SUN OCT 15 2017 / 7PM
The Gloaming CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AT UBC
“I don’t think we’ve exhausted the initial sandbox. We’re not too far removed from our initial creative area so there’s still plenty we can do. In terms of pushing the boat out, we’ve pushed it out in the water, but there’s a whole lot of rowing we can still do.” – Iarla Ó Lionáird (The Irish Times, 2016)
The Gloaming PRESENTED BY THE CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Pre-show Artist Talk with Martin Hayes 6:15pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall General admission seating Moderated by Gage Averill Concert 7pm, Chan Shun Concert Hall Assigned seating The Gloaming Martin Hayes fiddle Dennis Cahill guitar Iarla Ó Lionáird vocals Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh hardanger fiddle Thomas Bartlett piano Set list to be announced from the stage. There will be no intermission.
Please remember to turn off your phones, and note that photography and recording are not permitted. Thank you!
The Gloaming The Gloaming carves new paths connecting the rich Irish folk tradition and the New York contemporary music scene. From haunting sean-nós songs to rousing instrumental medleys, they create a new musical alchemy between ancient traditions, experimentation and modernity. Five master musicians with highly successful individual careers—fiddle master Martin Hayes, guitarist Dennis Cahill, sean-nós singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, hardanger innovator Caoimhin Ó Raghallaigh, and New York pianist Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman)—have come together to create new music that pairs memorable melodies with a progressive style. Although charged by the traditions of Ireland, what The Gloaming do with the structures of Irish music is anything but simple nostalgia. They introduce deep wells of personality and experience. Lyrics are drawn from Irish literature old and new, and the music is played with the authority of virtuosos. The result is unclouded by sheen or sentimentality. It is haunting and emotionally charged, sounding ancient without being a mere reproduction. Martin, Caoimhin, and Dennis are independently recognized for extending the Irish and Celtic music traditions, balancing traditional rigor with an energy that seems entirely new. Thomas has been identified with the independent rock scene for his work with artists like The National and Sufjan Stevens, and Iarla has made many groundbreaking recordings with the Afro Celt Sound System, his distinctive voice venturing far beyond the boundaries of any one genre. In early 2011, these five musicians met to explore collaboration at Grouse Lodge Studios in Ireland’s County Westmeath. They discovered a shared musical aesthetic that transcended the genres for which they’d become known. Later that year - newly christened The Gloaming - they went on their first Irish tour, including a sold out debut show at The National Concert Hall, Dublin with Ireland’s president in attendance. Summer 2013 saw their return with more packed concerts in London, Amsterdam, Paris and at Lincoln Center in New York. The Gloaming made their Canadian debut in 2014 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver. The Gloaming’s self-titled debut album was widely considered one of the finest recordings of 2014, featured on many year-end best lists including Mojo, NPR Music, and The Irish Times. It was picked by The Guardian as The One Album You Should Hear This Week, won a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award, and was also awarded the Meteor Choice Music Prize for Album of the Year. In December of 2015 the band recorded their highly anticipated follow up LP at Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire. Simply entitled 2, it was released in February 2016 to critical acclaim. The Irish Times called the album “powerful, rich and deeply textured… a second album which leaps and jumps further out into the wilds.”
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UBC School of Music Fanfares The fanfare that was performed in the lobby prior to this concert (6:30pm and 6:45pm) was commissioned by the Chan Centre from UBC student Walker Williams as part of an ongoing partnership with the UBC School of Music. Azura Quartet Eric Toombs - Soprano Saxophone; Mo Miao - Alto Saxophone; Haley Heinricks - Tenor Saxophone; Mia Gazley - Baritone Saxophone Walker Williams is a composer, oboist, and singer from Morgan County, West Virginia. Walker graduated summa cum laude from Shepherd University with a Bachelor of Arts in music composition, and is currently pursuing graduate studies in composition at UBC. Walker’s compositions have been performed at events including the US National Saxophone Symposium, the West Coast Composer’s Symposium, and the Alba International Music Festival in Alba, Italy. Prelude and Fiddle Tune in g minor This composition is modeled after the baroque prelude and fugue genre; instead of a traditional fugue subject, however, I used an original slip jig melody. The style of counterpoint used means that the melody and countermelody are almost always present at any moment in the music: sometimes in an obvious way, sometimes concealed under layers of other material, and occasionally in multiple voices at the same time.
Pre-concert dinners at Sage Restaurant The Chan Centre has partnered with UBC’s Sage Restaurant for the 2017/18 Chan Centre Presents series. Now it’s easy to enjoy dinner before your performance, in a location just steps from the Chan Centre. For only $39.50 per person, indulge in a delicious three-course menu of fresh, West Coast cuisine. Details at chancentre.com/sage. Bon appétit!
