Our 2023-2024 Concert Season
ALL CONCERTS ON SATURDAYS AT 7:30 PM.
Click here to download the 2023-2024 season brochure
A Message from our Artistic Directors
Welcome to the 2023/24 concert season filled with magnificent artists and great masterworks, ranging from soloists and trios to larger ensembles. They will grace our White Rock stage with vivacious virtuosity, insightful interpretations and marvellous musicianship. Once again, we wish you a deeply enjoyable and rich listening experience this season.
Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann
with John Novacek, piano, Laura Frautschi, violin and Chrisine Lamprea, cello
Soulful expression, instrumental virtuosity, playful banter – these are the hallmarks of an INTERSECTION concert, in the which the realms of classical and contemporary music are seamlessly dovetailed. With their unique blend of trio, duo and solo pieces, the three American musicians have forged a powerful connection with audiences worldwide. On the programme are: Mendelssohn’s C minor piano trio, Chopin Polonaises, Bizet’s Carmen Suite and works by Popper and Wieniawski.
with Stewart Goodyear, piano
Considered “a phenomenon” by the Los Angeles Times, acclaimed concert pianist, improviser and composer, Canadian Stewart Goodyear is best known for performing all 32 Beethoven sonatas in a single day. “One of the best pianists of his generation” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mr. Goodyear has performed with, and has been commissioned by many of the major orchestras and chamber music organizations around the world. He will be performing Bach’s 5th Partita, Beethoven’s monumental Diabelli Variations and the Canadian premiere of his latest work, Mending Wall.
with Cameron Crozman, cello and the John Avison Chamber Orchestra, Leslie Dala, conductor
With recitals at prestigious venues such as the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and Berliner Philharmonie, Philadelphia’s Mann Centre and Canada’s National Arts Centre, cellist Cameron Crozman will be joined by our John Avison Chamber Orchestra and conductor, Leslie Dala. The programme will feature works by Boccerini, Vivaldi, Mozart and more. Named “Canada’s next big cello star” by CBC Music and the 2019-20 Classical Revelation artist of Radio-Canada, we welcome Cameron to White Rock.
with Vancouver Cantata Singers, Paula Kremer, conductor
Back by popular demand, the Vancouver Cantata Singers will mesmerize and transport the audience with their unique vocal versatility and sensibility. Be it cobalt, azure, ultramarine, grey, periwinkle or any other shade, the colour blue represents not only nature’s images of water, sea and sky, blue evokes tranquility, serenity, imagination, and the depths of trust, wisdom, and peace. The Vancouver Cantata Singers’ BLUE programme will feature Stanford’s The Bluebird, Bingham’s The Drowned Lovers, Gorecki’s Wislo Szara, and a new commission by White Rock Concerts’ own Marcel Bergmann.
with Percussiano 3 (Bergmann Duo, pianos and Rod Thomas Squance, percussion)
Gustav Holst’s sonic, celestial masterpiece The Planets; depicting Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune and the corresponding astrological characters, will be the featured work of this concert. Holst’s two-piano version along with Percussiano 3’s addition of percussion is a tour de force, and will be accompanied by dazzling visuals projected onto screen. Percussiano 3 will round out the programme with some of their other own arrangements of works by composers such as Bach, Chabrier and Bernstein.
with Buzz Brass (Sylvain Lapointe, founder/trumpet, Frédéric Gagnon, principal trumpet, Pascal Lafrenière, horn, Jason De Carufel, trombone, Sylvain Arseneau, bass trombone)
Performing together since 2002 both in Canada and internationally, Buzz Brass is one of the most reputable brass ensembles in Canada. They are known for their innovative programmes, praiseworthy recordings, their unique repertoire and a vision of classical concerts that reaches out to a wide audience. White Rock Concerts’ audience will enjoy the quintet performing a varied programme ranging from a Bach Chorale and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody to Ravel’s String Quartet and a Gymnopedie by Satie.