Calendar

“Play It Forward” concert @ Shaugnessy Heights United Church

Jun 21 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm

All proceeds go toward refurbishing the Shaughnessy Heights 1956 Casavant pipe organ and the 1973 Kawai grand piano.

PERFORMERS

• THE VANCOUVER PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

• SHAUGHNESSY HEIGHTS UNITED CHOIR

• KOREAN TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHOIR

• THE LIONSGATE BRASS

with featured soloists

• Eunjung Lee (piano)

• Anna Sagalova (piano)

• Ken Lin (violin)

• Magdalena How (voice)

• Philip Wing (voice)

• Angelique Po (pipe organ)

• Sam Dabrusin (voice)

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• William Boyce – Symphony no.5 (opening movement)

• Vivaldi “Summer” – Ken Lin and the VPO

• 그가 채찍에 맞음으로 (By His Stripes We Are Healed), Min-ho Jang

• 주 사랑 끊을 자 없네 (Nothing Can Separate Us), Mark Hayes

• Handel Organ Concerto HWV289 – Angelique Po and the VPO

• Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom – All Performers

Jul

Wed

Organist Seeun Oh in Concert @ St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church

Jul 16 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm

Programme:

Nicolaus Bruhns (1665-1697)
Prealudium in G-dur

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier BWV 731
Jesu, Joy of man’s Desiring
Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C-dur, BWV 564

Gustav Merkel (1827-1885)
Schmücke dich, O liebe Seele

Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Messe basse, Op.30 No.6 Sortie
Trois Improvisations No.2 Méditation
Final from Symphonie No.2 Op.20

Seeun is a concert and church organist with a rich international background and a deep dedication to musical excellence. She earned her highest performance diploma with distinction from the Conservatoire de Caen in France. In Germany, she completed the Konzertexamen (the highest-level artist diploma) at the University of Music, Drama and Media Hanover, following both a Master’s degree and a Meisterklasse (postgraduate artist diploma) at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Church Music from Yonsei University, where she graduated top of her class and was honored with the President’s Award for Academic Excellence. Her musical education began in piano at Seoul Arts High School.

Seeun has received numerous awards both nationally and internationally. In Korea, she won the Grand Prize at the National Youth Arts Festival, the Grand Prize in the University Division of the National Pipe Organ Competition (sponsored by the Korean Music Association), and First Prize and the Overall Grand Prize at the Organ Competition hosted by Kukmin Ilbo and Youngsan Art Hall. Internationally, she was a semifinalist at both the Chartres International Organ Competition (France) and the Dublin International Organ Competition (Ireland), received the Audience Prize at the Luxembourg International Organ Competition, and won Second Prize and the Audience Prize at the Cavaillé-Coll International Organ Competition in Paris, accomplishments that have established her reputation as a world-class performer.

As a soloist, Seeun has performed widely across Europe. In Germany, she was invited to perform at the Deutsches Museum in Munich, St. Nikolaus Church in Rosenheim, St. Laurentius in Bernau am Chiemsee, and for the 40th anniversary celebration of the University of Music, Drama and Media Hanover at Emmichplatz. She also performed at the Hindemith International Festival hosted by NDR (North German Broadcasting), as well as at Marktkirche in Hameln and St. Blasius Church in Hann. Münden. She has also appeared as a soloist with the Hanover University Orchestra.

In France, she was invited to perform at a benefit concert organized by the city of Caen, as well as at Notre-Dame in Vire, St. Étienne in Caen, the St. Germain International Organ Festival in Argentan, and St. Gervais. In Switzerland, she performed at the International Organ Festival in Magadino, and in the Netherlands, she appeared in the organ concert series at Laurenskerk in Rotterdam. These performances across Europe have solidified her status as a globally recognized concert organist. Notably, one of her performances in France received a standing ovation in a full house and was featured with praise in Ouest-France, a major regional newspaper.

While studying in Germany, Seeun served as organist at the Korean Church of Munich, as well as at the prominent Martin-Luther Church in Hanover and Friedenskirche in Hamburg.

