Swiss "zen-funk" group Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin plays the BlueShore at CapU, February 25
Instrumental quartet fuses prog-rock, jazz, funk, new classical music, and elements of Japanese ritual music in a style entirely its own
Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin. Photo by Christian Senti
From Zurich, Switzerland, Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin combines prog-rock, jazz, funk, new classical music, and elements of Japanese ritual music, which audiences will get a taste of when the group plays at BlueShore at CapU on February 25 at 7:30 pm.
The instrumental outfit’s insistent rhythms suggest the minimalism of Steve Reich, while bandleader, pianist, composer, and producer Nik Bärtsch has called the group’s style “zen-funk”. When the band played in Vancouver at the Fox Cabaret earlier this year, it left a highly appreciative audience. The show occurred just after Ronin played at the prestigious Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, to critical acclaim; it was SPIN magazine’s “favourite set of the entire four-day event”.
Alongside Bärtsch, the musicians of Ronin include alto-saxophonist, bass-clarinetist, and contrabass-clarinetist Sha; drummer Kaspar Rast; and bassist Jeremias Keller.
Tickets for this show at the BlueShore, a co-presentation with the Rickshaw Theatre, are available both at the door and online in advance for a discounted price here.
Post sponsored by BlueShore at CapU.
Related Articles
Toronto-based artist is known for her prowess as a saxophonist and creative music collaborations
Composer and conductor Steve Hackman has no fear of crossing stylistic boundaries
At a July 20 concert, faculty lead Mark Vuorinen directs Where Wildness Lives by renowned B.C. composer Imant Raminsh
Tracks off the pair’s Juno-nominated 2024 album Confluencias trace the music traditions of Spain and India
Music director emeritus Jonathan Darlington returns to conduct this Parisian love story tested by the bittersweet passage of time
Award-winning artists reclaim Arctic sounds with soaring vocals
Although from different points on the map, pianist Omar Sosa, kora player Seckou Keita, and percussionist Gustavo Ovalles realized through improvisation that they were attuned to one another
Internationally acclaimed Hindustani classical vocalist is joined by harmonium player Mohan Bhide and tabla player Sunny Matharu
Steven Isserlis, James Ehnes, and Augustin Hadelich among the soloists hitting the concert stage
Eighty shows in all, as Italy’s Teatro Telaio sets up an ARCHIPELAGO installation, plus pow-wow, hip-hop, and massive puppets
At a concert called A Look to the Future, the piece shares a program with works by John Rutter, Jocelyn Morlock, and Tchaikovsky
Harmonizing through the decades, Vancouver choir is set to premiere six new arrangements
The Nova Scotian singer-songwriter is touring with a new multimedia show, Cradled by the Waves
Acclaimed Montreal singer and songwriter intertwines healing experiences in nature and musical history to reach toward the light
At Festival du Bois, the singer-violinist will blend Québécois fiddle tunes with an indie-folk sensibility
Percussionist Vern Griffiths leads a rare performance of the rhythmic composition
The VSO School of Music’s advanced young string ensemble Sinfonietta plays pieces by Vaughan Williams, Purcell, and more
New York City ensemble’s program for Early Music Vancouver pairs pieces by Handel with high-spirited English country dances by the British African composer and abolitionist
Acclaimed ensemble’s impressionistic sound is inspired by blues, gospel, Scandinavian folk, and church music
The long-time vocalist, pianist, and conductor is set to pass on the baton at the end of the 2026–27 season
Vancouver Bach Choir performs Canadian premiere of work that draws on both ancient tradition and the 20th-century avant garde to explore the creative act
