Vancouver Chinese Instrumental Music Society presents
EAST MEETS EAST
From China to Ukraine, melodies of earth, sky, melancholy, identity, wars, horses, love and joy
Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble & Barvinok Choir with Beverly Dobrinsky
featuring Dr. Jan Walls, MC
Sunday, June 12, 2016, 7:30 pm St. James Community Hall (3214 West 10th Ave)
General Admission $20 | Seniors & Students $15
Jirong Huang – erhu Sarah Tan – guzheng Zhimin Yu – ruan
Beverly Dobrinsky – conductor Barvonik Choir
Elaine Joe – accordion/piano Russell Sholberg – bass Elliott Vaughan – violin
Check out our youtube playlist documenting the concert
East Meets East brings together the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble with the leading voices of Ukrainian cultural traditions, Beverly Dobrinsky and her Barvinok Choir, at the rustic and charming St. James Community Hall on the evening of Sunday, June 12. The ensemble and choir will be joined by guest musicians, Elaine Joe (accordion/piano), Russell Sholberg (bass), Elliott Vaughan (violin), and the inimitable Dr. Jan Walls as the MC.
As a performer, composer, instructor and conductor, Beverly Dobrinsky is one of the core and long-term members of Vancouver’s music scene. East Meets East is her first collaboration with the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble (VCME): “Barvinok Choir is based at the Ukrainian Hall in east Vancouver where choirs have been an integral part of the life at this hall from its inception in 1928. Barvinok Choir continues to preserve and celebrate the grand tradition of Ukrainian folksong and choral music, and acts as an ambassador of Ukrainian cultural traditions beyond its own community. With this concert, we are excited to extend our usual performance with piano as our sole accompaniment to include the sounds provided by the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble, and musicians from Zeellia, Vancouver’s Slavic Soul band. To add the erhu, ruan and guzheng from the VCME, and the accordion, bass, violin and hurdy gurdy of Zeellia to the voices of the Barvinok Choir provides us with a wider palate of possibilities of expression, resulting in a fusion of musical cuisine of the eastern edge of Europe with the eastern edge of Asia, East meets East! Our songs range from slow walking dances, to upbeat trots and gallops as we move through the rituals of Summer Solstice to the universal themes of love and loss with tears, laughter and grace.”
Be prepared to be taken to another place and listen to the melodies of Eurasian steppes, that is of earth, sky, melancholy, identity, wars, horses and love, where East meets East.
Vancouver Chinese Instrumental Music Society gratefully acknowledges the support of Canada Council for the Arts, the City of Vancouver through Cultural Services and the Province of BC through Community Gaming Grants.