Since returning to Korea, she has performed solo recitals and concerts at venues such as Lotte Concert Hall, Youngsan Art Hall, the Anglican Cathedral in Seoul, Central Hall, and Kyungdong Church.

She has also appeared as a soloist with the National Chorus of Korea, the Wonju City Choir, the Yongin City Choir, the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Seoul National University Orchestra.

In addition to her active performance career, she is a dedicated educator. She has served as a Visiting Professor at Yonsei University and currently teaches at Seoul Arts High School, Incheon Arts High School, and Kaywon High School of Arts. She is also a member of the Korean Association of Organists.

Aug

Sat

Concertini at St. Mark’s: Recital by organist Abraham Ross and friends @ St. Mark's Lutheran Church

Aug 30 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

This interesting concert will feature three young performers, baroque specialists Abraham Ross, Albano Berberi, and Joya Muma. They will present a program of works for lute, keyboard, violin, and nyckelharpa, drawing on the lute tablature of Nicolas Vallet titled Le Secret des Muses, published in 1615. The program will feature several works for solo organ before the ensemble comes to the front of the church to present violin sonatas of the French baroque interspersed with improvisations on tunes from the lute tablature. An unusual harpsichord known as the keyed lyre will be used for accompaniment, a pseudo-hybrid between lute, harp, and plucked-string keyboard.

Sep

Tue

Prélude à la guerre: Organ Recital by Valerie Hall @ St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church

Sep 23 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

A program of solo works for pipe organ exploring organ music written in France between WWI and WWII, during a period of great societal and artistic change in the country.

Programme:

Sinfonia from Cantata No. 29 – J.S. Bach, tr. by Marcel Dupré (transcribed for organ solo) (1886-1971)

Symphony No. 2 Op. 13 III. Andante – Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937)

Pièces de Fantaisie Suite No. 4 Op. 55 Naïades – Louis Vierne (1870-1937)

Morceau de Concert Op. 24 Prelude, Theme and Variations, Finale – Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911)

INTERMISSION

Prélude and Fugue – Elsa Barraine (1910-1999)

L’Ascension (Four Symphonic Meditations) III. Transports de joie*, IV. Prière du Christ** – Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

Pièces de Fantaisie Suite No. 3 Op. 54 Carillon de Westminster – Louis Vierne

*Outburst of joy from a soul before the Glory of Christ, which is its own glory.

**Prayer from Christ ascending towards His Father.

Valerie Hall has appeared in solo and collaborative musical roles across Canada as well as in the United States and Europe. A native of Winnipeg, she holds a Bachelor of Music in Organ Performance from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Church Music degree from Concordia University, River Forest, Illinois. Valerie is also an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Voice Performance.

As a performer, Valerie’s work is sought by chamber musicians and conductors for her meticulous attention to detail and her passionate commitment to the music. She is an enthusiastic ambassador for Canadian music and has been a featured performer at national and international music festivals.

A past national president and honorary Fellow of the Royal Canadian College of Organists (FRCCO), Valerie arrived in Regina in 2002 to take up the position of Organist at Holy Rosary Cathedral. She now enjoys a varied career as a touring concert artist on both organ and harpsichord, a soprano in the celebrated Ignite Chamber Choir and an instructor for both pipe organ and voice at the Conservatory of Performing Arts, University of Regina.

Wed

Organist Manuel Piazza in Concert @ St. James Anglican Church

Oct 15 @ 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm

Experience the musical brilliance of Manual Piazza, winner of the 2023 Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Prize, and winner of the 2021 RCCO National Organ Playing Competition. Currently Assistant Director of Music at St Thomas’s Anglican Church in Toronto, Manuel will be performing the Allegro Maestoso from Edward Elgar’s First Sonata, the Canon in A-flat Major by Robert Schumann, and music by Maurice Duruflé on the majestic organ of St James’ Anglican Church in Vancouver. His playing has been praised for its imaginative stop selections, smoothly shifting tone colours, and abundant energy, and the concert at St James’ promises to be an unforgettable experience of musical brilliance!

