FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Festival Vancouver Celebrates Italian Music and Musicians in 2006 Program
Vancouver, BC – Festival Vancouver (August 7 –19) is back for another great year, bringing you two weeks of stellar classical, jazz and world music concerts you won’t want to miss. Tickets for all concerts go on sale June 6, 2006 at Ticketmaster 604-280-3311 or online at ticketmaster.ca
Kicking off the festival is a gala concert staging of Vincenzo Bellini’s bel canto operatic jewel I puritani featuring Metropolitan Opera favourite Elizabeth Futral. Other highlights include Grammy-Award winning jazz trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval and internationally-acclaimed sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar. In all, over 40 concerts and 9 series will unfold in 7 popular venues throughout the city, featuring more than 500 superb musicians from around the world and here in Canada.
Running through this year’s edition of the Festival is a special thread - the music and musicians of Italy.
Viva Italia! The Music of Italy is reflected in dozens of concerts and through a wide array of musicians and repertoire, and promises to be a sparkling showcase for Italy’s rich musical history as well as its vibrant contemporary scene.
This year’s Italian-themed highlights include:
- The Italian chamber orchestra ensemble Academia Montis Regalis, acclaimed for its performances of both baroque and classical repertoire, performs rare Antonio Vivaldi compositions from the Turin National Library’s collection of his unpublished manuscripts (August 14 @ the Chan Centre) and presents a program of baroque masterpieces including Pergolesi’s haunting Stabat Mater (August 16 @ the Chan Centre).
- Conductor Mario Bernardi leads the CBC Radio Orchestra in a lush presentation of Italian film music featuring works by Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota and the theme from the much-loved Cinema Paradiso, Featured soloist is Italian pianist Saskia Giorgini, from (August 18 @ the Chan Centre).
- Revel in four hundred years worth of the very brightest and best of the songs of Italy –from the “hits” of the early 17th century Florentine court to a fresh and exciting take on today’s popular music. Four Centuries of Italian Song offers three concerts, all captured in one tuneful day. Featured artists include Suzie LeBlanc (soprano), Alexander Weimann (harpsichord), Lambroula Maria Pappas (soprano), Tyler Duncan (baritone), Erika Switzer (piano), and special guests the Simona Colonna Trio direct from Piedmont (August 13 @ the First Nations Longhouse at UBC)
Complete program details will be available at the end of May on the Festival’s website at www.festivalvancouver.ca Tickets available June 6 at Ticketmaster.ca or 604.280.3311
For information on group ticket sales or sponsorship opportunities, contact:
Heather Kennedy, Marketing and Communications Manager, Festival Vancouver
Tel. 604-688-1031 ext.105 Email: heather@festivalvancouver.ca
Italian Version
