VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver New Music’s 2026-27 season gathers a remarkable group of artists from across the world – Japan, Korea, Egypt, Australia, US, Canada – each with a distinct cultural identity and singular instrumental voice. In their unique ways, they explore experimental performance practices at the intersection of acoustic and electronic sound.
Our exciting new season launches with the highly anticipated first night of the VNM Festival: Open Frequencies featuring Kuniko Kato Quartet (Japan) performing a program celebrating Steve Reich’s 90th birthday. The program will showcase Reich’s complex and beautiful percussion compositions in new adaptations specially curated by Kato with Reich. The rest of this three-day festival will present internationally acclaimed and emerging artists working at the forefront of experimental, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural sound practices: Okkyung Lee (Korea/USA), Nadah El Shazly (Egypt/Montreal) with Sarah Pagé (Montreal), Meredith Bates (Salt Spring Island) and Piu (Nanaimo). This season also marks the return of the One-Page Score Project, our popular series that invites community members to create graphic scores, which will then be performed by Plastic Acid Orchestra. Other season highlights include vocalist Charmaine Lee (Australia/USA); the eighth instalment of our community-focused PARALLELS series with koto player Miyama McQueen-Tokita (Australia/Japan); and sound artist Olivia Block (USA) on the city’s largest pipe organ.
Tickets on sale September 1! Visit newmusic.org for more information.
SEASON SCHEDULE
VNM Festival: Open Frequencies
October 22 – 24, 2026 | 8pm
Pacific Spirit United Church (2195 West 45th Ave)
The annual VNM Festival returns with Open Frequencies, a three-day program spotlighting bold, globally engaged approaches to innovative new music and sonic practice. Featuring renowned percussionist Kuniko Kato (Japan) leading a virtuosic quartet performance dedicated to the music of Steve Reich, cellist and composer Okkyung Lee (Korea/USA), vocalist and sound artist Nadah El Shazly (Egypt/Montreal) with harpist Sarah Pagé (Montreal), and BC artists Meredith Bates (Salt Spring Island) and Piu (Nanaimo).
One-Page Score Project: Plastic Acid Orchestra
January 23, 2027 | 8pm
Christ Church Cathedral (690 Burrard St)
VNM’s popular One-Page Score Project returns! This dynamic initiative invites community members to create their own scores using graphic notation, which will then be performed by Plastic Acid Orchestra. This chamber performance showcases inventive new works that blur the boundaries between notation, improvisation, and collective interpretation.
Charmaine Lee (Australia/USA) & x/o (Vancouver)
February 20, 2027 | 8pm
The Beaumont Studios (316 W 5th Ave)
Vocalist and improviser Charmaine Lee brings her distinctive approach to voice and live electronics, crafting intricate, spontaneous sonic environments. Opening the evening, Vancouver-based x/o (Veron Xio) explores parallel terrain through voice and electronic processing, creating a dialogue of experimental vocal practices.
PARALLEL 08: Miyama McQueen-Tokita (Australia/Japan)
March 20, 2027 | 8pm
ANNEX (823 Seymour St)
Miyama McQueen-Tokita leads Both and Neither, a multi-day project for the eighth installment of our PARALLELS series that will culminate in a live performance at the ANNEX. Combining koto and an ensemble of local vocalists from the Nikkei community, this project emphasizes collaboration, cultural exchange, and process-based creation unfolding through workshops, rehearsals, and a final performance.
Olivia Block (USA) & Angelique Po (Vancouver)
April 24, 2027 | 8pm
Pacific Spirit United Church (2195 West 45th Ave)
Sound artist Olivia Block presents a rare pipe organ performance, exploring the instrument’s vast acoustic and spatial possibilities through subtle textures and sustained tones, while organist, pianist, and continuo player Angelique Po offers a complementary set showcasing her virtuosity.