Johann Sebastian Bach		Sinfonia (from Cantata No 29)
César Franck		Choral No 1 en mi majeur
Edward Elgar		Allegro Maestoso (from Sonata in G Major)
Herbert Howells		Master Tallis’ Testament
Herbert Howells		The Chosen Tune
Robert Schumann		Innig (from Sechs studieren in kanonischer Form)
Olivier Messiaen		Joie et clarté des corps glorieux (from Les corps glorieux)
Maurice Duruflé		Suite pour orgue, Op 5

The programme presents a compelling journey through a diverse range of organ music, beginning with Bach’s Sinfonia from Cantata No 29, which showcases the clarity and precision of Baroque counterpoint. From this solid foundation, the music moves into the lush Romantic expressiveness of Franck and Elgar, whose works demand both a rich tonal palette and dynamic control. The mood then shifts to the distinctive English sound of Herbert Howells, whose two pieces evoke a contemplative and nuanced atmosphere through modal harmonies and subtle textures.

Following this introspection, Schumann’s Innig offers an intimate and heartfelt moment, contrasting with the radiant and rhythmically intricate Joie et clarté des corps glorieux by Messiaen, which challenges the performer’s command of colour and timing. The programme concludes with Duruflé’s Suite, Opus 5,where Gregorian chant influences blend seamlessly with Impressionist harmonies, requiring a refined touch and deep musical sensitivity. Together these selections demand not only technical proficiency but also the expressive nuance and stylistic awareness necessary to capture their unique character and emotional depth.

Manuel Piazza is assistant organist and choir master at St Thomas’s Anglican Church, in Toronto. He studied organ with Martin Jean, improvisation with Jeffrey Brillhart, and choral conducting with Dale Adelmann. He served as senior organ scholar at Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven, where he was mentored by Walden Moore, and as an organist for Yale Schola Cantorum, conducted by David Hill.

Manuel Piazza developed a passion for sacred music while attending St Michael’s Choir School as a chorister in Toronto, Canada. He completed his undergraduate studies in organ performance at the University of Toronto, where he studied with John Tuttle. Hhe served as choir director and organist at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, organ scholar at Trinity College ( University of Toronto ), organ scholar at St James Anglican Cathedral, and one of five organists of St Michael’s Cathedral Basilica. From September 2019 to July 2020, he was organ scholar at Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, UK, where he played for Evensong three times a week, accompanying choristers under the direction of Christopher Gray.

Whilst living in the UK, he also taught theory and organ and performed with ensembles such as the London Sinfonia. After returning to North America, he won first prize in the 2021 Royal Canadian College of Organists National Organ Playing Competition and other awards such as the Godfrey Hewitt Memorial Scholarship (RCCO), the Mary Baker Scholarship in Organ Accompanying (Yale ISM), the Julia R Sherman Memorial Prize for excellence in organ playing (Yale ISM), and the Aidan Kavanagh Prize for academic achievement (Yale Divinity School).

Fri

19th Annual RCCO Vancouver Halloween Organ Spooktacular @ St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church

Oct 24 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Join us for a fun-filled evening of spooky and scary music! Come in costume! Treats for kids (and the young at heart) after the concert.

Sat

Soprano Ariane Bell Vila and Guitarist Michael Kolk in Concert @ St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church

Oct 25 @ 2:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Works by Schubert, de Falla, Britten and others.

Please come and enjoy an hour of music with these two outstanding artists.

Mon

VCT Orpheum Silent Movie Mondays: Special Edition: Phantom of the Opera @ Orpheum Theatre

Oct 27 @ 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm

A spectacular celebration of the iconic silent film Phantom of the Opera (1925) in its centennial year, featuring a score performed live by a 6-piece orchestra, 80-person choir from the Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs, and Vancouver Civic Organist Michael Dirk on the historic Wurlitzer organ.

Wed

The Mighty Wurlitzer Workshop, with Vancouver Civic Organist Michael Dirk @ Orpheum Theatre