The Prime Performers - Regular Tenants
The Prime Performers are the ten resident companies of Vancouver Civic Theatres who stage their seasons primarily in the Orpheum, Queen Elizabeth Theatre or Vancouver Playhouse. Collectively they offer the finest in local theatre, music, dance, opera and choral presentations. For programming information, click on the web site address for each Prime Performer listed below.
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is one of the largest ‘soft seat’ houses in Canada, accommodating 2,798 patrons, including 16 wheelchair spaces. Modern and spacious, it has played host to some of the biggest shows and stars in the entertainment industry.
Vancouver Opera and Ballet British Columbia are the resident companies of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Vancouver Opera
Vancouver Opera is the second largest opera company in Canada. It is regarded worldwide for its fine mainstage productions; for its leading-edge education programs, which have reached more than 1.6 million children and their families nationwide in the past 35 years; for its innovative and award-winning community programs; and for its groundbreaking cross-cultural creative partnerships that have brought opera to new generations of Canadians.
Founded in 1958 by a group of visionary community leaders who believed in the essential value of the performing arts to the life of a great city and who recognized the power of opera to connect people to the universal human drama. Vancouver Opera quickly moved to the centre of the city’s cultural life as a major creative, educational and collaborative resource in the community. www.vancouveropera.ca
Ballet British Columbia
Founded in 1986 as a reorganization of Pacific Ballet Theatre, Ballet BC has focused on offering breathtaking, innovative repertoire with performances that demonstrate dynamic creativity performed by dedicated, talented artists.
Renowned for the strong classical training and artistic maturity of its dancers, the company has developed an international reputation for artistic excellence and athleticism. www.balletbc.com
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Vancouver Playhouse
Adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is the intimate, 668-seat Vancouver Playhouse. After its opening in 1962, the theatre quickly developed into a popular venue for live performances, including live theatre, recitals, chamber music and contemporary dance.
The Vancouver Playhouse is home to the Playhouse Theatre Company, Vancouver Recital Society, Friends of Chamber Music and DanceHouse.
Playhouse Theatre Company
In October 1963 the newly formed Playhouse Theatre Company opened the Vancouver Playhouse with a standard program pattern for regional Canadian theatre, six plays that were mainly Broadway successes with a few classics included. In the 1960s, the Playhouse demonstrated its commitment to Canadian work.
As the largest professional theatre in British Columbia, the Playhouse Theatre Company supplements its season with new play development, community outreach and education. Max Reimer was appointed artistic director in 2008. www.vancouverplayhouse.com
Vancouver Recital Society
Formed in 1980, the Vancouver Recital Society presents its recital series at four venues: Vancouver Playhouse; Orpheum; Key Meek Centre; and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Long before they became household names, the VRS has presented in their Canadian and/or Vancouver recital debuts such luminaries as Cecilia Bartoli, Maxim Vengerov, Anne Sofie von Otter, Yo-Yo Ma, Andras Schiff, Joshua Bell, and Canadian musicians Angela Cheng, Scott St. John, James Ehnes, Richard Raymond and Jon Kimura Parker.
As well as its concert series, the VRS shines the spotlight on the giants of the classical music world in special concerts at the Orpheum with such artists as Kiri te Kanawa, Jessye Norman, Itzhak Perlman, Evgeny Kissin, Murray Perahia, Kathleen Battle and Vladimir Ashkenazy, to name a few. www.vanrecital.com
Friends of Chamber Music
Formed in 1948 to promote chamber music, the Friends of Chamber Music is one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Vancouver, presenting concerts by international chamber music ensembles.
Because of its intimate nature, chamber music has been described as “the music of friends.” Chamber music requires special skills, both musical and social, which are different from the skills required for playing solo or symphonic works. Goethe described chamber music (specifically, string quartet music) as ‘four rational people conversing.’ This conversational paradigm has been a thread woven through the history of chamber music composition from the end of the 18th century to the present. www.friendsofchambermusic.ca
DanceHouse
DanceHouse is Vancouver’s newest dance series, premiering its 2008/09 inaugural season with a program of globally celebrated contemporary dance companies and artists. The first season showcased acclaimed dance companies from Africa, Israel, Canada and the US in virtuoso performances featuring contemporary choreography from some of the world’s most creative dance imaginations. www.dancehouse.ca
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The Orpheum
The magnificent Orpheum is one of North America’s finest concert halls. Built in 1927, restored in 1977, acoustically upgraded in 1995 and refurbished in 2009, it is a designated National Heritage Site.
The Orpheum is home to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Bach Choir, Vancouver Chamber Choir and Vancouver Cantata Singers. The Orpheum seats 2,688 patrons.
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Until 1930, the history of symphony orchestras in Vancouver was one of discontinuity and uncertainty. It wasn’t until 1930 that the Vancouver Symphony Society was revived with an 80-member orchestra playing in the new Orpheum.
With an annual operating budget of $9.5 million, the VSO is the third largest symphony orchestra in Canada.
Music directors over the years have included Irwin Hoffman (1952-63), Meredith Davies (1964-70), Kazuyoshi Akiyama (1972-85) and Sergiu Comissiona (1991-2000). Since 2000, the VSO’s music director is Bramwell Tovey, whose current contract runs through the 2009-10 season. As well as its regular concert schedule, the VSO broadcasts regularly on CBC. www.vancouversymphony.ca
Vancouver Bach Choir
The Vancouver Bach Choir, a mixed 150-voice choir, was founded in 1930, and produces an annual series of concerts. By the 1990s, the choir had progressed from a regional ensemble to a sophisticated organization capable of a wide range of musical performances. www.vancouverbachchoir.com
Vancouver Chamber Choir
The Vancouver Chamber Choir is one of Canada’s outstanding professional vocal ensembles, noted for its diverse repertoire and performing excellence. The VCC impresses audiences with the depth and range of its repertoire and interpretative skills, including music from chant to folksong, traditional to avant-garde, a cappella to orchestra or jazz trio. A leading advocate of Canadian music and composers, the VCC has commissioned and premiered more than 100 new choral works over the last three decades.
The VCC has been performing at home and across Canada since its formation 1971 by conductor Jon Washburn. The ensemble has gained international distinction through tours to the U.S., China, Hong Kong, Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Korea, Japan, Germany, France and the Czech Republic. www.vancouverchamberchoir.com
Vancouver Cantata Singers
The Vancouver Cantata Singers have built a strong reputation for choral excellence under the leadership of Eric Hannan since 2002. Known especially for performing music of the Baroque, the choir also commissions new works from acclaimed regional and international composers, ensuring the presentation of a rich variety of sought after works from the romantic and contemporary repertoire.
The Vancouver Cantata Singers refreshing approach to music has propelled the group into the ranks of Canada’s foremost choral ensembles. www.vancouvercantatasingers.com
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