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.

Eastside Arts Society (“EAS”) has just announced a new art-making event, CREATE! Arts Festival, taking place outdoors this year at Woodland Park and several Eastside studios on the weekend of August 21 and 22, 2021.

Eastside Arts Society Launches CREATE! Arts Festival

A new community initiative from EAS, CREATE! Arts Festival will bring together local artists and the community to explore, learn, and create art together through a series of affordable and accessible workshops for adults and children and a public-participation art installation. Attendees can choose from a large variety of artistic mediums, including jewellery, ceramics, printmaking, glass blowing, painting, and much more.

This morning Live Nation was busy sending out a string of press releases to announce a handful of live concerts at Malkin Bowl in September. With Step 4 of the BC Restart Plan on the horizon, that brings the potential for a return to full capacity events starting as early as September 7th. Here’s the lineup announced today for the #MalkinUpForLostTime concert series:

Concerts at Malkin Bowl in September

The Sheepdogs with guests
September 3, 2021 at 7:00pm
The Sheepdogs’ No Simple Thing has the wattage to take you to that mental cottage with six new songs so summer-y you’ll only need to pack your jean shorts and flip flops. Recorded in Montreal at Mixart Studios (built by Mahogany Rush’s Frank Marino in the 70’s), this EP sees Saskatoon’s fave furry sons returning with their classic rock influenced sound.

grandson with guests Dear Rouge
September 7, 2021 at 7:00pm
grandson is the pseudonym of Canadian/American alternative artist Jordan Benjamin. He takes elements of his rock and roll, hip hop and electronic music roots and combines them to tell stories of reclaiming power over one’s life, confronting social issues facing his generation, and opening up about struggles with addiction and mental health.

The Halluci Nation (formerly A Tribe Called Red) with guest The Librarian
September 8, 2021 at 7:00pm
The new project from Bear Witness and Tim “2oolman” Hill of A Tribe Called Red, The Halluci Nation takes its name from a phrase coined by late artist, poet and activist, John Trudell, to describe the vast global community of people who remember at their core what it means to be human, and who are living their lives in line with Indigenous values. 

Marianas Trench with guests Fionn
September 18, 2021 at 7:00pm
Marianas Trench have consistently raised the musical bar both in the studio and via their explosive live shows. They have built their name on relentless touring across Canada and globally, headlining tours in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

Tickets go on sale Friday, July 30, 2021 at 10:00am local time for all of these concerts at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park.

The South Asian Arts Society presents the sixth annual Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts, online from August 1-31, 2021. The festival celebrates South Asian art in the world, offering a diversity of great programming options. Festival attendees will experience music and dance performance, panel discussions, a marketplace of visual art, dance classes, development workshops and more.

Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts

“In 2016, we launched the Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts to provide South Asian artists with a platform on which to showcase their creative work, and to share their talents with a broad audience,” says South Asian Arts Society Executive Director and Monsoon Festival Producer, Gurpreet Sian. “This year we’re excited to again present our festival online with a range of remarkable artists presenting and performing in some amazing music, dance, informational and participatory events – as well as a special partnership with the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective. We invite everyone to join us!”

Featured Events

Monsoon Music Night
Sunday, August 15th at 5:00pm
Experience the power of sounds from around the world – India, Africa, Japan and Cuba – all coming together as one! Join artists and groups: Des Raj, Jaswinder Raj, Rana Dholi, Kunda Culture, Uzume Taiko, and Israel “Toto” Berriel & Friends. Streamed LIVE on Monsoon’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Free.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (“VSO”) has announced that it will return to full audiences for a unique set of four concerts to open the 2021-22 concert season.

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Welcomes Audiences

The performances start September 18, 2021 with We’re Back!, a gala performance featuring Maestro Otto Tausk leading Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony, a collection of audience favourites, and music from new voices. Then on September 24 and 25, the VSO performs Back To The Future In Concert, the perfect way to welcome audiences back to the experiences we love. On October 3, the beloved children’s entertainer Fred Penner welcomes families back to the Orpheum with his message of love and positivity through music. The Cat Came Back – and so can you! 

“We have all come through a most challenging and strange year,” says VSO Music Director Otto Tausk. “The progress in BC on vaccination and reopening is fantastic. Now, we turn a page in our lives and return to the things we love most. For me and the musicians of the VSO, that means making music with you. We have a triumphant season planned that starts with a very special opening gala performance. We will play some favourite music by Beethoven, Berlioz, Massenet and Tchaikovsky, and feature two of the most creative voices in Canada today: Barbara Croall and Dinuk Wijeratne. This is one of those concerts that we will look back on twenty years from now as the start of a whole new chapter in our lives.”