Repression in Russia, riots in Ukraine, and religious zealots at the helm here at home: the world does not feel like a particularly festive place. Except in the concert hall, where Vancouver has already hosted two brand-new festivals this year (the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Festival and Pacific Rim Celebration) and is gearing up for more. Particularly welcome is Sound of Dragon, which takes an expansive look at the music of China, both new and old. A China-themed festival has been a long time coming, but it should be worth the wait!

The Parrot and the Merchant

(March 2 at the Kay Meek Theatre)  

Hosted by the Big World Band, The Parrot and the Merchant is based on a story by the Persian mystic and poet Rumi.

The Draw: Estimable actor Linda Quibell narrates, while clarinet virtuoso François Houle joins the Big World Band’s all-star cast.
Target Audience: Poets, mystics, and lovers of the sitar, barbat, pipa, and guitar.

SamulNori

(March 15 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts)

Korean percussion music isn’t as well-known as Japanese taiko drumming, but it’s similarly physical and exciting.

The Draw: SamulNori is South Korea’s top percussion troupe, and also sports a troupe of traditional dancers.
Target Audience: Armchair travellers with a taste for spectacle.

Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott

(March 16 at the Orpheum)

There’s no denying that cellist Yo-Yo Ma is the star, but pianist Kathryn Stott is equally accomplished, both presented by the Vancouver Recital Society.

The Draw: Ma’s incomparable tone, but also Stott’s impeccable support.
Target Audience: Who wouldn’t want to hear these two tackle everything from Manuel de Falla’s duende to Olivier Messiaen’s ineffable grace?

Paths to the Summit

(March 16 at the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts)

Constantinople’s performance with Corsican a cappella quartet Barbara Furtuna was a 2013 highlight, and here the Montreal-based Persian early-music ensemble teams up with the gifted singer Sepideh Raissadat.

The Draw: How often do we get to hear 16th- and 17th-century music from Iran?
Target Audience: People with cars. Taking transit to Capilano University after Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott’s afternoon performance is doable, but tricky.

Sound Space Architecture

(March 22 at the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability)

Vancouver New Music ventures out to the UBC campus to present new works by Howard Bashaw and spatial-music obsessive Jordan Nobles.

The Draw: Bashaw’s The Resonance Prism pays homage to pioneering physicist Isaac Newton and abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky, among others.
Target Audience: Science nerds and sonic explorers.

Thirst

(March 29 and 30 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts)

Collaborations are big this year, and here musica intima, the Turning Point Ensemble, and the Nu:BC Collective join forces to present works by PuSh Festival favourite Ana Sokolovic and Bang on a Can’s Julia Wolfe, and a new commission from Montreal’s Michael Oesterle.

The Draw: Three brilliant composers, one elegant choir, and some of Vancouver’s finest musicians.
Target Audience: Sophisticated ears.

Spring Festival

(March 29 to April 7 at the Orpheum)

The generic title is intentional, as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s latest festival will have a different focus every year. Here, it’s the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The Draw: VSO music director Bramwell Tovey and Rachmaninoff specialist Alexander Gavrylyuk will lead the orchestra through all five of the Russian master’s vivid piano concertos.
Target Audience: Eaters of blini and caviar; this will be rich but good.

Passion and Resurrection

(April 12 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts)

Whether or not one subscribes to the myth of Christ’s rebirth, this coed collaboration between two same-sex choirs, Chor Leoni and Elektra Women’s Choir, will leave listeners thinking as they gear up for Easter.

The Draw: Bang on a Can mainstay David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize–winning the little match girl passion, along with a somewhat less secular work from Latvia’s Ēriks Ešenvalds.
Target Audience: Seekers of all stripes.

Adjusting the sails

(April 27 at the Orpheum Annex)

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra standout Joan Blackman gets a solo turn in Kurt Weill’s rarely played Violin Concerto, in a chamber concert that also features music by Morton Feldman, James Rolfe, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and VSO composer in residence Edward Top.

The Draw: A really, really, really interesting program.
Target Audience: Turning Point and Standing Wave fans, maybe?

Don Carlo

(May 3, 8, 10, and 11 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre)

A Giuseppe Verdi classic returns to the Vancouver Opera stage for the first time in 40 years, with Luciano Pavarotti protégé Andrea Carè in the title role.

The Draw: Art about standing up to tyranny never goes out of fashion, but it’s especially appropriate now.
Target Audience: New-generation opera fans who’d like to see what they’ve missed.

Space Music

(May 9 at Ryerson United Church)

Subtitled Five Centuries of Spatial Song, this innovative program finds the Vancouver Chamber Choir exploring the sonic possibilities of Ryerson United’s acoustically lively nave.

The Draw: Spatial music has a strong following in Vancouver, and it’s good to see this venerable choir getting onboard.
Target Audience: Surround-sound fans who really should get out more.

Sound of Dragon

(May 9 to 11 at the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre)

We have no idea why this hasn’t been done before, but we’re glad the Orchid Ensemble’s Lan Tung has organized this long-overdue festival: her eclectic interests will ensure an eye-opening look at the very wide world of “Chinese music”.

The Draw: Improv, electronica, contemporary composition—and ancient Taoist traditions, too.
Target Audience: Sinophiles and Asian expats.

Pauline

(May 23 to 31 at the York Theatre)
A new commission from City Opera Vancouver, Pauline is based on the last days of Mohawk poet (and Vancouver resident) Paul-ine Johnson. The music is by the extremely accomplished Tobin Stokes, and the libretto is by Margaret Atwood.

The Draw: Did we mention that the libretto is by Margaret Atwood?
Target Audience: Readers, writers, and anyone hungry for opera set right here.