Season Finale – Vancouver debut of Kate Liu

For the final concert of our season, we present the Vancouver recital debut of Kate Liu, the remarkable young pianist who captured the hearts of the Polish audience at the 2015 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. After rounds of grueling competition, Kate was awarded the bronze medal, the audience favourite award (in which Polish radio audience vote for the pianist of their choice), and the much sought-after Polish Radio Prize for best performance of a mazurka.

Ever since that watershed event, Kate Liu has maintained an active performing schedule, making appearances in Poland, where she remains incredibly popular, as well as other major musical centres, and receiving rave reviews wherever she appears. In the 2018-2019 season, she was named as one of the pianists of the prestigious Gilmore Rising Star Series.

The Vancouver Chopin Society is extremely proud to be presenting the debut of this extraordinary young artist.

Kate Liu’s debut recital will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 19th, 2019, at the Vancouver Playhouse. To purchase tickets, please please visit our website. or call the Chan Centre Box Office at 604-822-2697.

A Very Special Event – Lecture by Professor Alan Walker

In conjunction with Kate Liu’s debut recital, we are happy to announce that renowned music historian Professor Alan Walker will give a lecture at the Vancouver Playhouse Salon at 1:15 p.m. on May 19th.

The lecture is exclusively for ticket holders to Kate Liu’s concert.

Professor Walker is an acknowledged authority on 19th century music, and has written books on Liszt, Schumann, and Chopin. His latest book, Fryderyk Chopin - A Life and Times, is now considered the best English language biography of the composer. It took him 10 years to write this book. The lecture, entitled “Fryderyk Chopin: The Raphael of the Keyboard”, will afford Vancouver audience a rare opportunity to hear this legendary music scholar. It will be illustrated with recordings by some of the great Chopin interpreters from the past and present.
 
A limited number copies of his Chopin biography will be available at the concert at a reduced price. You can secure a copy  by letting us know by email or phone.

Seating for the lecture is very limited. If you are interested in attending the lecture please let us know by calling The Vancouver Chopin Society office at 604-871-4450 or writing to us at info@chopinsociety.org. Please indicate your name and the number of attendees.

Do hurry and purchase tickets for our season finale, and enjoy this unique musical “double feature”.

2019-2020 Season – Music That Gladdens the Soul

By now, many of you will have received the brochure for our 2019-2020 season. I hope you are as excited as we are over the range of artists and repertoire we will be presenting for you.

In the upcoming season, there will be seasoned veterans such as Kevin Kenner and Dina Yoffe, both prizewinners of the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. In a review of Kenner’s recent Chopin recording, reviewer Huntley Dent writes, “What I hear throughout is a Chopinist playing with complete musical assurance in a poetic spirit.”

We will also be introducing to Vancouver audiences Zlata Chochieva and Federico Colli, young artists who are making very substantial waves in the world of music. Chochieva wowed the music world with her recording of Chopin’s Etudes, and Colli’s recording of Scarlatti’s Sonatas has been compared with that of Horowitz’s. Gramophone magazine writes, “…you can’t help but marvel at the sheer quality of his (Colli’s) playing.”

Last but certainly not least, we will present the Vancouver debut of Tomasz Ritter, the undisputed winner of the 1st International Chopin Competition on Period Instrument. Other than works by Chopin, the musical masterpieces you will hear in these upcoming recitals range from the very familiar, like Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, to works by lesser-known composers such as Lessel and Vorisek.

Don’t forget that you will have a chance to win a trip to Warsaw for the Finals of the 18th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in October of 2020, just for attending our concerts! The prize package includes one round trip flight, two tickets for the Finals and three nights of accommodation. Details of the draw can be found in our brochure.

Do join us for our upcoming season, and together we will embark on the musical journey of a lifetime.

To subscribe to our new season, or to request a brochure, please visit our website., or call the Chan Centre Box Office at 604-822-2697 or The Vancouver Chopin Society office at 604-871-4450.