The Kessler Academy 2021

Music on Main invites a live audience to The Kessler Academy 2021 at the Vancouver Playhouse on August 14th. This innovative, youth-focused training academy features an entirely musician-led string orchestra mentorship program, driven by the Vancouver-based Microcosmos Quartet.

The Kessler Academy 2021

When: August 14, 2021 at 7:00pm
Where: Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton St, Vancouver)
Tickets: Available now for $15 (25% of venue seating will be on sale)

This intergenerational collaboration, named for Vancouver’s beloved centenarian and philanthropist Mrs. Susan Kessler, is dedicated to keeping classical music vibrant and vital in the 21st century. In a week-long August mentorship, Vancouver-based Microcosmos Quartet will work with skilled youth in mastering great classical 20th and 21st century pieces and will present their final work in a showcase event.

Listen closely to famous works by Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, and Paul Hindemith that resonate with the current unstable times, as all the pieces come from a past of uncertainty.

“This year we explore the work of three important 20th century composers whose lives were deeply affected by cataclysmic social upheavals,” says Marc Destrubé, violin, as he describes this year’s repertoire focus. “Bartok and Stravinsky were both afflicted with the Spanish Flu immediately following the First World War, and all three composers sought refuge in America during the course of the Second World War. In addition to our rehearsals we will hold discussions around the role and lives musicians around such events in the past, and how the current pandemic might influence musical life in the near future.”

The chance to listen together in the same space brings so much excitement and optimism for brighter days ahead. On August 14, music lovers can share musical experiences that bring the music to life and cultivate a sense of togetherness and warmth.

Music on Main is applying the utmost care and safety measures for our staff, crew, artists, and audience members to ensure a comfortable and safe environment, as we connect together once again at an indoor concert.

The Kessler Academy is presented by Music on Main and the Microcosmos Quartet. The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is a Supporting Partner for this year’s event, with special assistance from Vancouver Civic Theatres.