The Life of Paper (Pangaea Arts)

Pangaea Arts presents

THE LIFE OF PAPER

An Origami Theatre Event

Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
May 24 – June 1, 2008
(2-for-1 Preview May 23)
Tues- Sat 8 pm; Matinees May 25 & June 1 at 2 pm, May 28 at 1 pm

Show Tickets $22/$18 at www.ticketstonight.ca
Admission to exhibition, workshops & other ancillary events is FREE

In this ground-breaking world premiere, world-class origami artist Joseph Wu and performers from East and West take audiences on an amazing theatrical adventure spanning centuries, cultures and continents.

The Life of Paper traces the ancient art of paper folding from 105 AD China through Korea, Japan, the Middle East, North Africa, Spain, Germany, England, France and all the way to contemporary North America and Asia, calling on different theatrical styles (from Chinese opera and Buddhist chant to Japanese magic and Victorian English vaudeville) to illustrate the milestones in paper’s long and colourful history. Vibrant characters – artists, professors, musicians, mathematicians, monks and magicians – tell the story, with help from stunning costumes, props, masks, puppets and musical instruments…all made of folded paper.

Award-winning interdisciplinary theatre company Pangaea Arts collaborates with Joseph Wu, Vancouver’s Orchid Ensemble and a cast of talented performers, including renowned Chinese opera performer Ling He, Japanese mime and mask artist Yayoi Hirano, local actors Lenard Stanga, David Warburton, Tomoko Hanawa and stage manager Yvonne Yip. The production, directed and co-written by Heidi Specht, also features music by composer Judy Specht, set and lighting design by John Webber, and costume design by Margaret McKea. The Life of Paper is a partnership with the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre.

SPECIAL EVENTS: WORKSHOPS, LECTURE, LIVE PAPER ORCHESTRA

The Life of Paper will be complemented by an interactive origami exhibit, opening on May 21 in the Exhibition Hall at the Roundhouse. The public will be encouraged to attend origami workshops and lectures by Joseph Wu, in which they will learn how to create their own paper art and add pieces to the installation over the course of the exhibit’s 2-week run. All are also invited to participate in a paper instrument-making workshop, and then to bring their instruments to the Roundhouse on May 25th (4-5 pm), where they will become part of a large paper orchestra. (Yes, you read that right!) Under the guidance of the Life of Paper artistic team and the musicians of Orchid Ensemble, this one-of-a-kind orchestra will perform a piece written especially for the occasion by composer Judy Specht. The performance will be recorded for later broadcast. (E-mail admin@pangaea-arts.com to reserve your spot in the orchestra!)

The Life of Paper is an epic journey; a meditation on how knowledge is passed between individuals and cultures, and how it evolves over time; a reminder that there is magic in ordinary things, and that myriad stories can be told starting with a single small square of paper.

Laudate Singers: SPRING IN VIENNA

Laudate Singers present

SPRING IN VIENNA

Friday May 2, 2008 – 8:00 pm
Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre
2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver

The North Shore’s premier chamber choir concludes its subscription season with the musical equivalent of a glass of fine champagne: an evening of sparkling, graceful melodies from 19th-century Viennese opera. The May 2 concert will feature Laudate Singers, artistic director Lars Kaario and pianists Gaye Alcott and Bernard Duerksen in a programme that includes such beloved favourites as Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes, choruses and solos from Lehar’s The Merry Widow and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Audiences are invited to join the choir for refreshments – wine, coffee and authentic Viennese pastries – during intermission. Music to make your ears sing and your spirit dance!

Tickets ($25/$20/FREE for 17 years & under): 604-990-7810

Yesterday Once More: A Tribute to the Music of the Carpenters

Creber Music presents

YESTERDAY ONCE MORE:

A Tribute to the Music of the Carpenters

featuring

Monique Creber

with Joani Bye, Janet Warren, Nathen Aswell, Steve Maddock

The CM Singers and The Michael Creber Band

Friday April 4, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Kay Meek Centre, West Vancouver

Vocalist Monique Creber, whose voice has been described as “eerily similar to that of the late, great Karen Carpenter” (The Province), joins forces with an outstanding musical cast to present an evening of classic, beloved songs by one of the best-selling music acts of all time. Singer-songwriter Barry Greenfield (“a raw, rough vocal quality that speaks of truth and passion” – The Peace Arch News) opens the programme.

“Yesterday Once More” is the fulfillment of a long-held dream for Monique, who maintains a busy career as a performer, session vocalist, producer and educator on Vancouver’s North Shore. She’s a versatile vocalist who has sung and recorded in many genres – jazz, pop, musical theatre, classical – but ever since she started singing professionally over 25 years ago, listeners have constantly compared her deep, rich voice to Karen Carpenter’s…and the music of the famous duo has always held a special place in her heart.  The tribute concert will be a family affair, with Monique’s husband, Grammy-nominated pianist/composer Michael Creber leading an all-star band that also features Miles Black on keyboards, Brian Newcombe on bass, Phil Robertson on drums and Robbie Steininger on guitar. Well-known local vocalists Joani Bye, Janet Warren, Nathen Aswell and Steve Maddock will contribute the intricate backing vocals that are so integral to the Carpenters’ signature sound.

