Music on Main the highly anticipated homecoming of Vancouver-raised new music superstar Vicky Chow. Chow returns from New York to perform legendary composer Philip Glass’ Piano Études, Book 1 in an otherworldly, powerful joining of two immense musical talents.
Vicky Chow – Photo Kaitlin Jane Photography
Vicky Chow Plays Philip Glass
When: March 28, 2023 at 7:30pm
Where: Christ Church Cathedral (690 Burrard St, Vancouver)
Described as “brilliant” (New York Times), “a monster pianist” (Time Out New York) and “one of the new stars of new music” (Los Angeles Times), Chow has scaled the highest levels of musicality and performance since making her orchestral debut at the age of 10 with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Chow embraces her acoustic piano roots in this singular solo performance of Nos 1 – 10, the first studies Glass wrote to explore and refine his own piano technique. Glass describes Chow’s renditions of these works as “a highly dynamic and expressive performance. There’s a certain energy that is uniquely hers” in her recently released recording of Études, Book 1. The album launched in September 2022 to coincide with Philip Glass’ 85th birthday.
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I have a pair of tickets to give away, here’s how you can enter to win:
Chow’s deep understanding of Philip Glass’ Piano Études is informed in part by her own connections with the composer, and their shared presence in New York City’s new music community. Chow is a long-time member of the famed Bang on a Can All-Stars, a six-member amplified ensemble recognized worldwide for their ultra-dynamic live performances and recordings of today’s most innovative music. She first met Glass while performing with him on stage, at the same piano, during one of the legendary Bang on a Can Marathons staged annually in the city.
Since joining the Bang on a Can All-Stars in 2009, Chow has collaborated and worked with leading composers and musicians such as John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Bryce Dessner (The National) Philip Glass, Glenn Kotche (Wilco), David Longstreth (Dirty Projectors), Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), and has performed extensively around the world as a classical and contemporary soloist, chamber musician, and ensemble member.
Now centered in New York, Chow serves as faculty at the Bang on a Can Summer Institute and has been on faculty at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. She is on the Board of Advisors for Composers Now and is also a mentor at The Juilliard School. Chow is a graduate of The Juilliard School (B.M. ’05, M.M. ’07 Piano Performance) and The Manhattan School of Music (M.M. Contemporary Performance ’09), and is a Yamaha Artist.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by ZenSeekers Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
A first-of-its-kind Indigenous cultural experience is available to the public this Spring Break in Tofino thanks to the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation. For the first time, the public is invited to immerse themselves in culture and history, hosted by the Nation and from their own perspective.
Special Event Over Spring Break in Tofino
This winter I was able to interview some of the people involved in organizing and hosting this special event series called naaʔuu, and last week I experienced it first hand. It was even more incredible (and delicious) than I could have imagined.
naaʔuu takes place at the Conference Centre at the Best Western Pus Tin Wis Resort, which by the way is my new favourite place to stay in Tofino. Indigenous owned and operated, right on the beach, affordable rates, free breakfast in the morning, all rooms facing the ocean, friendly staff, clean and comfortable rooms – I could go on and on!
Inside the Conference Centre, guests are greeted by carvings, a pop-up art gallery (with pieces for sale), and the banquet buffet table adorned with cedar boughs and bursting with platters of bannock, roasted potatoes and vegetables, salad, salmon, and more prepared by the team from Heartwood Kitchen in Ucluelet. Chef Ian Riddick was tasked with developing the menu inspired by Tla-o-qui-aht ingredients and he was even able to recreate some recipes shared by Elders.
Past the enticing food and art pieces, visitors enter the event space, where a longhouse has been replicated indoors, complete with a low, rounded doorway. On each table, there were two types of nonalcoholic beverages offered and I couldn’t get enough of the cold cranberry cedar tea.
The evening program includes video presentations, dance, song, drumming, and history all told in a captivating way by the very engaging Hjalmer Wenstob. There were several songs written by Tim Masso specifically for this event, for the cultural sharing, and masks were also carved for naaʔuu.
Wenstob told me last fall that it’s not about lecturing or even a presentation, it’s a cultural exchange. “I want folks to come in and have an experience that they’re proud of, that we’re proud of sharing, that they’re proud of hearing […] We can’t expect anyone to learn everything in such a short amount of time, but it’s an opportunity to ask questions. Folks will come in and hear a little bit and that will send them off on an adventure.”
It was such an honour to experience this evening. Everyone always says that visiting Tofino is “magical” and it’s a “beautiful” place but I have to say, when you finally experience this place through Tla-o-qui-aht song, food, song, stories and language – that’s where the real beauty lies. You’ll feel the spirit of naaʔuu in your heart.
Get $30 off your ticket when you use code: 30Miss604 at checkout
Packaged hotel stay/dinner tickets are still available through these Tla-o—qui-aht Tribal Parks Allies: Hotel Zed and Tofino Resort & Marina
Purchase your tickets today and plan your stay in Tofino for this very special and unique cultural experience. Proceeds from naaʔuu ticket sales will go towards keeping Tla-o-qui-aht homelands protected and restored via the Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Parks program.
The Canadian Live Music Association is offering two Safer Spaces Training Sessions as part of its commitment to fostering a healthier, safer live music community in response to harassment in Canada’s live music industry: Bystander Intervention Training and Civility & Respect in the Workplace.
