VCS History

The idea of founding the VCS came to Iko Bylicki’s mind in late 1996 when he heard about the ten-year-old prodigy, pianist Stanislaw Drzewiecki, son of the famous Russian pianist, Tatiana Shebanova, who was married to Polish pianist, Jaroslaw Drzewiecki. Presenting this musical family to Vancouver audiences seemed like a great idea; however, this required some organizational structure. It seemed natural and timely to consider starting a Chopin society for Vancouver, since the International Federation of Chopin Societies, founded in Warsaw in 1985, was receiving quick recognition, and many new Chopin societies were launched around the world.

Sharing this idea with other Polish enthusiasts resulted in The Vancouver Chopin Society being incorporated on April 22, 1997 under the Society Act of British Columbia with Tadeusz van Wollen as president, Eryk Sitkowiecki as artistic director, Iko Bylicki as vice-president, Malgorzata Burczycka as secretary, and Tadeusz Dukszta as treasurer. In the same year, the VCS officially became a member if the IFCS. However, the first concert did not occur until a year later, on April 19, 1998, in the Vancouver Playhouse. Teresa Bobrowska, our current secretary, joined us after that first concert.

The first concerts were held in the Norman Rothstein Theatre, but later moved to the auditorium of the Vancouver Academy of Music. In 2006, the board decided to move the concerts to Magee Theatre, and for eight years the concert series was presented in three venues, the Vancouver Playhouse, the Chan Centre, and the Magee Theatre. Since 2016 the Magee Theatre has been dropped and the Vancouver Playhouse became our main venue. and Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, and The Orpheum became our secondary venues.

Conductor Grzegorz Nowak became the VCS’s artistic director in 1999, holding the post through 2004. After Mr. Nowak left Canada, Lee Kum-Sing, respected piano teacher, worldwide, became the artistic director, and has remained so till September 2024 when Charles Richard-Hamelin has been appointed as the VCS’ next Artistic Director. Mr. Lee Kum Sing remains with us as our Honorary Artistic Director.

And twenty seven seasons after The Vancouver Chopin Society was inaugurated, two members, Teresa Bobrowska, and Iko Bylicki are still working on the board of the VCS, feeling privileged to be part of such a competent and dedicated board such as we have today.