A New Concert Series in Vancouver: A Busy Autumn!

Fall is one of my favourite seasons. As a Grade 4 French Immersion teacher, going back to school is always thrilling, but exhausting.  This September and October have been busier than usual.  Due to a series of circumstances, I found myself appointed artistic director of a brand new concert series in Vancouver.  My initial thoughts upon accepting this post ranged from "I must be crazy because I'm a full-time teacher and how will I find the time to commit to this and my classroom?" to "this is very exciting and I can bring people together through music. Let's do this!"  The first thing I did was find a person to partner up with on this venture.  In Diana Chan (an oboe player in her senior year at UBC), I not only found an excellent business partner but a dear friend who is there for moral support as well. 

Each day has brought a range of emotions.  On certain days, generous fundraising comes in and I am encouraged that people believe in what we're doing here.  Other days, I wonder if people are even noticing the events we're posting on social media.  I wonder if people will actually buy tickets to our recitals that we're working hard to present.  On those days, I have to remember that it's about the music - and even if that music reaches one audience member, that's enough.

I've lived in Vancouver for 6 years and have often felt that it is a lonely and isolating place.  I see diversity all around me and am wanting to participate in cultural events but have found that the cost of living here prohibits having a high entertainment budget.  As co-artistic director, I hope our concert series can address both the isolation of being in a city and the affordability and access to culture.  By keeping the ticket prices low to our evening recitals, we hope that more people in Vancouver will be able to access classical music and that community can be fostered by people connecting at our concerts.

The other mandate that Müzewest Concerts has is to bring excellent classical music performances to local elementary public schools in which the student population could not otherwise afford to attend classical music concerts.  We believe that classical music transforms the lives of the students who hear it and has a positive impact on their social, intellectual, and emotional development.

Friends and family, thank you for your continued financial and moral support of Müzewest Concerts.  We hope to see you on Friday, November 15th at 7:30 PM for our first recital - the wonderful Russian pianist, Alex Karpeyev will be visiting from London to play Bach, Mozart, Medtner, Brahms, and Stravinsky.  

Tickets are available here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/404074

Here is where you can support Müzewest Concerts: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/muzewest-first-season

Of course, we have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/muzewestconcerts