These two virtual training sessions are on March 28 and 29 are free and open to live entertainment industry workers and artists, as well as the public.
Harassment in the workplace is an ongoing problem for live music workers and artists. Recent data shows that nearly half of musicians surveyed experienced workplace harassment, with the vast majority not reporting incidents due to the culture of the industry – a culture that faces unique challenges as a result of touring and often freelance work environments. This customized training session, created in partnership with Right to Be, will be facilitated by their Senior Trainer, Dax Valdes. The training will provide participants (back of house staff, artists, live music workers) with the necessary tools to intervene when witnessing harassment in their workplace without compromising their own safety.
More than ever, organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the critical importance of creating psychologically healthy and safe work environments. A factor that cuts across all elements to the heart of mental health is civility and respect. This training session with MyWorkplaceHealth facilitator Patricia Ruiz will prepare participants to foster a civil and respectful workplace by being able to: distinguish the factors that create a civil and respectful environment in the context of the live entertainment industry; recognize what bias is and how to diminish it; and recognize situations and engage communication strategies. Fostering civility and respect in the workplace is the launching pad for supporting mental health and wellness.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Sponsored Post — Sponsored by FestivalSeekers Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
The #NEABOnline Festival launched today, showcasing small businesses, tourism operators, organizations, and makers who have a passion for where they call home: North East Alberta. It’s a destination full of unexpected and enriching experiences and you can learn all about them online this month through a series of live Facebook and Instagram videos curated by FestivalSeekers.
#NEABOnline Jim Barr Photo
North East Alberta Tourism and Culture
You might ask: “Rebecca, you’re Miss604, why are you promoting the 780?” and the answer is that part of my business is social media coaching, and I’ve worked with FestivalSeekers for the better part of a decade to support small business in Western Canada. They asked me to come on board and work with a handful of these awesome tourism operators, makers, and organizations to guide them through the festival process and also set them up for online success. I love supporting local (even if it’s not my local)!
A business I have on my team is ING-ON who developed the incredible History Check app. This free app has everything you need to travel around Alberta. Creator Sheila Willis has over 3,800 pins on the app’s map feature that you can search based on proximity to your location, or interests like golf or museums, or even for other festival participants — just search NEAB on the app! She’s just one of the many businesses you’ll hear from at the online festival.
FestivalSeekers has perfected this model over the last three years and it’s super easy to enjoy! Basically all of the participants are going live on their Facebook pages to show off what they do best, and hopefully entice you to visit their region this season. All you need to do is tune in, engage, perhaps enter to win some awesome prizes, and learn about these new-to-you organizations.
Find the four week lineup in these Facebook event pages and RSVP to get post notifications:
The Festival kicked off this morning with a performance by Maddie Strovold, and Jaclyn Denman from Lac La Biche’s Sir Winston Churchill Park who took viewers on a tour of Alberta’s only island concert venue in lead up to Maddie’s concert on March 9th:
Tune in Until March 28th
Now that you know what’s happening, be sure to tune in every Tuesday and Thursday between now and March 28th for Facebook or Instagram lives coming from these tourism experience operators and makers across the region.
For all of the details and to view archived videos in case you can’t catch them live, follow FestivalSeekers on Facebook.
DanceHouse presents the BC premiere of Bboyizm’s celebrated work In My Body, wherein Canada’s preeminent street-dance company battles hip-hop culture taboos in award-winning multigenerational exploration of aging and vulnerability in dance.
Bboyizm photo by Rita Taylor
Bboyizm’s In My Body
When: March 17 & 18, 2023 at 8:00pm
Where: Vancouver Playhouse (600 Hamilton St, Vancouver)
Conceived and created by renowned street dancer and choreographer Yvon “Crazy Smooth” Soglo, In My Body is a profound examination of the effects of aging in a dance genre known for intense athleticism, bravado and the show of invincibility. Three generations of Canada’s top b-boys and b-girls share the stage to embody the dancers’ evolution with fierce physicality and moving vulnerability to the accompaniment of spoken word poetry, multimedia projections, and original music by DJ Shash’U.
Multiple knee surgeries and his own shifting stamina inspired Crazy Smooth to examine what it means to be a “b-boy forever” in his own aging body and soul. He assembled a multi-generational cast who range in age from their early 20s to late 50s to explore how street dancers persevere in the battle against time. Together they move as one united and supportive community.
Writer Alejandro Rodriguez’s spoken word provides a powerful backdrop of personal stories of survival, triumph, and defeat drawn from interviews that he conducted with the dancers including David “DKC Freeze” Dundas, the oldest dancer in the company (born 1965) and Natasha “Tash” Jean-Bart (born 1971). This large-scale production is further elevated by original instrumental ambient music by DJ Shash’U, and multimedia projections and body mapping by Montreal’s renowned minari studio.
Win Tickets to Opening Night
I have a pair of tickets to give away to opening night on March 17th, here’s how you can enter to win:
Following its March 2022 world premiere in Edmonton, Alberta, In My Body was awarded four Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding Production, Outstanding Original Choreography, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble and Outstanding Achievement in Design. The production is Crazy Smooth’s largest scale work to date and is the second to be developed through the Centre de Création O Vertigo – CCOV’s long-term residency program.
