Articles — Stir

Peruvian band Novalima and Vancouver’s Empanadas Ilegales host a Latin music party at the Rickshaw Theatre, April 26

The two bands bring the spirit and soul of traditional South American sounds into the 21st century

At mesmerizing concert, Music on Main and David Pay honoured with Barbara Pentland awards

All-star team of vocalists and instrumentalists successfully brings to life Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, a technical feat acting as a pulsing reaffirmation of humanity

MUSICJanet SmithMarch 26, 2026Music on Main, MUSIC ON MAIN, Steve Reich, Vern Griffiths, David Pay

UBC Opera stages Handel’s masterful opera seria Giulio Cesare, April 9 to 12

Conductor Leslie Dala and director Tayte Mitchell lead a rotating cast of singers and members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra

MUSICStir VancouverMarch 26, 2026Partner Content, Sundar Prize Film Festival

Nanaimo’s Vancouver Island Symphony names violinist Joan Blackman its new concertmaster

The Vetta Chamber Music artistic director has a long, celebrated career in chamber, orchestral, and solo work

NEWS, MUSICJanet SmithMarch 26, 2026Vetta Chamber Music, Vancouver Island Symphony, Joan Blackman

All-women ensemble Solidaridad Tango brings Tango Fantasia to the Shadbolt Centre, April 18

Celebration of sound and dance sets music from the Golden Age of tango alongside modern gems

Music on Main hosts A Month of Tuesdays at the Fox Cabaret, April 7 to 28

Series features concerts by Caroline Shaw and Danni Lee Parpan of Ringdown, composer-vocalist Laura Bowler, and more

MUSICStir VancouverMarch 24, 2026Partner Content, Music on Main, MUSIC ON MAIN, Music On Main, music on main

Music review: Brahms X Radiohead raises goosebumps with its unexpected musical pairing at the VSO

Composer-conductor Steve Hackman successfully melds the dystopian tension of OK Computer with Brahms’s 19th-century anxiety

MUSICJanet SmithMarch 23, 2026Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, VSO

Quebec’s Myriam Gendron brings traditional songs into the here and now at Alliance Française, March 27

The singer-songwriter rearranges folk music with her finger-picking guitar and burnished alto voice as part of Unwritten Weekend

Vancouver Chamber Choir celebrates pride with Kaleidoscope, April 17

Program features works by 2SLGBTQIA+ composers, from Stuart Beatch to Benjamin Britten

MUSICStir VancouverMarch 20, 2026Partner Content, Vancouver Chamber Choir

Ensemble Made in Canada prizes versatility as it explores new works

Pianist Philip Chiu stretches his skills as one of the acclaimed quartet’s newest members, appearing at the Chan Centre

MUSICJanet SmithMarch 19, 2026CHAN CENTRE, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

Rum Ragged shares the music of Newfoundland at BlueShore at CapU, April 19

Traditions of Scotland and Ireland also pervade the quartet’s high-energy music

MUSICStir VancouverMarch 19, 2026Partner Content, Blueshore at CapU, BlueShore at CapU

Stir Q&A: Hindustani classical vocalist Ramneek Singh heralds spring and sings across cultures

Ahead of her Basant Ke Rang concert at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, the artist talks about the celebration of spring, her three-octave voice, and her role as a woman in a male-dominated art form

MUSICJanet SmithMarch 19, 2026Shadbolt Centre for the Arts

Andrew Staniland’s Songs From the Lytton Fire heralds hope in the aftermath of a climate disaster

Piece drawing on the poetry of wildfire survivor Meghan Fandrich makes its world premiere on Elektra’s choral-driven program If the Earth Could Sing

MUSICJanet SmithMarch 19, 2026Elektra, ELEKTRA, Elektra Women's Choir, Homepage feature

Vancouver New Music hosts roundtable discussion Listening as Activism, April 11

Evening also includes performances by M’Girl and Kiki Connelly & the Understory

MUSICStir VancouverMarch 18, 2026Partner Content, VANCOUVER NEW MUSIC, Vancouver New Music

Joëlle Rabu and Buwa join forces for Just the 2 of Us at the Anvil Theatre, April 11

Veteran Canadian singer and emerging Nigerian-born talent perform tunes by Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Whitney Houston, and more

MUSICStir VancouverMarch 17, 2026Partner Content, Anvil Theatre

Lache Cercel and Roma Jazz play the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, April 10

Romanian jazz virtuoso blends Roma tradition with klezmer, Middle Eastern, and European sounds

Pulsing instruments and voices weave dreamlike patterns in Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians

Renowned percussionist Vern Griffiths and a group of musical luminaries take on the groundbreaking 1976 piece in celebration of Music on Main’s 20th anniversary

MUSICJanet SmithMarch 16, 2026Music on Main, Steve Reich, experimental music

For Black Gardenia's Daphne Roubini, the artist’s life is one of constant evolution

Celebrating jazz group’s release of Whisky Scented Kisses, singer has largely set aside her signature ukulele in favour of an intense focus on songwriting

MUSICJanet SmithMarch 16, 2026jazz, Great American Songbook, daphne roubini, Paul Pigat, Stephen Nikleva