VICO: Dreams of the Wanderer
Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra & Capilano College present
Dreams of the Wanderer
featuring
Capilano College Singers
Capilano College Festival Chorus
Cecilia Ensemble Women’s Choir
Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra
Amir Haghighi, vocalist
Lars Kaario, conductor
Performing the WORLD PREMIERE of a new work by Moshe Denburg
Saturday April 5, 2008, 8pm & Sunday April 6, 2008, 3pm
Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre
2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver
A diverse and colourful musical landscape, exciting new work rooted in centuries-old traditions, and the promise of adventure…all this will be on offer as Capilano College School of Music collaborates with the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO) to present the world premiere of Dreams of the Wanderer, a major new piece by BC composer Moshe Denburg. The composition weaves together the musical traditions of many cultures, incorporating texts sung in Farsi, Mandarin Chinese, Hebrew and English by tenor soloist Amir Haghighi and the combined choirs of the Capilano College Music Program, all under the direction of Lars Kaario.
The concert program will also include a cappella songs from a variety of cultures, performed by the choirs, as well as several instrumental works for smaller forces performed by members of the VICO.
Tickets ($22/$18): 604.990.7810.
“Music that sounds like Vancouver looks.” – The Georgia Straight
Raise the Roof! A Rockin’ Benefit Concert
CANADIAN MEMORIAL UNITED CHURCH & CENTRE FOR PEACE LAUNCHES CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR 80th ANNIVERSARY
“Raise The Roof!”
Saturday March 15, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Canadian Memorial United Church
(Corner of Burrard & West 15th)
Canadian Memorial United Church and Centre for Peace is proud to launch its 80th anniversary celebrations with a rockin’ benefit concert featuring well-known local performers Corinthian Clark, Rachel Landrecht and Brian Tate, backed by the Peace in the City Band (Dave Danylchuk, Sean Dillon, Jason Nickel and Neil Weisensel), a 40-voice mixed choir and a 10-piece string section. This explosive line-up is guaranteed to raise the roof with music – fitting, since the concert kicks off a capital fundraising campaign intended to provide the church’s sanctuary with an actual new roof. As organizers put it, “The Old Lady needs a new hat!”
The concert will feature the music of Bob Marley, John Lennon, Brian Tate, Neil Young, the Beatles, Elvis Costello, Neil Weisensel, U2, Arcade Fire, Rachel Landrecht, Marvin Gaye, Corinthian Clark and others, performed by the same fiery, fearless entertainers who played to full houses at such events as John Lennon: A Celebration of Peace I and II (celebrating the 20th and 25th anniversary of Lennon’s death in 2000 and 2005) and the World Peace Forum Concert in 2006.
Canadian Memorial United Church was built by national subscription in the aftermath of World War I, as a memorial to the fallen and a commitment to the cause of peace in the future. It is home to a series of beautiful stained glass windows representing the provinces and territories, as well as to the only existing replicas of Canada’s Books of Remembrance (the originals are housed in the Peace Tower in Ottawa). The church began holding regular services on November 11, 1928 (ten years to the day after Armistice), and has been an active force in the community ever since.
Tickets $40/$25 at 604-731-3101 or at the door
William Davis Centre Joins Forces with VanArts
NEW PARTNERSHIP ENERGIZES MEDIA ARTS EDUCATION IN VANCOUVER:
William Davis Centre Joins Forces With VanArts
Vancouver, BC – March 4, 2008
The William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study (WDC) and the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (VanArts) are proud to announce an exciting new partnership that will see the WDC moving into new digs at VanArts, and merging its acclaimed actor training programs with VanArts’ internationally renowned curriculum, which currently includes full- and part-time courses in animation, video game art and design, digital photography and visual effects. The formal alliance of these two career training institutions – both widely recognized in the entertainment industry for the quality of the education they offer – will open up an array of fascinating new opportunities for students, faculty and Vancouver’s thriving media arts industry in general.
