A Celebration of Japanese & Canadian Music
May 31 ̶ June 13, 2019
Waterfront Theatre w/ concerts at other Vancouver venues
and the Ucluelet Community Centre
Tickets $20 – $35, plus free and pay-what-you-can performances
Festival Flex Passes available
Tickets and information at: vi-co.org
The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra’s (VICO) presents the 2019 Global Soundscapes Festival celebrating the intersection of Canadian cultures with musical traditions from all over the world through the creation and performance of intercultural music. This year’s edition features the instruments and traditions of Japan as well as other world cultures.
VICO is excited to welcome international guests Naomi Sato (sho), Harrie Starreveld (shakuhachi), Miyama Tokita-McQueen (koto), and Yuji Nakagawa (sarangi). They will perform alongside a who’s who of musicians, composers, and guest ensembles from BC’s vibrant contemporary classical and world music scenes.
At eleven concerts primarily held at the Waterfront Theatre as well as other Vancouver venues, with a special concert performance in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, the festival presents a rich diversity of intercultural works, unique collaborations and world premieres. Featured concerts include “Debris”, a new mini-opera by Rita Ueda inspired by the 2011 tsunami and the debris that washed up along the west coast of North America, a special evening where the sounds and instruments of Japan mingle with those of India, a musical showcase co-presented with the Powell Street Festival Society, a gala evening featuring both world and Canadian premieres – and so much more!
From tradition to cutting edge innovation, this year’s Global Soundscapes Festival promises a stunning smorgasbord of sounds and rhythms with inspired connections across continents, cultures and centuries. Join us for some brilliant music without borders!
See the full festival schedule of performance below…
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE: brief descriptions of the Global Soundscapes Festival concerts
Open Rehearsal
Wednesday May 29| 3pm
Vancouver Japanese Language School, 487 Alexander Street, Vancouver
Co-presented by Powell Street Festival
A chance to meet the Festival’s featured musicians and get an up-close look at their instruments, and an inside ‘sneak peek’ at the process of creating and performing intercultural music.
Featuring: Harrie Starreveld (shakuhachi), Naomi Sato (sho), Miyama McQueen-Tokita (koto) and Geling Jiang (sanxian). Hosted by VICO Artistic Director Mark Armanini.
FREE
Debris: An evening of traditional Japanese and contemporary Canadian intercultural music
Saturday June 1| 8 pm
Ucluelet Community Centre
Co-presented by Pacific Rim Arts Society
A perfect location for the performance of a new mini-opera by Rita Ueda inspired by the 2011 tsunami and the debris that washed up along the west coast of North America. The evening also includes historical works by pioneering Canadian intercultural composer Elliot Weisgarber as well as traditional Japanese music for sho and koto.
Featuring Harrie Starreveld (shakuhachi), Naomi Sato (sho) and Miyama McQueen-Tokita (koto), Geling Jiang (sanxian), and vocalists Sarah Albu (soprano) and Willy Miles-Grenzberg (tenor)
Ticket details: TBA
Music of the Whole World: Pacific Rim
Tuesday June 4 | 7 pm
Native Education College, 237 East 5th Avenue, Vancouver
Co-presented by Powell Street Festival
Meet some of the Festival’s featured musicians and get an up close look at their instruments, as well as an inside sneak peek at the process of creating and performing intercultural music.
Featuring: Harrie Starreveld (shakuhachi), Naomi Sato (sho), Miyama McQueen-Tokita (koto)
FREE
Festival Opening Concert
Wednesday June 5 | 8 pm
Waterfront Theatre, Granville Island, Vancouver
The Festival’s official opening night featuring a presentation of Debris: a new mini-opera by Rita Ueda,inspired by the 2011 tsunami and the debris that washed up along the west coast of North America. Also on the bill: historical works by pioneering Canadian intercultural composer Elliot Weisgarber, as well as traditional Japanese music for sho and koto.
Featuring Harrie Starreveld (shakuhachi), Naomi Sato (sho) and Miyama McQueen-Tokita (koto), Geling Jiang (sanxian), and vocalists Sarah Albu (soprano) and Willy Miles-Grenzberg (tenor).
