Yo-Yo Ma, Evgeny Kissin, Yunchan Lim, and more as Vancouver Recital Society announces 2024-25 season

International lineup includes all-female Norwegian brass ensemble tenThing and soprano-conductor Barbara Hannigan

Norway’s brass ensemble tenThing. Photo Anna-Julia Granberg

VANCOUVER RECITAL SOCIETY has announced a 45th season that spans cello superstar Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Evgeny Kissin, and tenThing, an all-female brass ensemble from Norway.

Most of the concerts take place at the Vancouver Playhouse, with Ma’s May 6, 2025 performance at the Orpheum.

The 17-concert 2024-25 season will also include South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim, who soared to fame after a tour de force performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Grammy Award-winning soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan will make her VRS debut with renowned French pianist Bertrand Chamayou, November 30 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Also making her debut with the series is soprano and pianist Rachel Fenlon, originally from Victoria and now living in Berlin; her September 8 program includes Franz Schubert’s epic Winterreise.

Elsewhere, the Israeli Chamber Project has joined forces with soprano Hila Baggio to celebrate the 150th birth year of Arnold Schoenberg with a semi-staged production of his ground-breaking expressionist cabaret Pierrot Lunaire (December 1).

A two-concert Brahms Fest in November is set to bring together eight musicians from three countries. The Castalian String Quartet, violist Timothy Ridout, cellist Zlatomir Fung, and pianists Angela Cheng and Benjamin Hochman will join forces in various groupings on works such as the String Sextet No. 2 in G major and the Piano Quintet in F minor.

Norway’s tenThing plays February 23, while Kissin hits the keyboards April 16.

Other highlights include pianists Steven Osborne and Alexander Melnikov, guitarist Miloš, and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.

Find the full lineup on the VRS website.

Tickets, on sale May 1, can be purchased online or by phone at 604-602-0363.

Featured

Janet Smith

Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is an award-winning arts journalist who has spent more than two decades immersed in Vancouver’s dance, screen, design, theatre, music, opera, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

Articles

Early Music Vancouver aims to make Handel’s beloved Messiah feel both fresh and familiar

Pacific Baroque Orchestra conductor Alexander Weimann says the German-English composer’s oratorio is never the same piece twice

VSO’s The Four Seasons travels gradually into “icy snow”, December 11 and 12 at the Chan Centre

Orchestra’s associate concertmaster Timothy Steeves takes a starring role in the festive violin concertos

Fountains and Chapel Sound highlight sonic experimentation at Fountains: Series III, December 4 and 6

Annual program co-presented with Fountains Symposium highlights the work of East and Southeast Asian women, femme, and nonbinary artists

Four double bassists join forces for BASS-MAS!, an evening of festive tunes, December 3

Malcolm Armstrong, Mark Beaty, Meaghan Williams, and Jeff White are gearing up to play four new commissions at the Jericho Arts Centre

John Reischman and the Jaybirds’ musical roots thrive on strong sense of West Coast place

With new album The Salish Sea and a “bluegrass concerto” of the same name, the renowned mandolinist and his cohort of virtuoso musicians summon wild elements of the natural world

Vancouver Bach Choir ushers in the holidays with Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, December 6

Featured soloists include soprano Chloe Hurst, mezzo-soprano Emma Parkinson, tenor Colin Ainsworth, and baritone Aaron Durand

Nebula Noël: A Pair of Magical Christmas Concerts brings festive music to the city, December 7 and 13

Annual tradition presented by Nebula Performances features emerging and established artists singing seasonal favourites

Singer-songwriter Chris Smither remains a restless soul, while looking back on a long and rich career

Now in his 80s, the veteran folk and blues artist brings his band the Motivators and a fresh collection of gritty, introspective songs to the BlueShore at CapU

UBC Opera brings to life The Magic Flute's enchanting world, November 27 to 30

Beloved Mozart work features fantastical characters and a killer Queen of the Night aria

Triology and musica intima perform Maria Schneider’s Winter Morning Walks at BlueShore at CapU, December 12

