VSO Day of Music is free, fun, and full of surprises
Once again, Vancouver’s downtown core will be filled with a multitude of musical performances. On Saturday (June 4), the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will host a long list of classical, choral, jazz, and popular performers demonstrating the breadth of the city’s community of musicians.
The Day of Music is entirely free and can be enjoyed over a 12-hour stretch at four venues: the Orpheum, Annex, VSO School of Music, and Port of Vancouver Stage on the plaza at the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
It begins at 10 a.m. on the Orpheum stage with the VSO in an open rehearsal. The VSO also performs that evening at the same location, from 8 to 9:15 p.m.
In between, this stage will feature shows by the Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra, Vancouver Folk Ensemble and Dovbush Ukrainian dance troupe, Charlie Chaplin’s short film “The Cure” (with the historic Mighty Wurlitzer organ), Christine Lee, and MEI Screaming Eagles Marching Band.
Over at the Port of Vancouver Stage, Krystle Dos Santos will kick things off at 1 p.m. with soulful tunes from her albums, which have won Western Canadian Music Awards in the R&B and urban-recordingof-the-year categories.
She’ll be followed by the local Afrofusion band Zimbamoto, the eight-piece Latin alternative group MNGWA, and the healing sounds of nonbinary jazz and soul singer Tonye Aganaba.
The Annex will be the site of music with roots in many countries. At 10 a.m., it begins with the VSO School of Music Junior Jazz Combo, followed by a combo performance by VSO jazz faculty and TAs.
Then, at noon, Raagaverse takes the stage, followed by the B.C. Chinese Music Association and the Mohamed Assani Trio. Assani, an award-winning sitarist, is one of Canada’s top Ismaili musicians and has twice performed before Ismaili spiritual leader Aga Khan IV.
The Azalea Chinese Music Ensemble follows, along with Quartetto Vivo 2 Pianos 8 Hands and the VSO School of Music Big Band.
The largest number of performances on the Day of Music will be at the VSO School of Music. They include, among many others, the Vinh Nguyen Piano Trio, the Itamar Erez Quartet, the Daniel Hersog Duo, Opera Opulenza, and Al Mozaico Flamenco. The action at the VSO School of Music takes place in Pyatt Hall, the Willms Salon, and workshop rooms 411 and 412.
The Day of Music is presented by BMO Bank of Montreal with support from the B.C. government, City of Vancouver, and Jane McLennan Fund. The VSO’s community-engagement programs occur as a result of a partnership with Newmont North America.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s free Day of Music begins at 10 a.m. on June 4 and will take place at the Orpheum, the VSO School of Music, the Annex, and the Port of Vancouver Stage on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery. For more information, visit the DayofMusic.ca website.