TomoeArts presents the world premiere of a provocative and heartrending new work, Kayoi Komachi/Komachi Visited, a noh chamber opera, on stage October 26th to 28th at The Cultch.
TomoeArts Presents Kayoi Komachi/Komachi Visited
When: October 26th to 28th, 2017 Where: The Cultch Historic Theatre (1895 Venables St, Vancouver) Tickets:Available online now from $20.
Heather Pawsey & Yamai Tsunao. Photo by Travan Wong
Master Japanese practitioners of noh – Japan’s 14th century theatre art – combine talents with Western classical musicians in an operatic re-imagining of the classic tale of unrequited love: Kayoi Komachi. This mesmerizing ‘East meets West’ invention exposes the desire, tribulation and mystery between a man and woman caught in the throes of a tumultuous romance.
In Kayoi Komachi/Komachi Visited, audiences will find the noh text more fragmented, and free-flowing, the harmonies and choreography carefully altered, and the rhythm reworked from the conventional eight-beat phrase structure. The classical ensemble will play noh melodies and percussive patterns, and vocalists will sing pitches and perform gestures unlike any repertoire they have encountered. Added to the dynamic interplay between English and Japanese dialogue, this piece brings noh and opera to brand-new territory.
Japanese noh is one of the oldest theatre arts performed today. With highly stylized movement, and vivid text sung through stirring chant, noh plays are traditionally based on legends and literature and focus on themes around the supernatural. The plots typically revolve around two main characters who perform on a minimalist stage backed by chorus and musicians on drum and flute.
Performing a gorgeous score by Farshid Samandari, the ensemble of Kayoi Komachi/Komachi Visited, led by Conductor Jonathan Girard, will include: Melanie Adams (mezzo-soprano); Joseph Bulman (tenor); Peter Monaghan (bass-baritone); noh actors Muraoka Kiyomi and Kashiwazaki Mayuko; Mark McGregor (flute); Western percussionist Brian Nesselroad; guest kotsuzumi (noh shoulder drum) player Omura Kayû; as well as a group of prodigious string players.
Win a Date Night
I have a pair of tickets to give away so a lucky Miss604 reader and their guest can witness this meditative art form in a special presentation.
Along with tickets, the winner will also receive a couple’s massage package from pHresh Spa (valued at $220). Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a date night prize pack from @TomoeArts @pHreshSpa http://ow.ly/TK9f30fY73k” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Monday, October 23, 2017.
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#Route97 is a collection of experiences and destinations you will find within the Okanagan Valley and into Washington state.
ZenSeekers challenges you to explore the region this fall and have a series of stories to help make that happen.
Waterfall Hunting in Wells Gray Provincial Park with Dax Justin
Wells Gray Provincial Park is also known as ‘Waterfall Park’ for its 39 named waterfalls.
Wells Gray Provincial Park in the Clearwater Valley, about a five-hour drive northeast of Vancouver, is a pristine part of the province that attracts adventure seekers looking for wild and wonderful year-round experiences – from wildlife sightings to kayaking, snowshoeing, hiking.
And seeking out its dozens of waterfalls.
You could spend a lifetime exploring the more than 5,000 square kilometres of forest, mountains and waterways here, but an autumn weekend is plenty of time to find much-needed peace from the city.
There’s good reason why Wells Gray is also known as, “Waterfall Park”. There are 39 named waterfalls, and my aim on a late September weekend was to discover a few of them with the help of park ambassadors and locals Chance Breckenridge and Raymond Jones.
I had one in particular that I just had to see – Moul Falls. Though it’s the third highest waterfall in the park, it has an added attraction that I wanted to photograph and experience. The way the canyon has been carved by the cascading water, an alcove has been created so you can stand behind the falls.
It sounded like something I just had to experience.
The hour-long hike to reach it began easily enough on an abandoned road from the trailhead on Clearwater Valley Road. Signs along the way kept us moving in the right direction.
The grey day made the fall colours more vivid.
The crisp pine-scented air put me in a great mood, making me forget about the time of day and all of my deadlines.
The recent rainfall made the colours of the trees pop and I photographed the big and small things in my midst – the big vistas right down to the smallest drop of water clinging to the changing leaves.
There were also three other waterfalls on our wish list for the day: Spahats, Helmcken and Dawson. Ray and Chance promised me they were all worth visiting because each had its own beauty, whether it was the nearby vegetation or rock formations surrounding them.
The cool thing about searching for waterfalls is that you can hear them before you see them.
Grouse Creek is the source of Moul Falls, 35 metres above. We’d arrived and the trail was a little slippery and narrow, but well worth the effort to get face to face with these falls.
I stood there mesmerized by the sound, the force and the beauty of the moment, enjoying the mist lingering in the air and feeling the coolness of the spray on my skin.
But going behind the falls was the most magical part of all. I’d felt like I’d entered a secret little kingdom and I didn’t want to leave. I lingered for as long as I could.
But Chance and Ray were ready to impress me with their bravery, wading into the river just below the falls. It was a photo opportunity I didn’t want to miss.
I’d set out to see a bit of BC’s wild and wet side and was completely satisfied with my first time here. But there’s so much more to discover – like those 36 remaining waterfalls – so I’ll definitely be back.
Chance and Ray braved the chilly waters below Moul Falls.
