Music for the Winter Solstice brings serene sounds to atmospheric Heritage Hall, December 10 and 11
Music on Main’s annual holiday offering features performances from Grammy Award–winning Caroline Shaw, returning favourite Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa, and more
Music for the Winter Solstice. Photo by Mike Southworth
Music on Main presents Music for the Winter Solstice at Heritage Hall on December 10 and 11 at 7:30 pm
THE STONE WALLS of Mount Pleasant’s Heritage Hall have borne witness to decades of history. Opened in 1915 as a postal station, the building later operated as the Dominion Agricultural Building, then as a base for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Now, over a century later, the designated heritage building is a go-to spot for everything from intimate wedding receptions to community craft fairs.
The ornate structure is also the perfect, intimate setting for Music for the Winter Solstice, Music on Main’s annual holiday offering. The event will bring serene music to Heritage Hall on December 10 and 11 this year, with both concerts starting at 7:30 pm.
Among the performers are standout contemporary pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa and percussionist Julia Chien, both of whom are regular performers with Music on Main. Then there’s five-time Grammy Award winner Caroline Shaw, who will bring vocals and violin sounds to the hall; local music-goers likely recall her standout production Graveyards and Gardens, a collaboration with Vanessa Goodman that explored mortality and the ever-looping life cycle. Also joining the lineup is boundary-pushing artist Danni Lee Parpan.
Music for the Winter Solstice is billed as a peaceful event “where concertgoers can listen, relax, and rekindle their energy”—the perfect respite from a bustling holiday season that’s quickly kicking into high gear. ![]()
Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.
Related Articles
Taiwanese-born artist reflects on learning the ropes from long-time artistic director Joan Blackman, and on performing as a soloist in upcoming concert Celebration
Long-standing ensemble is set to bring unique comic spirit and serious four-string chops to Vancouver Recital Society event
The renowned eight-piece band from Lima, Peru, will play the Rickshaw Theatre with Vancouver’s own Empanadas Ilegales
Spring concerts feature the choir, orchestra, and five soloists performing Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and Schubert’s Mass in A-flat major
Program also features Macedonian piano sensation Simon Trpčeski in Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto
Concert features soprano Heidi Duncan, mezzo-sopranos Krisztina Szabó and Simran Claire, and baritone Luka Kawabata
The acclaimed British Columbia–born baritone will perform Johannes Brahms’s A German Requiem with the choir
Alternating in one of the art form’s most demanding leads, the fast-rising Canadian artist is tapping authenticity in a lush period production at Vancouver Opera
Program features two guest choirs, Calgary’s Luminous Voices and Edmonton’s Chronos Vocal Ensemble
This year’s edition spans repertoires from the Middle Ages to early opera, bookended by landmark works by Monteverdi and Vivaldi
Two master musicians blend tradition and innovation with effortless grace
Performances will take place at Ocean Artworks and the Revue Stage as part of the 41st annual fest, which runs June 19 to July 5
Interdisciplinary performance features movement, latex wearable sculptures by gooie, and new music from x/o
Curated by Terri Hron, event explores a mysterious medieval manuscript through shadow theatre and live vocals
The Grammy-winning vocalist and artistic director collaborate on a program featuring music by Hugo Wolf and Benjamin Britten
Annual celebration at the Chan Centre features nine ensembles, ranging from young artists to seasoned adult performers
At the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts the all-female Canadian ensemble’s Tango Fantasia intends to show that tango is music for both the body and the mind
After opening for Bonnie Raitt’s sold-out U.K. shows, the singer-songwriter tours solo across Canada
Hundreds of singers come together for an epic concert featuring a world premiere by Amplify Artist in Residence Miranda Currie
U.K. legend Billy Bragg and Brazil’s Bia Ferreira share stages with Canadian names like Aysanabee and Empanadas Illegales at ʔəy̓alməxʷ Jericho Beach Park, July 17 to 19
Original member of the Grammy Award–winning Buena Vista Social Club performs vibrant Latin tunes alongside a quartet