“There is so much potential for creative synergy,” says VanArts President Alan Phillips. He quotes the Institute’s founding program director, Academy Award-winning animator Lee Mishkin: “Lee used to say ‘Animators are actors with pencils.’ Animation students need some performance training in order to be able to bring characters to life. We used to bring in acting instructors…now we will have a full acting program and a wonderful faculty right here in house.”
Similarly, students in the Acting for Film & Television diploma program will be able to beef up their demo reels by participating in short films produced by students in the visual effects department, thus gaining additional experience not only in front of the camera, but also in acting against a green screen. They are also already working on various projects with students in the digital photography program. “We’ve only just begun to discover all the possibilities for collaboration between different departments,” says Christine Willes (former co-owner and Artistic Director of the WDC, now Department Head of what will henceforth be known as the William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study at VanArts). “It’s incredibly inspiring for both students and faculty.”
The William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study was founded in 1989 by actor, director and teacher William B. Davis (best known for his role as Cigarette Smoking Man on TV’s The X-Files), while the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts opened its doors in 1995. Both institutions have demonstrated a long-standing commitment to providing students with a nurturing, challenging learning environment and practical, state-of-the-art career training. Under the VanArts umbrella, this merger allows both to offer a diverse mix of cutting-edge vocational programs in both the visual and performing arts.
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Laudate Singers: CHORAL TAPESTRY
LAUDATE SINGERS present
CHORAL TAPESTRY
Saturday March 8, 2008 – 8:00 pm
St. Andrew’s United Church
10th & St. Georges, North Vancouver
In their first concert of 2008, Laudate Singers and conductor Lars Kaario weave a rich and lively Choral Tapestry out of music from across centuries and world cultures. The radiant sounds of the North Shore’s premier chamber choir will be accompanied by a colourful display of scarves, dresses, tapestries, dolls, kelp baskets and other art pieces by members of the Vancouver Guild of Fibre Arts.
The musical programme will feature the world premiere of a new work by Laudate Singers’ award-winning young composer-in-residence Bruce Sled, as well as Gregorio Allegri’s glorious medieval Miserere, Mei Deus, Samuel Barber’s moving Agnus Dei, a trio of sacred pieces by 19th-century German composer Josef Rheinberger, Claude Debussy’s Trois Chansons, and newer works by Einojuhani Rautavaara, Juhani Komulainen (both from Finland) and Vancouver’s own Moshe Denburg.
Laudate Singers are pleased to join with local artists in creating this Choral Tapestry, full of vibrant textures both aural and visual…a warm, bright blanket of sounds and colours. Music to make your ears sing!
Tickets ($25/$20) & Information: 604-831-3158
PINK SUGAR by Natalie Meisner (Solo Collective)
Solo Collective presents
the WORLD PREMIERE of
PINK SUGAR
Written by Natalie Meisner
Directed by Katrina Dunn
Starring David Beazely, Scott Bellis, Moya O’Connell & Laara Sadiq
“Ask yourselves, doesn’t everything flow from South to North, from poor to rich, from dark to light, from girls to men? You prefer not to think about it. Fine, that’s where I come in.”
February 7-16, 2008
Performance Works (1218 Cartwright St, Granville Island)
From one of Vancouver’s most innovative theatre companies comes the world premiere of Pink Sugar, a new play by award-winning writer Natalie Meisner. In four interlocking monologues, a charismatic cast brings to life a bitingly funny, desperate world in which everything’s a commodity to be bought, sold or stolen – from guns and drugs to human bodies.
Spencer (David Beazely)’s holiday in Europe goes horribly wrong after he falls in love with the mysterious Elan (Moya O’Connell, making a brief return to Vancouver in between Shaw Festival seasons). Left alone and seriously injured, the young man tries to piece together what happened – but is it too late? Meanwhile, Sylvie (Laara Sadiq), a trafficker in weapons and other merchandise, strikes a deal with Max (Scott Bellis), a lawyer on dialysis, which draws everyone into a very questionable transaction. The line between innocence and culpability is blurred, then redrawn, in this dark tale of love, betrayal, and missing body parts.