About the Author: Dax Justin on Behalf of ZenSeekers Dax Justin is a Canadian explorer, adventure/landscape photographer, visual content creator, and destination storyteller based in Alberta, Canada.
His photographic work focuses on outdoor adventure, landscapes, mountain lifestyle, people and sports. The photography captured on expeditions bring the adventure to a worldwide online audience in real time, expanding brand reach through social media and travel networks including Seekers Media.
Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (“VanArts”) is hosting an info session and workshops on Saturday, and you’re invited! Learn about the thousands of creative jobs in Vancouver and how VanArts trains people to enter a career as a video game or visual effects (VFX) artist; 2D or 3D animator; online, radio or TV broadcaster; professional photographer; web developer/designer/marketer; or a professional actor!
Experience VanArts Info Session and Workshops
Where: VanArts – 570 Dunsmuir St, Vancouver Register: FREE! RSVP online here
For over 20 years VanArts has been the launch point for new artistic and creative talent. This weekend, meet faculty and students, choose a workshop and experience what it’s like to be working in one of these industries.
Info Session
Saturday, October 21, 2017 from 2:00pm to 2:45pm
Brief presentation of VanArts programs and student work, with Q&A and faculty introduction
Workshops
2:45pm to 4:00pm break out program workshops with Department Heads and Instructors
Acting lesson with industry professionals
Step-by-step process for 2D/3D character animation
Voice-over and green-screen filming in our broadcasting studio
Portrait lighting demo in our photography studio
3D modeling & engines for video games
Green-screen visual effects compositing for film
Design and development for the web
Door prizes will also be given away during the event.
Win a VanArts Prize Pack
I’m giving away a VanArts bag full of prizes (valued at $200) to one lucky winner that includes:
1 DVD of Wonder Woman (visual effects worked on by VanArts grads)
1 FIFA 18 videogame (PS4 or Xbox One version, to be determined by winner)
1 Season set of “Rick & Morty” (animation worked on by VanArts grads)
1 DVD of “The X-Files” Season 10 (starring William Davis, founder of acting development at VanArts)
Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a @vanarts #ExperienceVanArts prize package http://ow.ly/KLKz30fWvOr” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries on Friday, October 20, 2017 at 12:00pm. The prize package will be available for pick up at the VanArts Info Session on October 21st.
Producers of Squamish Valley Music Festival are launching new festival experience in British Columbia next September. Located on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, Stanley Park will be home to this brand new three-day SKOOKUM Festival that will celebrate diversity and creativity and showcase some of the very best in music, food and art.
sSKOOKUM Festival
Launching September 7th – 9th 2018 at the Brockton field complex, the 17-acre site will have a first year capacity of 20,000 per day, and will feature multiple stages of today’s best contemporary music across broad genres, styles and cultures.
The site animation program will include branded environmental design elements; live and multimedia art installations, along with roaming talent and surprise pop-up performances. Meanwhile a sophisticated food and beverage program will provide unparalleled culinary experiences and tasting areas showcasing the best BC wines, craft beers and craft distilleries. The weekend will also include a series of late night events in the downtown core branded as “SKOOKUM After Dark”.
The full festival line-up will be announced in Spring 2018. For more information, follow SKOOKUM on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with the tag #SkookumFestival.
Vancouver’s iconic Haunted Trolley Tour is back for another year. This time it not only explores Vancouver’s haunted past but dives into its terrifying future.
Vancouver Haunted Trolley Tour
Hosted by The Vancouver Trolley Company
Where: Tour departs at The Irish Heather Gastropub, Gastown at various times throughout the evening.
When: On now until October 31st (closed Sundays and Mondays). Tours will run on Sunday, October 29th, and Monday, October 30th. Plan for 2.5 hours, must be 19+ years of age.
As the damp autumn evening transforms Gastown into an eerie place of shadows, stories and the occasional bump in the night, you will be whisked away by a trolley where you will see streets and homes, which seem normal, but if you look and listen close enough you will hear echoes of murders and other devastating events.
Your host will tell the gruesome tales of The Castelanni Milkshake Murder, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s Lady in Red and more. You will drive through dank locations such as Stanley Park to hear about The Babes in the Woods and continue through the winding roads and mansions of Shaughnessy.
The tour stops to visit Mountain View Cemetery where the troubled spirits occupy their time. When you arrive at the Vancouver Police Museum you will climb the stairs to Vancouver’s first city morgue where over 15,000 autopsies have been performed, including Errol Flynn. You never know if you will stumble onto another autopsy in progress.
After visiting Vancouver’s spooky past, you will be transported into its terrifying future through the haunted Virtual Reality Experience, DREAMSCAPE, at Shebeen Whiskey House. In this 15-minute original live action, haunted experience, participants will put on virtual reality goggles and headphones becoming fully immersed in the adventure. DREAMSCAPE was filmed using 360-degree directional cameras to absorb viewers in the video as the thrilling experience unfolds. You will find yourself teleported into a series of dark, haunted locations filled with terrifying creatures and events.
Win Tickets
I have a pair of tickets to give away so that one lucky winner can enjoy the Haunted Trolley Tour this season. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Click below to get another entry by posting on Twitter:
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win tickets for the @vantrolley #HauntedVancouver tour http://ow.ly/IhFi30fVf3b” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Sunday, October 22, 2017. The winner will be able to choose their preferred tour date/time (based on availability).
Follow the Vancouver Trolley Company on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
