Music on Main fetes 20 seasons of programming with Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, March 23

Percussionist Vern Griffiths leads a rare performance of the rhythmic composition

SPONSORED POST BY Music on Main

Standing Wave Ensemble at last year’s Modulus Festival. Photo by Jan Gates

 
 

As part of its 20th-season celebration, Music on Main is presenting Steve Reich’s iconic Music for 18 Musicians at the Vancouver Playhouse on March 23 at 7:30 pm.

Reich’s groundbreaking masterpiece—known for its rhythmic energy, electrifying pulsing chords, and mesmerizing sense of musical unity—remains one of the most influential works in contemporary music. Bringing a rare performance of this extraordinary composition to the stage is a fitting way for Music on Main to mark two decades of curiosity, connection, and bold artistic exploration.

Percussionist Vern Griffiths is leading the charge in Music for 18 Musicians. The concert also features clarinetists AK Coope and Liam Hockley; violinist Rebecca Whitling; cellist Jonathan Lo; vocalists Emily Cheung, Anja Kelly, Alicia Hansen, and Hilary Ison; pianists Allen Stiles, Corey Hamm, and Nicole Linaksita; pianist-percussionist Julia Chien; and percussionists Robin Reid, Zach Masri, Greg Samek, and Niki Hung.

Tickets are available through Music on Main.


Post sponsored by Music on Main.

 
 
 

Related Articles

Featured
All-female Solidaridad Tango showcases the many sides of Argentina’s national art form
All-female Solidaridad Tango showcases the many sides of Argentina’s national art form

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

Martin Harley melds folk and blues on slide guitar at BlueShore at CapU, May 10
Martin Harley melds folk and blues on slide guitar at BlueShore at CapU, May 10

After opening for Bonnie Raitt’s sold-out U.K. shows, the singer-songwriter tours solo across Canada

Chor Leoni showcases the next generation of choral artists with The Big Roar, May 8 and 9
Chor Leoni showcases the next generation of choral artists with The Big Roar, May 8 and 9

Hundreds of singers come together for an epic concert featuring a world premiere by Amplify Artist in Residence Miranda Currie

Vancouver Folk Music Festival announces 2026 lineup, from global icons to local heroes
Vancouver Folk Music Festival announces 2026 lineup, from global icons to local heroes

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

Cuban-born Eliades Ochoa draws on his countryside roots at the Chan Centre, May 9
Cuban-born Eliades Ochoa draws on his countryside roots at the Chan Centre, May 9

Original member of the Grammy Award–winning Buena Vista Social Club performs vibrant Latin tunes alongside a quartet

In Stephanie Lake Company’s Manifesto, thundering percussion meets dance
In Stephanie Lake Company’s Manifesto, thundering percussion meets dance

In this DanceHouse and Vancouver New Music copresentation, the Australian performers feed off the energy of nine drum kits on a stylized stage

Gli Incogniti explores a musical enigma in Early Music Vancouver presentation, April 17
Gli Incogniti explores a musical enigma in Early Music Vancouver presentation, April 17

Amandine Beyer and her Baroque ensemble play compositions by an Italian violinist whose life and music are shrouded in mystery.

Mission Folk Music Festival unveils lineup for 39th annual event, spanning swing duo Blue Moon Marquee and soul singer Tanika Charles
Mission Folk Music Festival unveils lineup for 39th annual event, spanning swing duo Blue Moon Marquee and soul singer Tanika Charles

From July 24 to 26, Fraser River Heritage Park hosts artists from B.C. and beyond

Vetta Chamber Music hosts its season finale Celebration, May 1 to 4
Vetta Chamber Music hosts its season finale Celebration, May 1 to 4

Violinist Joan Blackman, violist Hung-Wei Huang, cellist Zoltan Rozsnyai, and pianist Angela Cheng play pieces by Franck, Brahms, and Mozetich

Listening as Activism explores the power of sound, vision, and a decolonized conception of time
Listening as Activism explores the power of sound, vision, and a decolonized conception of time

Vancouver New Music event brings together artists and activists for a roundtable discussion and performances

Stir Cheat Sheet: Four boundary-busting concerts to experience at Music on Main's Month of Tuesdays
Stir Cheat Sheet: Four boundary-busting concerts to experience at Music on Main's Month of Tuesdays

From Caroline Shaw’s pop-tinged Ringdown project to Ryan Davis’s heady looping viola, April means aural adventure at the intimate Fox Cabaret

Elektra's Tapestry International Festival unites four adult treble choirs, May 8 and 9
Elektra's Tapestry International Festival unites four adult treble choirs, May 8 and 9

Triennial gathering features Chicago’s La Caccina, Halifax’s Aeolian Singers, and the Bay Area’s Peninsula Women’s Chorus

Rachel Fenlon expands solo piano performance to encompass folk
Rachel Fenlon expands solo piano performance to encompass folk

The standout soprano returns to B.C. at the Kay Meek Arts Centre with a blend of her beloved Schubert and Benjamin Britten’s arrangements of traditional British and French songs

Isaiah Collier, Keyon Harrold, and more as Vancouver International Jazz Festival unveils first ticketed shows
Isaiah Collier, Keyon Harrold, and more as Vancouver International Jazz Festival unveils first ticketed shows

Running June 19 to July 5, event also unveils Performance Works Series that includes Haleluya Hailu Plays Ethiopia and Stranger Friends Orchestra with Fredrik Ljungkvist

Krystle Dos Santos and Dawn Pemberton’s ode to Hogan’s Alley hits VIFF Live, April 4
Krystle Dos Santos and Dawn Pemberton’s ode to Hogan’s Alley hits VIFF Live, April 4

Powerhouse vocalists preview songs from stage show Meet Me at Vie’s alongside a screening of local documentary Union Street

Throat-singing duo PIQSIQ inspire with tales of complex heroes and eerie creatures of the North
Throat-singing duo PIQSIQ inspire with tales of complex heroes and eerie creatures of the North

Ahead of their Chan Centre show alongside renowned singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark, sisters Inuksuk Mackay and Tiffany Ayalik discuss Legends and the power of traditional Inuit storytelling

The Passion of Joan of Arc screens at the Shadbolt Centre with a live score, May 2
The Passion of Joan of Arc screens at the Shadbolt Centre with a live score, May 2

Local duo Beautiful Violence performs original music for silent film about the titular 15th-century teenage warrior

Vancouver Cantata Singers caps its 2025–26 season with Brahms's A German Requiem, April 25
Vancouver Cantata Singers caps its 2025–26 season with Brahms's A German Requiem, April 25

Special guests include baritone Tyler Duncan, soprano Mireille Asselin, and the Bergmann Piano Duo

Stir Q&A: Joëlle Rabu talks about the roots of her musical match with Buwa
Stir Q&A: Joëlle Rabu talks about the roots of her musical match with Buwa

Voices soar as Canadian chanteuse and Nigerian-born singer connect over classic songs in Just the 2 of Us at Anvil Theatre

The world-renowned Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain returns to the Vancouver Recital Society, May 3
The world-renowned Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain returns to the Vancouver Recital Society, May 3

Founded in 1985, the group of virtuosic musicians sing and strum across genres, from bluegrass tunes to Broadway hits

In the Same Room unites CapU Choirs and featured artists for an evening of cultural sharing through song, April 11
In the Same Room unites CapU Choirs and featured artists for an evening of cultural sharing through song, April 11

Saina Khaledi and Shruti Ramani are among the talented musicians joining the program of Baroque music, contemporary Indigenous songs, and beyond

MUSICStir VancouverPartner Content, Music on Main, MUSIC ON MAIN, Music On Main