The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will bring forth an eclectic lineup of guest artists in the coming season.

They include the legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman (September 15).

For VSO music director Otto Tausk, Perlman's return to Vancouver carries a special significance. In an interview with the Straight last year, Tausk revealed that his "dearest experience and memory" in his time with the VSO was when Perlman came in January of 2019.

"I don't know if you've heard of Itzhak Perlman, but he's a very famous, great violinist, and he was a violinist I knew when I was really young," Tausk said at the time. "He was a big star, and when he would come to the Netherlands to play in Amsterdam I would go to my school and say, 'Listen, I'm not coming tomorrow because there's this guy coming to play the violin and I'm gonna listen to him.'

"I skipped school to go and listen to Itzhak Perlman," the VSO music director continued. "So then having this moment of conducting the VSO with Perlman playing the solo part—that was a really, really special experience."

In the upcoming season, the VSO will also welcome guitar-playing science educator and former astronaut Chris Hadfield (September 16), as well as drummer Stewart Copeland (September 30, October 1) from the Police.

Copeland is part of the London Drugs VSO Pops series, along with JUNO- and Gemini-nominated musician Sarah Slean (October 28, 29), who will offer a tribute to Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. 

Broadway performer Capathia Jenkins will lead the vocals in a separate tribute to Aretha Franklin (April 28 and 29).

Also on the guest list is violinist Hilary Hahn (January 13, 14), one of the leading lights in contemporary classical music. She will perform Sibelius: Violin Concerto.

And James Ehnes will be back, this time to play Korngold's Violin Concerto in May, replicating what he performed on the VSO's Grammy Award–winning recording.

“The quality and range of guest artists coming to Vancouver is a testament to our great orchestra and city,” Tausk said in a news release.

He also plans to highlight the beauty of the changing seasons with Brahms's autumnal Symphony No. 3, Tchaikovsky's Winter Daydreams, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, and Berlioz's Les nuits d'été ("The Nights of Summer").

Another highlight of the next season will be a performance of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, which has traditionally highlighted a quartet of instruments—trumpet, oboe, recorder, and violin—accompanied by a string ensemble.

Then there are premieres of Canadian music, including Marcus Goddard (Life Emerging: Antarctica, November and Life Emerging: Pacific North-West, June), Vivian Fung (Flute Concerto, November), Cassandra Miller (new VSO commission, March/April), and Rita Ueda (new VSO commission, March).

That's in addition to 14 Masterworks programs, which will feature a return visit from Canadian soprano superstar Measha Brueggergosman and a performance by Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili.

“Creativity is at the core of all that we do,”  VSO president and CEO Angela Elster said. “Innovation and inclusion are foundational to our music-making. Equity is key to the VSO and VSO School of Music’s thinking: repertoire selection, conductor selection, and composer selection.

"With the guidance of the VSO Indigenous Council, Indigenous content, guest artists, and composers are woven into our programming," she continued. "We experienced this at our recent presentation of The Path Forward. We look forward to future co-creations with the VSO Indigenous Council and our creative partners within the Coast Salish Host Nations, as we continue the VSO’s journey towards Truth and Reconciliation.”