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Exploring the role of the arts and artists in society. chancentre.com/connects
Pre-show Artist Talk with Martin Hayes 6:15pm: Chan Shun Concert Hall The Gloaming’s Martin Hayes, in conversation with UBC Dean of Arts Gage Averill, discussing his own musical journey as a world-renowned fiddle player, as well as the band’s unique and contemporary spin on traditional Irish music. Seating for the pre-show artist talk is general admission and available on a first come, first served basis. Please note you must return to the assigned seat indicated on your ticket for the 7pm concert.
Fiddle Masterclass with Martin Hayes This morning, Martin Hayes conducted a sold out fiddle workshop, presented as part of the Chan Centre Connects program in association with Celtic Traditions. Hayes demonstrated bowing techniques, melody interpretations, variations, and improvisations from Irish traditional music to intermediate and advanced students.
Cinematheque Film Screening Katyar Kaljat Ghusali (A Dagger Through the Heart) Oct 19, 2017 / 7pm At The Cinematheque (1131 Howe Street) Based on a play of the same name, this musical drama about rivaling Hindustani classical singers stars award-winning Bollywood film composer and vocalist Shankar Mahadevan who performs with Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland as part of the Crosscurrents project at the Chan Centre on Oct 28. Katyar Kaljat Ghusali is the first of three film screenings presented this season by the Chan Centre in partnership with The Cinematheqe. Full details at chancentre.com/connects. 7
Celebrating 20 Years The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts opened its doors in 1997, and this season we’re celebrating 20 years! Visit our anniversary archives at chancentre.com for memorable stories and never-before-seen photos from two decades of world class performance.
Visionary Architecture By Jennifer Van Evra Most concert halls are designed around audiences — but one of architect Bing Thom’s primary aims was to create the best possible experience for artists. Thom’s affinity with musicians was deep and enduring. At the age of 10 he immigrated from Hong Kong to Vancouver, where he played in the Kitsilano Boys’ Band and bandleader Arthur Delamont became like a father to him. Although Thom didn’t choose music as a career, he continued to play clarinet and found great joy in live music. “He knew that when the artist walks out on the stage, you have to be inspired to play your best work,” says Bing Thom Architects Principal Michael Heeney, who was instrumental in the Chan Centre’s development. “So that impact was very, very big in how he conceived and developed the building.” Music echoes through what Thom called “the visual acoustics” of the building. The Chan Shun Concert Hall itself is shaped like the inside of a cello, and the wood seats and accents add to the room’s warmth and exceptional sound. Radiating stainless-steel cables resemble the strings and frets of an instrument, providing another subtle musical reference. For a venue of its size, the hall is also remarkably intimate. Because the balconies are stacked rather than reaching backward, the room can hold nearly 1,400 people—and yet the artist is never more than 100 feet from any audience member. “Beauty and functionality are never in conflict. What works and what is beautiful are one and the same thing,” said Thom in a 2002 interview. “Beauty is not something to be applied to something else. Beauty evolves from a deep understanding of need.” The Chan Shun Concert Hall is one of three venues at the Chan Centre. Modelled after the famed Globe Theatre in London, the experimental “black box” Telus Studio Theatre was designed to maximize creative options. Twelve three-tier seating towers can be moved to create any number of configurations, while a complex catwalk system provides a wide range of rigging possibilities. Down the hall, the Royal Bank Cinema is a comfortable 160-seat cinema primarily used for academic lectures and film screenings.
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From the exterior, the building exudes graceful, timeless style. Because of its size — 76,000 square feet over eight storeys — Thom was concerned that it could seem imposing and out of step with adjacent structures, many of which were half the height, so he made several key design decisions.
Rather than clearing the site and opening views to Howe Sound, Thom preserved the soaring trees, which made the building seem smaller in scale. Without defined edges, its oval shape makes its size less apparent, too, while the exterior’s diamond-shaped zinc cladding, which changes appearance with the weather, gives the visual sense that the building is receding toward the top. The design also reflects the architect’s deeply rooted reverence for nature, and the interplay between the building and the natural world is a recurring theme. The lighting in the rotunda ceiling is meant to emulate stars in the night sky, while the leafy pattern on the carpet — designed by Thom’s wife Bonnie — echoes the forest floor. But by far the most striking link to the natural world is the floor-to-ceiling glass wall of the lobby. The glass is tilted at a 10-degree angle so that instead of seeing their own reflections, concertgoers look out to the Dorothy Somerset Grove — a grouping of firs and cedars, many over 100 years old. Thom worked with Boston lighting designer Bill Lam to strike the perfect balance of indoor and outdoor lighting, so the trees would be clearly visible at night. “I remember seeing these two guys sitting in a room with the lights off,” recalls Heeney with a laugh. “They had this model of the glass, and they were playing around with flashlights, trying to figure out what angle the glass could be to minimize the reflections. It was quite fun.” In addition to its bold architectural features, the building boasts myriad smaller but equally thoughtful touches, including the exquisite painting Silent Woods, which Thom commissioned from acclaimed B.C. artist Gordon Smith, that hangs near the entrance. (It’s actually made up of several smaller paintings, allowing it to follow the curve of the wall.) Centred around a futuristic-looking circular steel-and-glass sink pedestal, the ultra-modern women’s washroom is so striking that when the Chan Centre first opened, women were bringing their boyfriends and husbands in for a quick look. In the end, the building needed to satisfy a remarkable range of needs, and to act seamlessly as a concert hall, a ceremonial space, a rental facility, a rehearsal hall, and more. Twenty years later, Thom’s graceful design is regarded as a triumph. “The design of a performing arts centre encapsulates everything I love and believe about architecture,” said Thom, whose passion was creating people-focused designs that elevated entire communities. “Like music, a building must always respond to human emotional needs, especially our yearning for the next surprise or the next delight.” Bing Thom died in Hong Kong on October 4, 2016 at the age of 75. The sad news triggered an outpouring of heartfelt tributes from the architecture community, as well as those who had been touched by the convivial architect and his exquisite work. “He inspired other architects to realize that you are doing more than just putting together bricks and mortar,” says Heeney. “You have the ability to change society — and in fact, you have a duty to do that.” As part of the 20th anniversary of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, we have commissioned 20 stories from writer Jennifer Van Evra – just a glimpse into all that has shaped who we are as 9 an organization today. Read more at chancentre.com.
