC composers: Gypsy Chronicles, commissioned from John Oliver with funding from the Canada Council, Earthy Airs by Moshe Denburg, and I Dream of Fountains (in a new arrangement for intercultural orchestra) by Joseph “Pepe” Danza. Also on the bill is Kusumamaya, a tabla concerto by Niel Golden.

This is fusion music on a grand scale, performed by some of Vancouver’s finest musicians on tar, dizi, xiao, zheng, sanxian, erhu, santur, kamanche, oud, bansuri, tabla, darabuka, mrdangam, congas, frame drums, marimba, vibraphone, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and bass, with additional Latin, Middle Eastern and African percussion. Audiences at Rising Beats on the Infinite Horizon will not only hear this extraordinary instrumental combination making exciting new music; in the intimate ambience of the Vancouver East Cultural Centre’s Hhistoric tTheatre at the Cultch they’ll also be able to watch it happen, up close and personal, via a live video feed that will project footage of the musicians and their instruments onto a large screen over the stage.. The programme will combine and contrast modern and traditional, written and improvised repertoire, showcasing the talents of Canadian composers and musicians as well as the musical cultures of the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

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The VICO, founded in 2000, was one of the first concert orchestras in the world devoted specifically to performing new intercultural music on a grand scale. It is currently the only such professional orchestra in Canada. In the VICO, Western-trained orchestral musicians rub shoulders with performers in musical traditions from all over the world…shedding light on the musical traditions of Canada’s many cultures and the myriad bridges between them. For more information on the ensemble and its upcoming events, please visit www.vi-co.org.

Media contact: Ellie O’Day, 604-731-3339 or ellie@oday.org