With the recent announcement of the cancellation of its current season, there is a ray of light as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) has announced its upcoming 2020-2021 season.
The third for VSO music director Otto Tausk, the Symphony’s 102nd season, will be an exploration of the themes of lightness and dark with a range of concerts, masterworks, new commissions, collaborations, and guest artists.
“As the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra begins its second century, I’m thrilled to reaffirm our commitment to making music accessible for all, with an exciting lineup of programming that explores the full possibilities of diversity, inclusivity and creativity when musical worlds collide,” says Tausk in a media release.
Alongside its usual lineup of concerts, is a who’s who of the musical world. This year’s collection of guest artists includes cellist Mischa Maisky, violinists Itzhak Perlman and James Ehnes, pianists Jan Lisiecki, Khatia Buniatishvili, and Hélène Grimaud. Soprano Measha Brueggergosman will join them, as well as baritones Matthias Goerne and Russell Braun, and tenor Michael Schade.
This year’s guest conductors will include Leonard Slatkin, Karen Kamensek, Marc Minkowski, John Fiore, Eun Sun Kim, Han-Na Chang, Lothar Zagrosek, and VSO Music Director Emeritus Bramwell Tovey.
The season will also see new works commissioned from Barbara Croall, Samy Moussa, and Vivian Fung.
Select concerts will include The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and three films, West Side Story, Singin’ in the Rain, and Rocketman, accompanied by a live orchestra. Pop culture icons, Stewart Copeland and Paul Shaffer, join the VSO along with solo performances from VSO members Nicholas Wright, Christie Reside, and Emilie Grimes. The season will also include the return of the holiday favourites The Snowman in Concert and Home Alone – Film with Orchestra.
Festivals in the new season will include MahlerFest in February, the third annual Day of Music in March and the eighth VSO New Music Festival in April.
The 2020 summer season will include Symphonic Pride in celebration of the LGBTQ community, a performance at the Bard on the Beach stage, the third annual Symphony at Sunset Beach, the return of VSO at Deer Lake Park, and the ever-popular movie night series featuring Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Back to the Future.
For more information on the VSO’s full 2020-2021 season lineup, visit vancouversymphony.ca.