The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC Joyce Hinton Cameron McGill Carl Armstrong Wendy Atkinson Lloyd Balser Laura Busby Kara Gibbs David Humphrey Flora Lew Glenda Makela Trevor Mangion Chloe Martin-Cabanne Veronica Maynard Caitlin McKee Claire Mohun George Pereira Andrew Riter Nadia Roberts Lyndsey Roberts
Co-Managing Director Co-Managing Director Events & Customer Service Manager Programming & Rentals Manager Head Audio Technician Rentals & Programming Assistant Marketing & Communications Manager Production Manager Financial Coordinator Financial & Programming Clerk Ticket Operations Manager Operations Clerk Administration & Finance Clerk Artistic Presenting Manager Marketing & Communications Coordinator Production Clerk Assistant Technical Director & Head Lighting Technician Events & Front of House Coordinator Ticket Office Supervisor
Members of Cupe 2950 Front of House, Stage, and Ticketing Staff Janice Lew Taryn Plater
Artistic Presentations Assistant, Work Learn Student Marketing & Communications Assistant, Work Learn Student
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“The music we do is weaved together through stories and life experiences. When people
The Chan Centre would like to thank our 2017/2018 series sponsors: come to hear us, I hope they are uplifted The Chan Endowment Fund and the UBC Faculty of Arts
and that we give them a lot to take home.” – Dianne Reeves (San Diego Union-Tribune, 2016)
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Upcoming Events at the Chan Centre Full details at chancentre.com
Oct 18 at 8pm: HUDSON: Jack DeJohnette, Larry Grenadier, John Medeski, John Scofield Presented by Coastal Jazz Oct 19 at 6pm: UBC Studio Sessions Telus Studio Theatre Presented by the UBC Arts and Culture District and the UBC Musical Theatre Troupe
Oct 20 at 8:30am: Wingspan Grand Opening Telus Studio Theatre Presented by Wingspan Dis/Ability Arts, Culture & Public Pedagogy
Oct 20 + 21 at 8pm: Angela Cheng plays Ravel Presented by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Oct 21 at 7:30pm: The Three Stages of Environmentalism Telus Studio Theatre Presented by the Environmental Science Students Association
Oct 22 at 3pm: George Li, piano Presented by the Vancouver Recital Society Oct 28 at 8pm: Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland: Crosscurrents Presented by the Chan Centre
Oct 29 at 3pm: Monteverdi’s Orfeo Presented by Early Music Vancouver Oct 29 at 7pm: The Forclosure Follies Telus Studio Theatre Presented by Live Canon and The Annual Review of Insolvency Law
Nov 3 at 8pm: Science & Reason Post Show Presented by Pangburn Philosophy Nov 4 at 7pm: Gad Elmaleh Presented by Just for Laughs Nov 8 at 8pm: Texas Troubadours featuring Ruthie Foster, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Carrie Rodriguez Presented by the Chan Centre
Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland: Crosscurrents
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CHAN CENTRE PRESENTS SERIES Zakir Hussain and Dave Holland: Crosscurrents I OCT 28 Ruthie Foster, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Carrie Rodriguez I NOV 8 The Jazz Epistles: Abdullah Ibrahim and Hugh Masekela I FEB 18 Lila Downs I MAR 10 Daymé Arocena and Roberto Fonseca I APR 15 Circa: Opus I APR 28
BEYOND WORDS SERIES Tanya Tagaq and Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory I MAR 16+17
SUBSCRIPTIONS ON SALE NOW! DAYMÉ AROCENA ZAKIR HUSSAIN
DAVE HOLLAND
RUTHIE FOSTER
JIMMIE DALE GILMORE
CARRIE RODRIGUEZ
chancentre.com