Enjoy opera? Be sure to head out to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts this Sunday.
Burnaby Lyric Opera is presenting its annual Christmas fundraiser concert on Nov. 29 at 3 p.m.
The concert will feature highlights from Hansel and Gretel,the opera by Engelbert Humperdinck, a perennial Christmastime favourite.
The cast features five singers from the Lower Mainland, including Burnaby native Mark Pepein the role of the witch. Also on board areTaylor Pardell, Leanne Kaufman, Lisa-Dawn Markleand Geoffrey Schellenberg.
David Boothroydis the music director and conductor.
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts is at 6450 Deer Lake Ave. Tickets are $15, available through the box office at 604-205-3000.
Curator’s tour set
Want to learn more about art from an expert?
Guest curator Susan Gransbywill be on hand at the Burnaby Art Gallery this weekend to lead a tour of the ongoing Layers exhibition. She’ll take visitors through the technically complex prints involved in the exhibition – including chine collé techniques, origami constructed from etchings and woodcuts on cast paper.
Layers: Print and Beyond involves the work ofGillian Armitage, Kim Mi Hyangand Marie Price, all of whom were influenced by time in Japan as lecturers, visiting artists and exhibitors.
The free curator’s tour is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 28.
Check out www.burnabyartgallery.ca for more details about the show or the tour.
Chat art over pie
Enjoy some homemade pie and a chat about art and issues related to the Downtown Eastside.
The Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre is hosting an artist talk and “pie chat” on Saturday, Nov. 28 from 2 to 5 p.m., centring around its Revitalizing Japantown? exhibition.
The exhibition looks at the waves of dispossession in the Downtown Eastside, connecting indigenous and Japanese-Canadian history with the contemporary experiences.
Artists, collaborators, Downtown Eastside residents and organizers will be on hand to discuss history, art, community, human rights and more – over pie.
Everyone is welcome. Check out the website at centre.nikkeiplace.org/revitalizing-japantown for all the details.
Revitalizing Japantown is on at the centre until Jan. 31, 2016.
Panto run returns
It appears it’s the year for Hansel and Gretel.
The Burnaby-born Theatre Replacement is offering up its production of Hansel and Gretel: An East Van Panto at the York Theatre on Commercial Drive, running Dec. 2 to Jan. 3.
Theatre Replacement is an ongoing collaboration between Maiko Bae Yamamoto– who grew up in Burnaby – and James Long, and this year’s production is their third East Van Panto.
“I have to admit, in that first year, we didn’t know what to expect,” Yamamoto said in a press release. “But the response from the community has been tremendous, and we have so much fun with it. What a joy to gather together a group of artists that we respect and admire and tell them, ‘OK, now be as wacky as possible.’”
The production features the talents of Yamamoto, alongsideAllan Zinyk, Dawn Petten, Josue Laboucane, Caitlin Goruk, Carly Pokoradi, Lillian Doucet-Roche and Barry Mirochnick.
It’s onstage in preview Dec. 2 and 3, with opening night Dec. 4. Check out tickets.thecultch.com or call 604-251-1363.
Remembering the Asahi
Want to learn more about the legendary Vancouver Asahi? The Japanese-Canadian baseball team is celebrated in the film Brain Ball, and the film is screening this weekend in Burnaby.
The film documents the Asahi baseball team, featuring treasured footage of the team members and people of the time.
“In order to overcome their larger Caucasian opponents, the Asahi employed a cunning strategy known as ‘Brain Ball’ to outwit their opponents,” a press release explains. “Their baseball gave hope to the Japanese-Canadian community at a time when they were subject to bitter discrimination, and even attracted non-Japanese fans.”
The film screening is at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, 6688 Southoaks Cres., on Sunday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. RSVP to [email protected] or call 604-777-7000, ext. 109.
A little lunch music
Food and music always go well together – especially when it’s A Little Lunch Music at the Shadbolt Centre.
The next lunch music concert is set for Thursday, Nov. 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This month’s edition of the lunchtime buffet concert features jazz artist Cory Weeds.
The concerts are free, and the buffet lunch costs $12. It all takes place in the Shadbolt’s Encores Café. Call 604-2901-6864 for information, or see www.shadboltcentre.com.
Christmas choir
The SFU Choir is getting ready to share the spirit of the season.
The SFU Choir is presenting its annual winter concert, Winter Winds, on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Ryerson United Church.
The program will include C.P.E. Bach’s timeless Magnificatin an arrangement for choir and organ. The newly formed SFU Chamber Choir will also be on hand to perform the Western Winds Massby John Taverner.
Ryerson is at 2195 West 45th Ave. in Vancouver. Tickets are $20 regular, $10 concession, with children 12 and under admitted free.
The SFU Choir has nearly 100 members, including students, staff, alumni and the community. Check out www.sfuchoir.ca.
Open mike night set
Are you a writer who wants to be heard?
The Burnaby Public Library is hosting a new writers’ open mike night on Monday, Dec. 7 at the McGill branch.
Writers can read for up to five minutes in a friendly and informal setting, sharing any type of writing – excerpts from novels, short stories, essays, poems – the only criteria is that it’s the reader’s own work.
Readings start at 7 p.m., and you can arrive at 6:30 p.m. to sign up in person. It’s recommended for ages 14 and up.
Refreshments will be served afterwards.
It’s all free, and no registration is required.
The McGill library branch is at 4595 Albert St. in North Burnaby.
Christmas joy from choir
It’s not Christmas until you’ve heard at least one choir singing - and I've got just the choir for you.
The Amabilis Singers are offering up Christmas Joy on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The choir, directed by Burnaby’s Ramona Luengen, is fresh off a successful homecoming concert following a tour of Italy this past summer.
The 2 p.m. concert promises to celebrate all the joyful magic of the Christmas season, with favourite carols and sing-alongs alongside other seasonal choral works – including such gems as Connor Koppin’s There Is No Rose, Will Todd’s Softly and Morten Lauridsen’s O Nata Lux.
The concert is at New Westminster Christian Reformed Church, 8255 13th Ave. in Burnaby.
Tickets are $20, or free for children under 12.
Buy from choir members, at the door or call 604-897-7258.
Check out www.amabilissingers.org for more details about the choir and the concert. (And, yes, my usual disclaimer: I am a member of Amabilis. I sing among the altos, so if you happen to come to the concert, be sure to say hello!).
Got an idea for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, [email protected].