Borealis String Quartet and McGregor/Verdejo Duo
Thursday June 6|8 pm
Waterfront Theatre, Granville Island
Vancouver’s beloved Borealis String Quartet takes the stage with flutist Mark Takeshi McGregor, guitarist Adrian Verdejo and soprano Sarah Albu in this chamber recital that features world premieres by BC composers Jennifer Butler and Kara Gibbs, as well as music by Toru Takemitsu, Yuriko Kojima, Anthony Genge, and intercultural pioneer Elliot Weisgarber.
KOCA: A Japan-Canada Exchange
Friday June 7 |8 pm
Waterfront Theatre, Granville Island
Vancouver’s Yaletown String Quartet and visiting artists perform the world premieres of new intercultural works by members of the Kyushu-Okinawa Composers’ Association: Taishi Saitoh, Goushi Yonekura, Takeshi Sato, Yuko Kondo, Keiko Eto, and Airi Yoshioka
This concert is part of a multi-year creative development and exchange project that included concert performances and workshops by VICO musicians in Japan in 2018. VICO now hosts six KOCA composers in Vancouver to present new intercultural works they have developed in the course of the project.
Featuring: Yaletown String Quartet, Saina Khaledi (santur), Bic Hoang (dan bau), Mark Takeshi McGregor (flute), Qiu Xia He (pipa), Harrie Starreveld (shakuhachi), Miyama McQueen-Tokita (koto), Brian Nesselroad (percussion), and Taishi Saitoh (guest conductor)
Festival Gala Concert: Zen and Now
Saturday June 8 |8 pm
Waterfront Theatre, Granville Island
The full Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra takes the stage with guest conductor John Zoltek and visiting artists to perform the world premiere of new works by Leslie Uyeda and Tomoko Fukui, the Canadian premieres of “Kokoro” by Rita Ueda, and “Phoenix Rising” by Farshid Samandari, and “Chidori No Kyoku (Song of the Plovers)” by Yoshizawa Kengyo in an intercultural arrangement by Mark Armanini.
Featuring:Harrie Starreveld, (shakuhachi), Naomi Sato (sho), Miyama McQueen-Tokita (koto), Bic Hoang (danbau), Mark Takeshi McGregor (flute) with other musicians (see website for full lineup).
KOCA presents: Music for Piano & Violin
Sunday June 9 | 3:00 pm
Canadian Music Centre, 837 Davie St., Vancouver
Festival guests from the Kyushu-Okinawa Composers’ Association (KOCA) present visiting artists Saki Kono (piano) and Taishi Harada (violin) in an intimate programme of solos and duets. More details coming soon!
Admission by donation (suggested: $20)
Powell Street Festival Showcase
Sunday June 9 | 8 pm
Waterfront Theatre, Granville Island
Co-presented by Powell Street Festival
Festival community partner, the Powell Street Festival, hosts this vibrant showcase of local Japanese musical acts, featuring Banana Bread, a quartet of multi-instrumentalists with a fondness for the ukulele and a light-hearted pop/R&B/choral flavor, and Kotojiro, a koto and guitar duo
Raga-tala-Malika! A Garland of Ragas and Talas
with VICO and Friends
Wednesday June 12| 8 pm
The Norman Rothstein Theatre, 950 W. 41st Avenue, Vancouver
The sounds and instruments of Japan mingle with those of India in this special concert! The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra performs the world premiere of a new work for bansuri and strings by Neelamjit Dhillon
alongside “The Longing Sky”, Moshe Denburg’s ground-breaking double concerto for shakuhachi and sarangi. Featured soloists include Harrie Starreveld (shakuhachi) and Yuji Nakagawa (sarangi), under the baton of guest conductor John Zoltek.
Also on the bill: “Nesting Cranes” for shakuhachi and strings (traditional, arranged by Farshid Samandari), and an intercultural orchestral arrangement of George Harrison’s “Within You and Without You” by Mark Armanini. Also featured: Vidyasagar Vankayala (vocalist)
Special House Concert
Thursday June 13| 8 pm
The Annex, 5590 Blenheim, Vancouver
The Festival closes with this intimate performance featuring Harrie Starreveld (shakuhachi) and Yuji Nakagawa (sarangi). It offers a unique opportunity to witness two virtuosi play both separately and together, on their traditional instruments from Japan and India.
Full information, artist biographies, instrument descriptions and tickets are at:
