I recently had a conversation with some fellow 30-something Vancouverites about how our generation doesn’t really listen to classical music, nor are we ever really exposed to it (except for maybe piano lessons as a kid), nor do we really “get” it. We are so disconnected from the genre. It’s for our parents’, or our grandparents’, generation, we think.
Photo credit:
esc861 on Flickr
Well, I’ve decided it’s time to get educated and excited about classical music and what better way to start watching and listening to another 30-something play some on the piano next week.
On April 19th, the Vancouver Recital Society presents Russian-born pianist Kirill Gerstein at the Chan Centre. Gerstein is a rising star in the piano world. In 2010, Gerstein was the recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award—an award given to an international pianist of any age and nationality who possesses profound musicianship and charisma and who can sustain a career as a major international concert pianist.
The concert is presented by the Vancouver Recital Society, whose aim is to foster and secure the future of classical chamber music and recitals by bringing some of the world’s finest musicians from around the world to Vancouver and engaging audiences with them.
The Program:
- Bach: English Suite No. 6 in D minor, BWV811
- Mozart: arr. Busoni Gigue, Bolero and Variation
- Knussen: Ophelia’s Last Dance
(Commissioned for Kirill Gerstein by The Gilmore International Keyboard Festival)
- Weber: Invitation to Dance
- Schumann: Carnaval
- Schubert: arr. Liszt Soirees de Vienne
Follow the Vancouver Recital Society on Facebook, Twitter, or their blog for more information about upcoming events.
Tinhorn Creek Vineyards is once again presenting their summer concert series located on a hillside overlooking the South Okanagan’s Golden Mile. The winery’s outdoor amphitheatre will premiere a Canadian concert series on May 26th with The Boom Booms (Peak Performance Project finalists) followed by Acres of Lions on June 23rd, Redeye Empire July 28th, Said the Whale August 25th, and Canadian rockers Sloan wrapping up the season September 8th.
Photo courtesy of Tinhorn Creek Vineyards
Tickets to the concert series are now on sale for individual shows or you can pick up a season pass for $100, for all concerts. All concerts start at 7:00pm, with gates opening at 6:30pm.
Visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour, tastings, and the cuisine of Miradoro Restaurant. They are very active on Twitter as is their winemaker and CEO Sandra Oldfield, and they’ll be hosting a social wine tasting event on May 16th in Vancouver.
Tinhorn Creek is located between Oliver and Osoyoos in the sunny South Okanagan. Family owned and operated, their wines are 100% estate-grown. They were also the first winery in Canada to support carbon neutral measures and have a commitment to land conservation and environmentally sustainable practices.
To kick off the season in style, I have partnered with Tinhorn Creek to offer up two concert tickets to see The Boom Booms at the vineyard May 26th along with a $125 gift certificate for Miradoro Restaurant.
Make a weekend out of it and enjoy all that this stunning region has to offer – from camping and canoeing on the lake to enjoying local wine. If you can’t get to the Okanagan, this would make a great birthday, anniversary, Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day gift. Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post naming a Tinhorn Creek wine (found here) (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner next Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 12:00pm. Must be 19 years or older to enter to win. Please enjoy responsibly.
Update The winner is Tanis!
Prize does not include transportation or accommodation.
Vancouver has been invited to the Jellicle Ball where cats gather once a year, or in this case nightly until April 15th. One by one CATS are introduced in song with lyrics that stay true to the poetry of T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”. In fact, the entire musical is T.S. Eliot’s writing (published and unpublished) set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. There is no spoken dialogue, just whimsical songs and a frenzy of feline movements from playful poses to big musical numbers with tap dancing.
At first I thought there was no real storyline, simply a sequence of meeting cats. However through the introductions — which take place for our benefit as spectators of the one-night only Jellicle Ball — a story appears. Mungojerrie (Daniel Switzer) and Rumpelteazer (Hillary Porter) set the scene with their tale of hi-jinx. Both Rum Rum Tugger (Chris Stevens), whose hips got the crowd swooning, and Magical Mister Mistoffelees (Chaz Wolcott) garnered applause and cheers during their introductory performances.
Grizabella (Melissa Grohowski), the tattered old glamour cat that appears not to have a friend in the world, proudly drifted into Memories. It’s a song many have heard before but never performed live, on stage, under the (simulated) moonlight.
The orchestra is small and the sounds, paired with the cat suits and leg warmers, remind you that this production first hit the stage in London, 1981. Regardless, the tales are timeless and the company’s singing – while dancing their paws off – is impressive.
Broadway Across Canada presents CATS, the longest continuously touring show in American theatre history, in Vancouver nightly at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre until April 15, 2012. The show is family-friendly and enjoyable for all ages.
I love stepping under the canopy of Stanley Park‘s forest trails, detouring from the concrete paths of the Sea Wall and surrounding thoroughfares. A few years ago I profiled the origins of several Stanley Park Trail Names including Merilees, Rawlings, Tatlow, Thompson, and Tisdall. Tourism Vancouver recently launched their ultimate guide to Stanley Park (useful to visitors and locals alike) so I thought I would profile just a few more trail names in the hopes that some of you might be enticed to explore the mulch-covered routes through the park.
Avison Trail Namesake: Henry Avison, Stanley Park Superintendent 1888-1895
History: Henry Avison was the first employee of the Vancouver Park Board. He cut Stanley Park’s first trails and was its first zoo keeper, designed the park’s first gardens, and lived in a lodge by its entrance. [Source: VancouverHistory]
1898- Avison’s cottage at the entrance to Stanley Park. Archives item# St Pk P250.
Eldon Trail Namesake: G. Eldon, Park Board Superintendent 1896-1909
History: George Eldon was Park Board Chair from 1910-1911. In 1916, Eldon and other commissioners planted an oak tree near Pipeline Road to commemorate William Shakespeare’s tercentenary. There’s a monument for the bard to this day at the north end of the rose garden. [Source: Vancouver Archives]
1916 – A tree for Shakespeare. Archives item# Tr P24. Photographer: Frank Gowen.
Lees Trail Namesake: A.E. Lees, Park Commissioner 1902-1917
History: It took me a few minutes to find information about Andrew E. Lees but thanks to House Historian, James Johnstone, I came upon an incredibly interesting read about A.E.Lee’s old yellow house on Richards Street. Johnstone was hired to look up some history on the house before it was demolished to make room for a new development.
Photos from House Historian – James Johnstone
Here’s is just a snippet from Johnstone’s research that applies in this case: “Lees was Vancouver’s Parks Board Commissioner from 1902 to 1915… …During his tenure as Parks Board Commissioner, work commenced on both the Stanley Park Sea Wall and the Stanley Park Zoo. Lees lived at 909 Richards with his wife, Anna Elizabeth Lees, and their five children from 1890 to 1906.” [Source: House Historian]
Other trail names like Squirrel, Wren, South Creek, and even Bridle are pretty self-explanatory. Next time you’re in the park take a stroll down Lovers Walk, head up the Ravine Trail to the Beaver Lake Trail, or take the Raccoon Trail to the Meadow. You can take this handy PDF map along with you for guidance or plot your route on this interactive online map.
Each year Heritage Vancouver lists their Top Ten Endangered Sites around the city. These are libraries, schools, motels, theatres, and other structures whose fate is uncertain or threatened. The 2012 list will be revealed exclusively during a bus tour next month.
Date: Saturday, May 5, 2012
Time: 1pm to 5pm (loading begins at 12:30pm and bus departs at 1pm sharp)
Location: Meet in the Vancouver Museum Parking Lot, 1100 Chestnut St.
Tickets: Available online for $30, Heritage Vancouver Members $25
Heritage Vancouver has been keeping a list of endangered sites since 2001. The 2012 list will be revealed to the public after the bus tours.
Top Ten Endangered Sites 2011
1. Vancouver Schools: Carleton (1896, 1908 to 1912)
2. Vancouver Schools: Kitchener (1914 & 1924)
3. Vancouver Schools: Sexsmith (1912 & 1913)
4. Shannon Estate (1915 to 1925)
5. Strathcona North of Hastings
6. Gordon T. Legg Residence (1899) [updated]
7. Collingwood Library (1951)
8. Lower Mount Pleasant
9. Granville Street (1888 on)
10. 2400 Motel (1946)
Photo credit:
Arbron on Flickr
The first bus for the 2012 tour has sold out so they are currently filling up another. Get your tickets today to enjoy this informative guided tour in a Transit Museum Society (TRAMS) historic bus. Tour guides are Donald Luxton, well-known author and heritage expert and the President of Heritage Vancouver, and Anthony Norfolk, head of Heritage Vancouver‘s Advocacy Group.
