Articles — Stir

Tabla virtuoso Sandeep Das spreads hope with Delhi to Damascus

The artist’s HUM Ensemble traces connections between Hindu and Muslim musical traditions, with Persia as common ground

MUSICJanet SmithFebruary 10, 2023Chan Centre, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, sitar, Sandeep Das, Persian

Banished from Egypt, comedian Bassem Youssef brings biting humour to JFL Vancouver

The “Jon Stewart of the Arab World” is a former heart surgeon now based in L.A.

COMEDY, FESTSGail JohnsonFebruary 10, 2023JFL, Just for Laughs Vancouver, comedy, Bassem Youssef, Homepage feature

Vancouver Cantata Singers present Songbird at the ANNEX on February 25

Evening of choral music inspired by the imagery of birds includes works by Brahms and Sam Dabrusin

MUSICStir VancouverFebruary 9, 2023Partner Content, Vancouver Cantata Singers

At JCC Jewish Book Festival, graphic novelists share stories of Holocaust survival in But I Live

Relating their experiences was not always an easy process for the survivors

Shadbolt Centre for the Arts presents Burnaby Lyric Opera in famous double bill from February 25 to March 4

Puccini’s comedic Gianni Schicchi pairs with Leoncavallo’s tragic Pagliacci

MUSIC, OPERAStir VancouverFebruary 9, 2023Partner Content, Shadbolt Centre

Matriarchs Uprising employs tech to take female contemporary Indigenous dance into the future

The multifaceted festival features everything from VR films to dancing avatars while remaining rooted in ancestral world views

VSO presents Carl Orff's epic Carmina Burana on February 24 and 25 at the Orpheum

Celebrated Canadian soloists join the orchestra plus 150 choristers for the event

MUSICStir VancouverFebruary 8, 2023Partner Content, VSO, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Valentine's Day: Local culinary artists create sweets from the heart

Plus: Two local wines to toast that crazy little thing called love

A Midsummer Night's Dream's Spencer Britten forges a new path in opera

The rising tenor, a descendant of composer Benjamin Britten, has become a champion for diversity in the art form

MUSIC, OPERAJanet SmithFebruary 8, 2023Vancouver Opera, Spencer Britten, Benjamin Britten

Théâtre La Seizième presents Mononk Jules from February 22 to 25

The documentary-theatre piece shares the erased history of an Indigenous hero of the 20th century

THEATREStir VancouverFebruary 8, 2023Partner Content, Theatre la Seizieme

Film review: Chien Blanc poses hard questions about white allyship and whether racism can be "unlearned"

Film is based on the true 1960s story of Romain Gary and Jean Seberg, and their struggles to retrain a dog bred to attack Black people

SCREENJanet SmithFebruary 8, 2023Rendez-Vous French Film Festival, VISIONS OUEST, VIFF

Early Music Vancouver presents England's Consone Quartet, February 17 at Christ Church Cathedral

The appearance is part of the rising ensemble’s North American debut.

MUSICStir VancouverFebruary 7, 2023Partner Content, EARLY MUSIC VANCOUVER

BlueShore at CapU presents Rahim AlHaj, Iraqi-American master of the oud, and his trio, at Mel Lehan Hall at St. James, February 17

AlHaj has performed hundreds of shows all over the world, released a string of albums for the Smithsonian Folkways label, and collaborated with artists such as R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, guitarist Bill Frisell, and the Kronos Quartet.

MUSICStir VancouverFebruary 7, 2023Partner Content, BlueShore at CapU

Theatre review: Soldiers of Tomorrow's artful simplicity makes for strong storytelling

With mesmerizing live music by Emad Armoush and a small army of toy soldiers, Itai Erdal confronts his past in Israel’s military

THEATRE, FESTSJanet SmithFebruary 6, 2023PuSh Festival, The Elephant Theatre

Theatre review: Studio 58 cast brings heart to polished A Chorus Line production

Some singular sensations amid rising triple-threat talents, in a rendition that builds to a blowout finale

THEATREJanet SmithFebruary 6, 2023Studio 58, Langara College, Homepage feature

Theatre review: An Undeveloped Sound leans into the liminal in look at longing, loss, and language

Electric Company Theatre’s cinematic-feeling work about a mysterious call centre raises circling questions about existence

FESTS, THEATREJanet SmithFebruary 6, 2023Electric Company Theatre, PuSh Festival

Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society survives: board withdraws motion to dissolve

Due to overwhelming opposition to a proposed vote that could have seen the fest come to an end, board reverses course, launches fundraising and volunteer drive

NEWS, FESTSGail JohnsonFebruary 6, 2023Vancouver Folk Music Festival