The warm-up act is Barry Greenfield - an outstanding singer, #1 hit songwriter and storyteller who has toured and opened with such acts as Supertramp, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker, Steve Martin, Cheech & Chong, Mose Allison, the Pointer Sisters, Susan Jacks and Chilliwack.

Tickets ($35): 604-913-3634

Bluebird North #59

The Songwriters Association of Canada presents

BLUEBIRD NORTH

Where Writers Sing and Tell

Vancouver Show #59
Tuesday April 15, 2008
The Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
(Corner of Davie & Pacific)
7:30 pm
Tickets $12
Discount at door for SAC members w/ card
Information (604) 224-6201

Featuring

Tariq

Christa Couture

Linda McRae

Neal Patrick Ryan

The April 15 edition of this popular songwriters’ showcase, hosted by Shari Ulrich¸ brings together Tariq (“a gravelly-voiced singer with Middle Eastern roots who sounds less like raga, and more like Dylan”), Christa Couture (“a blend of folk and rock, quirk and charm”), Linda McRae (“heartfelt, tuneful country-folk, the likes of which has not been heard since Loretta Lynn still resided in Butcher Hollow”) and Irish import Neal Patrick Ryan (“an impassioned singer who writes from a place of vulnerability and truth, where no subject is taboo”). Don’t miss the wonderful songs and stories that are sure to be told by this eclectic group of talented Canadian songwriters!

Bluebird North: Where Writers Sing and Tell is produced by Shari Ulrich for the Songwriters Association of Canada. For more information on the SAC’s mandate, activities and membership programs please visit www.songwriters.ca.

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

Tariq has been writing, recording and performing for over a decade. His songs, rich in detail and imagery, address a range of subjects from matters of the heart to the immigrant’s struggles to fit into North American culture. His latest album, Goodbye Lonely, was recorded in Nashville with producer Neilson Hubbard (Garrison Starr, Matthew Ryan). Acoustic guitar, pedal steel and Wurlitzer accompany Tariq, a gravelly-voiced singer with Middle Eastern roots who sounds less like raga, and more like Dylan. This is Tariq’s second release since The Basement Songs, an album he recorded for EMI Music Canada in 1997, which featured the single “Chevrolet Way” and which earned him a Juno Nomination. With a total of four albums and one Juno nomination under his belt, Tariq continues to work and develop his craft in his new home of Vancouver, BC. He also hosts a daily show on CBC Radio 3 spotlighting Canadian music. He is currently working on his next release for 2008.

Christa Couture gives up all her lovely and messy bits through a blend of folk and rock, quirk and charm. Whether performing solo where “[Couture] and her guitar make an almost holy sound” (UWO Gazette, London), with her band, or in the recording studio, she enchants every listener’s ear. On her debut album, Fell Out of Oz, she confronts and contemplates surviving cancer, kissing boys, kissing girls and abortion. The Wedding Singer & The Undertaker, Couture’s second full-length album, is scheduled for release May 20th, 2008. It represents the next chapter in this young songstress’ life and continues to explore intensely intimate spaces with a frank confidence that avoid cliché and melodrama. “The Wedding Singer and The Undertaker are not opposites,” she explains about the album’s archetypal title characters. “It’s not happy or sad, it’s the space between. It’s that you can’t choose one – love and celebration – without accepting the other, the loss and heartache”. www.christacouture.com

Linda McRae first gained notoriety during her stint as bassist, accordionist and vocalist with Celtic Roots rockers Spirit of the West. Since then, she has released two widely acclaimed solo recordings: Flying Jenny and Cryin’ Out Loud, both featuring her particular brand of heartfelt, tuneful country-folk, the likes of which has not been heard since Loretta Lynn still resided in Butcher Hollow. Linda’s newest recording, Carve It to the Heart (Black Hen Music), showcases a more intimate, acoustic sound, and a collection of rich, heartrending songs ranging in subject matter (as one fan coined) “From Dear John to John Deere”. Linda has played countless coffee houses, theatres, bars, and festivals from Vancouver to Glastonbury and back, sharing stages with a virtual who’s who of international roots music, the names too numerous to list here. She loves to tour and works with several bands, including western string band The Knotty Pines. www.lindamcrae.com

Irish import Neal Patrick Ryan has been moving audiences with his original songwriting in his adopted home of Vancouver since 2001. Often compared to a young Van Morrison or Cat Stevens, Ryan is an impassioned singer who writes from a place of vulnerability and truth, where no subject is taboo. Between recording sessions and working on a variety of other artists’ projects, he maintains a busy performing schedule of his own, inspiring his rapidly growing fan(atic!) base. He (and they) look forward to the release of his first solo album, out this summer.