Vancouver, Canada (Sept. 22, 2021) – As the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) returns to the Orpheum Theatre for the start of the 2021-2022 season, the orchestra and TELUS have invited frontline workers to their season opening performances celebrating the efforts to keep British Columbians safe throughout the pandemic.
The We’re Back! Gala Performances (Sept 18 & 19), and Back to the Future in Concert (Sept 23, 24, & 25), part of Movie Nights with the VSO presented by TELUS, are the first live, large audience performances at the orchestra’s home at the Orpheum Theatre in over a year.
“The musicians and staff of the VSO are grateful for the community members—the nurses, doctors, grocery store staff, teachers, and all others—who have worked tirelessly to assure the safety and wellbeing of our entire community throughout this past year and a half,” says Angela Elster, President and CEO of the VSO and VSO School of Music. “For the VSO, this return to our home and to live performances for our community is a heartfelt tribute and thank-you for the hard work and dedication of these groups and individuals.
“On behalf of the Association of Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of BC, I would like to thank the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for extending tickets for their upcoming performances to our members,” says Sherri Kensall, Chair of the NNPBC Board of Directors. “Events like this help nurses experience beauty and possibility and build on their resilience in these challenging times. We are very grateful for this generous offer. It will be wonderful to see the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra safely in theatre once again.”
“Music binds and unites us, particularly in challenging times like this. We are incredibly grateful to be able to invite frontline workers to take part in the VSO’s triumphant return to the Orpheum Theatre,” said Otto Tausk, Music Director of the VSO. “Because of their perseverance throughout the pandemic, we can reconnect with the public, our audience, in person and in appreciation of the talents of our community’s spectacular musicians.”
The We’re Back! Gala Performance was held September 18th and September 19th. Back to the Future in Concert starts tomorrow (Thursday) night and runs till Sunday afternoon.
Full details for these and future performances are available at VancouverSymphony.ca.
ABOUT THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Founded in 1919, the Grammy and Juno-award winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is the third largest orchestra in Canada, the largest arts organization in Western Canada, and one of the few orchestras in the world to have its own music school.
Led by Music Director Otto Tausk since 2018, the VSO performs more than 150 concerts each year, throughout Vancouver and the province of British Columbia, reaching over 270,000 people annually. On tour the VSO has performed in the United States, China, Korea and across Canada.
The orchestra presents passionate, high-quality performances of classical, popular and culturally diverse music, creating meaningful engagement with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Recent guest artists include Daniil Trifonov, Dawn Upshaw, James Ehnes, Adrianne Pieczonka, Gidon Kremer, Renée Fleming, Yefim Bronfman, Itzhak Perlman, Bernadette Peters, Tan Dun, and more.
