Things To Do

Get ready for a literary treat at the JCC or from the comfort of your living room! The Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival (Feb. 20-25, 2021) will warm up your winter nights with an exciting roster of writers from across Canada, the US, Israel, Great Britain and Chile. We are hoping to welcome our local Vancouver authors to limited-capacity in-person events and we’re inviting faraway authors straight into your homes for virtual conversations. We are implementing the most current guidance of health authorities to create an environment where community safety is our highest priority. Inspired by the idea of “Together But Apart” that pervades our current lives, the festival will bring forth themes of family and connections and stories born of quests and questions. Because times are uncertain. But community is not.

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Science World 

Looking for something fun to do with the kids while stuck at home over the holidays? Get up to snow good with Science World’s Winter Activity Pack! Catch the magic of the auroras with citizen scientists, travel across the tundra with a celebration of polar bears and create your very own winter decorations all from the comfort of your home. Donations go to support Science World, a non-profit organization.

As a part of your pack, you’ll be able to:

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Vancouver Convention Center

Imagine Van Gogh – The Immersive Experience – March 19 – May 9, 2021

A spectacular and immersive exhibition of the works of Vincent Van Gogh, will take viewers on a unique journey inside the artist’s paintings.

Imagine Van Gogh, is an exhibition where one can admire The Starry Night, Irises and Sunflowers, or be drawn into the intimacy of his Bedroom in Arles.

An experience that brings viewers to the heart of its images, Imagine Van Gogh is accompanied by the music of the great composers Saint-Saëns, Mozart, Bach, Delibes and Satie.

Open Daily 9am – Midnight

 

VanDusen Botanical Garden

Reserve your tickets online to walk around the gardens. Public art and other classes are available throughout the year. Check out their website for current events and classes.

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Some Assembly Theatre Company

Running: Ongoing ONLINE  (available on youtube)

UPROOTED (you tube video) is a digitally adapted theatre production that stems from conversations with over
one hundred diverse youth who are anxious about climate change. What was to be presented live in May 2020, this
production has been re-staged and filmed at the York Theatre due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Written by youth
with professional playwright Valerie Methot, and produced by a team of youth and professionals across Canada,
UPROOTED strengthens response to climate change and promotes mental health management.
Three friends on an annual camping trip must suddenly face a threat to the BC forest they love. Will they take a
stand for future generations and protect what they view as sacred? Watch UPROOTED now

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The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra has renewed their popular TD All-Access Pass program that allows full-time Secondary and Post-Secondary students to subscribe to TheConcertHall.ca for half-price.

A full year of access to the VSO’s performances, will now cost a student only $64.99 + taxes. There are other subscriptions that provide access for different periods of time. For more information on subscriptions, visit theconcerthall.ca/pricing.

To register for the TD All-Access Pass, all students need to do is fill out a form and within 48 hours, once the Customer Service team verifies their full-time student status, a coupon code will be emailed to them.

• The Music Room is a new virtual education space hosted in the TheConcertHall.ca, presented by TELUS
• Families and Educators are invited to discover symphonic music geared to youth, curated education materials, and get backstage access to learn directly from the VSO’s musicians and maestros
• Families can subscribe for just $59.99 for the full season
• Educators can subscribe at the classroom, school or district level

A MONTH OF MOZART AT THE VSO

The VSO celebrates the New Year and Mozart’s birthday with a Month of Mozart! The virtual mini-festival on TheConcertHall.ca features Mozart’s first and last symphonies, the Gran Partita for wind ensemble, as well as music influenced by Mozart from Mahler, Alfred Schnittke, Friedrich Gulda, and former VSO Composer-In-Residence Jocelyn Morlock.

“Mozart always lifts the spirits,” comments Maestro Otto Tausk, “As we head into another year of turbulence, but with hope on the horizon, nothing seems more appropriate than to celebrate Mozart and his impact on our musical world. This music brought much joy to me and the musicians of the VSO as we recorded it. I hope you will share in this emotion as we dive into a new year.”

Mo-Zart! – Release date January 17

RGF Integrated Wealth Management Spotlight Series

Mozart: Gran Partita, the Serenade No. 10 for winds in B-flat major, is notable for its beauty as well as its key appearance in the film Amadeus. Scored for 12 winds and string bass, the work highlights the orchestra’s clarinets and their big brothers the basset horns, in music that is richly textured, intricate and playful. Listen for contributions by the VSO’s Jeannette Jonquil (principal clarinet), Roger Cole (principal oboe), Michelle Goddard (basset horn), Julia Lockhart (principal bassoon), Olivier de Clercq (principal horn), and their colleagues.

Also on the program is Zart (2006) by former VSO Composer-In-Residence Jocelyn Morlock. The work is inspired by the sweeter side of Mozart, The Magic Flute in particular.

A Tale of Two Mozarts – Release date Jan 22

Assante Vancouver Centre Stars Series

One of history’s greatest prodigies, Mozart wrote his first sonata at the age of five and his first symphony at the age of eight. This program contrasts Mozart’s astonishing 1^st Symphony with his last and greatest symphonic achievement, the Symphony No. 41, or “Jupiter” Symphony. Composed just three years before the composer’s tragic, early death at 35, the “Jupiter” is among the most transcendent music ever written, featuring a melody which echoes back to the 1^st symphony.

Viennese Reflections – Release date Jan 29

Newmont series

Viennese jazz/classical composer-pianist Friedrich Gulda (1930-2000) was renowned for his interpretations of Mozart. Echoes of that genius can be heard in his Concerto for Cello and Wind Orchestra (1988), a surprising and dazzling collage of lyrical tunes and frenetic dances. The performance features the VSO’s newly appointed principal cellist Henry Shapard. At just 21, Shapard is the youngest musician to hold this position with a major orchestra in North America.

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) adored Mozart and, as a conductor, was in large part responsible for the revival of his music on opera and concert stages. The gorgeous Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, scored for harp and string ensemble, was a declaration of love to his wife Alma.

Finally, the great Russian postmodernist Alfred Schnittke dissects Mozart and his mentor Haydn in Moz-Art à la Haydn (1977), a clever and virtuosic piece of musical theatre. The work features musical quotations played by two violins, highlighting VSO Concertmaster and Associate Concertmaster Nicholas Wright and Timothy Steeves.

Special Event: Otto Tausk & Rodney Sharman in conversation – Thursday, Jan 21, 2pm

A conversation about Mozart, with Maestro Otto Tausk and former VSO Composer-In-Residence Rodney Sharman. Sharman has spent significant time studying the works of Mozart, extending the master’s works into new compositions, and even uncovering the original notes Mozart wrote for his first symphony – before his father Leopold made a few “corrections.”

HOW TO WATCH

All performances available for streaming in TheConcertHall.ca, the virtual home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

30-day passes for a Month of Mozart are available for only $15.99 CAD. Includes access to all previously released concerts as well as new releases.