Pink Sugar also features set design by Yvan Morissette, lighting by Adrian Muir, sound by Chris Hind, costumes by Sheila White, video projection by Jamie Nesbitt, stage management by Robin Richardson and Lisa L’Heureux, and dramaturgy by Johnna Wright.
Tues-Sat at 8pm; matinees Sun Feb 10 & Sat Feb 16 at 3pm
Tix $22/$15 at Tickets Tonight: 604-631-2872 or http://www.ticketstonight.ca
PWYC preview Feb 7; 2-for-1 Feb 10 3pm or Feb 12 8pm;
Group rate available via info@solocollective.ca
StoryFeast 2008
Vancouver Society of Storytelling presents
STORYFEAST 2008
16th Annual Vancouver International Storytelling Festival
February 1-3, 2008
Heritage Hall (Main St. @ W. 15th)
The Vancouver International Storytelling Festival celebrates its 16th year with “a feast of tales and tales of feasts”…a three-day-long cornucopia of performances by professional storytellers, on the theme of food for mind, body and soul. Local favourites like Pepe Danza, Melanie Ray and Lucia Frangione join international stars such as Theresa Amoon (France) and Licia Perea (US) to bring us stories told through words, music and dance.
The festival’s new management team (artistic director Tim Perez and producer SG Lee) have put together a dynamic programme that features tellers from the Latin American community, and includes concerts and a cabaret, workshops for storytellers of all ages, special kids’ events and exciting story jams. Prepare to be surprised!
Tickets at http://www.ticketstonight.ca or 604-631-2872.
Euripides’ HECUBA (Blackbird Theatre)
Blackbird Theatre presents
Euripides’ HECUBA
A new adaptation by George McWhirter
December 29 – January 12, 2007
Vancouver East Cultural Centre
From the creative team responsible for last season’s award-winning production of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt comes one of the year’s most anticipated theatre events: Blackbird Theatre’s production of Euripides’ Hecuba. John Wright directs a superb all-female cast: Linda Quibell in the title role, with Anna Cummer, Lesley Ewen, Carmen Grant, Mia Ingimundson, Nicola Lipman and Laara Sadiq.
Set in the aftermath of the Trojan War, Euripides’ Hecuba is a powerful reminder of the ancient truth that violent conflict and retribution are a plague on the planet. “This may be the clearest and most profound statement on that subject that has ever been written,” says John Wright. “The play comes to us in a clear voice from 2,500 years ago, reverberating with a passion, intelligence and moral courage that should be heard by all who value life and fear for the future of humankind.”
Commissioned by Blackbird Theatre, Vancouver Poet Laureate George McWhirter has produced a richly expressive yet accessible text that retains the power and dramatic range of Euripides’ original. With set, costume and mask design by Marti Wright, projections by Tim Matheson, lighting by John Webber, musical direction by Wendy Stuart (drawing from the ‘chest singing’ tradition of eastern European women, Japanese Noh drama and the ululations of Muslim women), and movement design by Wendy Gorling and Heidi Specht, Blackbird’s production promises to be a gripping, dynamic interpretation of one of Ancient Greece’s most vitally modern plays.
Euripides’ Hecuba also features production management by Mélissa Powell, technical direction by Jayson McLean and stage management by Noa Anatot.
Evening shows at 8 pm except Tuesdays and Sundays; $20 Matinees Dec. 30, Jan. 5, 6, 12 at 2 pm
Pay-What-You-Can Preview Dec. 28 at 8 pm / No show Dec. 31
TICKETS at ticketmaster.ca or 604.280.3311
$30 / $20 (matinees) / $15 (students with valid ID) plus applicable service charges
Melanie J Thompson 
