UBC's School of Music and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Vancouver present a week-long homage to Italian and Canadian composers Feb. 24 to March 1.
The Festival of Italian Contemporary Music will feature a series of concerts, master classes, seminars and discussions organized in co-operation with some of Vancouver's major music organizations and institutions including SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts, the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Canadian Music Centre.
"Such a generous and creative project supports, enhances and stimulates our musical lives in a most unique way," said Jesse Read, director of UBC's School of Music.
Highlighting the festival is the world premiere of the contemporary opera Mal'akhim - Angels at St. Andrew's Wesley Church on Friday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. Composer Riccardo Piacentini will be in attendance.
Another highlight of the festival occurs Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. in the Recital Hall at the School of Music. A concert of Italian and Canadian contemporary music will be performed by Marc Destrubé on violin, Lori Freedman playing bass clarinet, flutist Brenda Fedoruk and Bliss Johnston at the piano.
Maestro Giacomo Manzoni, considered among the most eminent Italian composers of our time, will lead master classes for composers during the six-day event.
Admission is free to all events except Mal'akhim - Angels. For more information, call UBC's School of Music at 822-3113 or the Istituto di Italiano di Cultura at 688-0809.