Times Colonist

CRITIC’S PICKS: Zakir Hussain, Ballets Jazz Montréal, A View From Here

- MIKE DEVLIN mdevlin@timescolon­ist.com

ZAKIR HUSSAIN TRIO

Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.

When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $43.25-$121 from the Royal McPherson box office (250-386-6121) or rmts.bc.ca

Why: Not all tabla virtuosos are created equal. Case in point: Zakir Hussain, who is a legend among Hindustani classical music devotees and jazz-fusion fanatics. The 73-year-old world music maestro has worked with everyone from Yo-Yo Ma and Van Morrison to John McLaughlin and George Harrison of the Beatles during his career, and he continues to collaborat­e.

The four-time Grammy Award winner is making a rare Victoria appearance on Sunday, with support from two notables in Indian classical music, female bansuri flautist Debopriya Chatterjee and sarangi player Sabir Khan. Do not miss it. Victoria is rarely treated to performanc­es of such quality.

BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL

Where: Royal Theatre,

805 Broughton St.

When: Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $80.75-$120.25 from the Royal McPherson box office (250-386-6121) or rmts.bc.ca

Why: Ballets Jazz Montréal has been creating challengin­g work since 1972, and for the eighth time in its history the company (led by artistic director Alexandra Damiani) is coming to Victoria. BJM visits the Royal Theatre this weekend with a mixed-repertoire program highlighti­ng works by three female choreograp­hers.

It’s a program befitting of the company’s 50th anniversar­y: We Can’t Forget About What’s His Name, a new creation by company member Ausia Jones; Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue by Victoria’s Crystal Pite; and Les Chambres des Jacques by Aszure Barton.

Worth the price of admission alone is the creation by Pite, who is one of this country’s finest exports. Ten Duets still sizzles with intensity, more than a decade after it was created.

A VIEW FROM HERE

Where: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 1040 Moss St.

When: Saturday to April 27, 2029 Admission: aggv.ca

Why: A View From Here reimagines the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s permanent collection by showcasing selected works across two galleries inside the Moss Street hub. Asian art and works by Indigenous and Canadian artists will be the focus, with the aim of increasing the visibility of some of the gallery’s lesser-known pieces.

Displayed beside the art of China and Japan and coastal British Columbia will be showstoppe­rs by Emily Carr and the Group of Seven, among others, bringing the AGGV collection into full view.

 ?? HANDOUT ?? Zakir Hussain will perform at the Royal Theatre on Sunday.
HANDOUT Zakir Hussain will perform at the Royal Theatre on Sunday.

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