Choral music melds with jazz in achingly beautiful, triple Grammy–winning song cycle

Chapel Sound and Notebook showcase experimental electronic music from around the world

Participating artists bring together everything from martial arts and opera to club music and Arabic melodies

Vancouver Chamber Choir sings in a softly glowing church at Christmas by Candlelight, December 19

At annual holiday offering, choir performs works by Matthew Whittall, Morten Lauridsen, and Joanna Marsh at Pacific Spirit United Church

Vancouver Cantata Singers continues an a cappella tradition with Christmas Reprise XXII, December 20

Performances at Holy Rosary Cathedral and Sanctuary on 6th serve as a break from the bustle of the holiday season

Chez Nous: Christmas With Elektra transports audiences to a cozy Canadian home for the holidays

Artistic director Cassie Luftspring has curated a program of Elektra favourites, new commissions, and pieces with personal meaning

Chris Pierce, who has toured with Neil Young, plays the BlueShore at CapU on December 7

Singer-songwriter has performed with the likes of Steve Earle, B.B. King, Seal, and Al Green

B3 Kings bring beloved Christmas concert back to the Shadbolt Centre, December 18 to 20

Quartet consists of vocalist-drummer Denzal Sinclaire, Hammond B3 organist Chris Gestrin, tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds, and guitarist Bill Coon

Christmas with Chor Leoni returns to St. Andrew’s–Wesley United Church, December 18 to 20

Festive tradition features the choir’s hallmark mix of traditional carols, world premieres, and reimagined winter classics

Holiday shows 2025: Stir’s ultimate guide to Vancouver’s merriest performances and events

The local arts and culture scene has bright gifts in store this season, from music by candlelight to wintry ballets

Chapel Sound Art Foundation hosts four outside-the-box electronic-music events throughout November

Performances, workshops, and artist talks are in store as part of Notebook SEASON ♪ 2025

Songwriting legend Chris Smither takes the BlueShore at CapU stage, December 3

Concert proves a rare opportunity to see the acoustic-guitar master in a full-band setting with the Motivators

Vancouver Chamber Choir and Early Music Vancouver join forces for Handel's Messiah, December 12 and 13

Spellbinding concert features the Pacific Baroque Orchestra along with soloists Myriam Leblanc, Cecilia Duarte, Jacob Perry, and Sumner Thompson

John Reischman and the Jaybirds play the Anvil Theatre, December 7

Eponymous mandolinist’s band delivers a bluegrass sound that blends original songs with old-time Appalachian music

Nicolas Altstaedt and Thomas Dunford restring classics by Marais and Bach, November 16

Performance by acclaimed cello-and-lute duo for Vancouver Recital Society is poised to bring bold energy to landmarks of Baroque music

Music on Main hosts annual holiday concert Music for the Winter Solstice, December 10 and 11

Event at Heritage Hall features vocalist-violinist Caroline Shaw, vocalist Danni Lee Parpan, percussionist Julia Chien, and pianist Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa

Julian Taylor and Logan Staats share powerful songs and stories at BlueShore at CapU, November 27

Canadian artists, who both share Mohawk ancestry, write music with truth and soul

Sparks fly as harpist Rita Costanzi joins Vetta Chamber Music’s return to Schafer’s chamber-music masterpiece, Theseus

At Stirrings, strings piece explores rich contemporary territory, alongside classical Borodin and Debussy

Illyes Ferfera’s Tawazûn brings North African melody to jazz quartet, November 13 at Alliance Française

Rising French-Algerian saxophonist opens new routes through the traditional musical map

UBC Opera stages Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Old Auditorium, November 27 to 30

Fantasy-filled production featuring members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra offers a timeless story that resonates with audiences of all ages

Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival closes with Rhythms of Thunder: An Evening of Taiko, November 8

Thrilling evening features performances by Uzume Taiko, GO Taiko and Taiko 55, and Onibana Taiko

Chor Leoni sings of healing and hope in The Songs Will Remain

The Vancouver choir reflects on war and peace in its annual Remembrance Day concerts, featuring works by Kate Bush and former composer in residence Don Macdonald