Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces 2015-16 season

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      Violin and piano stars, some unique cultural fusions, and a festival devoted to Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner highlight the just-announced 2015-16 season at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

      Among the big names joining the orchestra are pianist Angela Cheng (October 17), pianist Anne-Marie McDermott (October 24 and 26), violinist Sarah Chang (December 5 and 7), pianist Louis Lortie (January 30 and February 1, 2016), violinist Itzhak Perlman (March 2, 2016), violinist James Ehnes in recital (May 9, 2016), pianist Joyce Yang (May 14 and 16, 2016), violinist Nicola Benedetti (May 20 and 21, 2016), and cellist Johannes Moser (May 28, 2016).

      Special events include a show with the National Circus and Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China (September 2); a salute to Bollywood with the Bollywood Masala Orchestra and Dancers of India (September 23); an appearance by musical astronaut Chris Hadfield on guitar and vocals in a show called Rocket Man (April 1 and 2, 2016).

      The VSO kicks off its season September 26 and 28 with a concert that blends major classics with a new, innovative, and locally inspired offering. String virtuoso Miriam Fried joins the band under maestro Bramwell Tovey for a rendition of Ludwig van Beethoven’s seminal Violin Concerto, and the symphony premieres a new work by Juno-winning Canadian composer Vivian Fung. The latter has been commissioned by the Vancouver Biennale and was inspired by five public artworks in its current display, including OSGEMEOS’s Giants (the colourful painted figures on the cement silos at Granville Island) and Ai Weiwei’s F Grass. It’s the first time the biennale has partnered with the VSO, and the commission launches the organization’s new live-music component.

      From April 6 to 18, 2016 the VSO’s annual Spring Festival is themed War of the Romantics, featuring everything from Brahms’s Requiem to Beethoven’s Ninth to Wagner’s Ring Without Words, an acclaimed arrangement of the Ring Cycle music by conductor Lorin Maazel.

      The third annual New Music Festival runs February 24 to 29, 2016 with a yet-to-be named visiting composer.

      Find more information at www.vancouversymphony.ca/. Tickets are available beyond subscription packages starting Wednesday (March 4) at noon.

      Follow Janet Smith on Twitter @janetsmitharts.

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