Music on Main is preparing to welcomes audiences back to live in-person performances with the seventh consecutive year of The Kessler Academy. On August 14th join other audience members at Vancouver Playhouse for the chance to share in a live performance of brilliant music and musicians.
The Kessler Academy is an intergenerational collaboration, named for Vancouver’s beloved centenarian and philanthropist Mrs. Susan Kessler, dedicated to keeping classical music vibrant and vital in the 21st century. In a week-long August mentorship, Vancouver-based Microcosmos Quartet will work with skilled youth in mastering great classical 20th and 21st century pieces and will present their final work in a showcase event. Listen to works by Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, and Paul Hindemith that resonate with the current unstable times, as all the pieces come from a past of uncertainty.
Marc Destrubé, violin, describes this year’s repertoire focus: “This year we explore the work of three important 20th century composers whose lives were deeply affected by cataclysmic social upheavals. Bartok and Stravinsky were both afflicted with the Spanish Flu immediately following the First World War, and all three composers sought refuge in America during the course of the Second World War. In addition to our rehearsals we will hold discussions around the role and lives musicians around such events in the past, and how the current pandemic might influence musical life in the near future.”
The orchestra will also debut a new commission composed by Brooklyn Wood, a talented high school student who is a long-time violin participant in the Kessler Academy.
The Kessler Academy 2021’s live performance is Music on Main’s final concert of its 15th season, and is marking the occasion with $15 tickets available to 25% of the venues seating. Find more information on the performance and purchase tickets at all price levels online at musiconmain.ca
Music on Main is applying the utmost care and safety measures for our staff, crew, artists, and audience members to ensure a comfortable and safe environment. Visit musiconmain.ca for more information on what to expect when attending this live performance.