Nelson Freire canceled his concert

The concert by Nelson Freire has unfortunately had to be cancelled on the advice of his doctor. Stepping in will be Georgijs Osokins from Latvia, the young sensational pianist of the 17th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, 2015. He was dubbed by critics as exceptional and unpredictable. Tickets for the Freire recital will be honoured at the Osokins performance. You can find more information about Georgijs Osokins on our web site. Single tickets for this event can be bought through us or Tickets Tonight.

Great performance by Dina Yoffe at the Playhouse

We had a fantastic performamce where Dina Yoffe showed us the influence of Chopin’s work on Scriabin by playing the 24 Preludes of each, not played separately, but intertwined. This brilliant idea and her playing proved what a great pianist she is. .
You can read an excellent review of this recital by Geoffrey Newman here:
The day after the concert, Dina Yoffe gave a masterclass at the UBC School of Music. It was a wonderful class where Dina demonstrated her fantastic teaching skills.  Being the student of famous Russian teacher Gornostaeva who in turn was a student of Heinrich Neuhaus, Dina represenrs the best traditions of the Russian piano school.

The 2016-2017 Season

This is a season you won’t want to miss! Ewa Poblocka, fantastic pianist, known in musical circles as the first lady of the piano in Poland; Charles Richard-Hamelin, silver medalist at the 17th International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 2015, the first Canadian ever to win a top prize in this prestigious Competition; Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, considered by many critics to be incomparable for his Debussy and Ravel interpretations; and Sergei Babayan, one of today’s top pianists.

Download our 2016-2017 season brochure to find out more details or visit our web site.

How to order

BY MAIL

If you want to renew or if you are a new subscriber, please download, print and complete this form or tear off a form from our season brochure. If you attach the cheque, please make your cheque payable to The Vancouver Chopin Society and mail to: The Vancouver Chopin Society, # 400 – 601 West Broadway Ave, Vancouver, B.C, V5Z 4C2

BY PHONE

If you want to renew or if you are a new subscriber, please call us: 604.871.4450 or if you call Tickets Tonight 604.684.2787 they will select the best seats for you.

ONLINE

If you want to buy online and select your seats by yourself please go to the Tickets Tonight site.
You will be asked to select your seats for each concert separately but your total will match a subscription price. If you don't like this method please order by phone.

The tickets will be sent to all subscribers before the end of June.

Canceling the concert - some thoughts by Patrick May

Some of you are no doubt disappointed about Nelson Freire’s cancellation of his Vancouver appearance. We sometimes forget that artists are humans, subjected to the vicissitudes of life such as fatigue and illness.
In the history of the performing arts, some of the most important and exciting concerts had been given by artists who substituted for indisposed colleagues. One has only to think of the operatic debut of Arturo Toscanini in South America, or Leonard Bernstein’s stepping in for Bruno Walter, and conducting incredible performances. In 1960, Zubin Mehta substituted for the scheduled conductor in a concert with the Montreal Symphony, after which he was offered the musical directorship of the orchestra.
And in Hamburg, on January 20th, 1926, an unknown pianist from Russia named Vladimir Horowitz substituted for Helene Zimmermann, the scheduled performer, in Tschaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The ovation after that performance was endless, and the rest is history.
When we heard news of Mr. Freire’s cancellation, we immediately initiated a search for an artist who might be able to play for you. We considered ourselves extremely fortunate in securing the services of Georgijs Osokins, an artist who created quite a stir in the 2015 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. We are certain that you will be moved and excited by Mr. Osokins’ artistry in his Vancouver debut.
Who knows, this may be a concert you would be talking about for years to come?