The Heart's Reflection

(September 28 at Pacific Spirit United Church)

Vancouver Chamber Choir continues its quest to replace maestro John Washburn. Finnish bright light Kari Turunen is one of the candidates, and the acclaimed conductor opens the season with transcendent choral pieces from her homeland in a wide-ranging program. Think Jaakko Mäntyjärvi’s haunting ode to the sinking of the Estonia, Canticum calamitatis maritimae, and more.

Charlie Demers

(September 27 to 29 at the Comedy MIX)

He’s written three East Van Pantos and a comedy crime novel, and often appeared on CBC’s The Debaters. But where the politically charged funnyman really finds his stride is in standup; head to the MIX and just wait till he gets on a roll.

Blake Ward: The Space Within

(September 27 to October 18 at the Petley Jones Gallery)

Yellowknife-born, Paris-trained Blake Ward pushes the bounds of figurative sculpture, evoking the classical but also venturing into abstraction. The result are partial “angels” and “phantoms”, as he calls them.