Emerging Artists of Ballet BC and New Coast Players come together for Absence; Creation, February 17
Ballet by Jack Campbell and Antony Knight makes its world premiere at Arts Umbrella
Emerging Artists of Ballet BC: Emanuel Dostine, Briana Del Mundo, Pei Lun Lai, and Eduardo Jimenez Cabrera.
Absence; Creation is at Arts Umbrella on February 17 at 4:30 and 7 pm
A NEW BALLET FEATURES fresh new talent across dance and chamber music.
Making its world premiere on February 17, Absence; Creation is by Vancouver-based composer, violinist, artist, and producer Jack Campbell with choreographer, actor, vocalist, composer, and director Antony Knight.
Exploring themes of death as absence and love as creation—and their inseparable relationship—the work features the Emerging Artists of Ballet BC: Briana Del Mundo, Emanuel Dostine, Eduardo Jimenez Cabrera, and Pei Lun Lai.
In an artists statement, Campbell says absence and creation are constantly reflected in the structures of the work, both via movement and music, “with physical elements constantly being removed and introduced, and the same in the score, with a constant state of sonic addition and subtraction being the formal foundation”.
Playing that music live is a new ensemble of star students from the UBC School of Music, called the New Coast Ensemble.
Campbell is a rising young star on the local arts scene who has created and collaborated in Paris, Berlin, London and Amsterdam. He’s commissioned and premiered over 20 works for solo violin by Canadian composers and his compositional projects aim to build bridges between music and visual arts, dance, and theatre. Projects this year include a solo concert tour in Europe, collaborative work on reconciliation through music with artist Debra Sparrow, and the premiere of a newly commissioned song cycle on LGBTQSIA+ identity. Knight is a baritone who’s studied in Opera Performance and Composition at UBC and has performed with UBC Opera. As a composer, his original piece The Protector of the Okanagan was featured in the VSO’s 2022 Jean Coulthard Readings.
Together with the dancers, they'll explore the two critical forces that connect humans across existence—and provide a chance to check out rising voices in music and dance.
Related Articles
Montreal-based singer-songwriter talks about the dreamy layers of sound that went into her latest album—and stripping them away for her new EP and solo tour
Audiences can expect a heartwarming set, plus a merch table filled with homegrown garlic and handmade soap
Two-day festival from New Works Dance allows companies like Generous Mess to find new freedom of movement in non-traditional spaces that include staircases and rooftop gardens
The Mohawk musician’s career trajectory has taken him from bar shows to The Launch to Nashville, but he’s always stayed grounded in his Six Nations community
Global Dance Connections piece tells a Coast Salish story of ancestral resilience and hope
The pair of Grammy Award winners honour the jazz legend’s legacy in honour of his centennial
Program includes world premieres by Cameron Fraser-Monroe and Michael Garcia, along with a remount of Out Innerspace’s Last Flower
Program features the Canadian premiere of Tawnie Olson’s Missa Brevis, kicking off her tenure as Composer-in-Residence
The New York artist draws on everything from the guitar work of legends like Joe Pass and his own father to the unmistakable voice of Tony Bennett—the inspiration of his latest album
A new series of public performances and a cross-country collaboration with La Nef and Seán Dagher mark the choir’s 35th season
Japan’s Kuniko Kato Quartet opens the lineup as part of the VNM Festival: Open Frequencies, performing the music of Steve Reich
The singer-songwriter and Latin Grammy winner has collaborated with artists from all over the world, and she will perform with Vancouver’s own Black Dog String Quartet
Part of the Pi Provocateurs Performing Arts Series, the new work finds the Vancouver interdisciplinary artist performing with violinist Ilana Waniuk
Former artistic director Joan Blackman, esteemed pianist Jane Coop, and newly appointed artistic director Hung-Wei Huang join forces onstage
Singer-songwriter performs tracks off her latest album, playing guitar, piano, and autoharp
Nebula Performances stages a full production of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s famous work, with Wanshuai Yu in the leading role
Meditative piece is a collaboration between interdisciplinary artist Alex Mah and violinist Ilana Waniuk
Guitarist Cole Schmidt performs at a jazz-driven music-and-dance series reborn after the June passing of Tony Wilson
For 2026–27, the choir will premiere new commissions by Canadian composers Suba Sankaran and Alex Eddington, as well as revisiting works from its inaugural year
With the new CD Artemis Sleeps, the late composer’s former roommate celebrates chamber works that range from pithy to rhapsodic to enigmatic
Singer Krystle Dos Santos and her band celebrate the record label that brought us legendary performers including Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye
With songs from his latest album, the swing ambassador pays tribute to another great swinger
The daughter of the Band’s legendary drummer and singer Levon Helm is a musical force to be reckoned with in her own right
The eight-piece band blends reggae and Afrobeat, exploring singer Brian Baroda’s experiences as a South Sudanese refugee
Local singer puts her own improvisational spice on classic songs in ode to Anita O’Day’s iconic performance in the acclaimed, 1959 Newport Jazz Festival documentary
Highlights of the fest include a solo concert by acclaimed Argentine tango guitarist Máximo Diego Pujol, plus performances by a slate of B.C.–based musicians
Highlights include a collaboration between Spanish guest artist Víctor Fernández and Flamenco Rosario, free outdoor performances, and more
Artistic director and founder Carrie Tennant says the choir helps its young members make authentic human connections in an era when that is more challenging than ever
