Tuesday, 9 February, 2010

This Week's Repertoire

The Joy of Sax concert is going to give audience members a nice balance of the familiar and the new.  In the familiar category we have Grainger, Gregson and Ives.  New to PSWE audiences will be Stanhope, Villani-Cortes and Farnon.  The program will include music heard on previous PSWE recording and different arrangements of pieces that you've heard at our concerts before.  Here's what you'll hear:


Festivo - Edward Gregson


Vancouver Saxophone Ensemble: 
Variations on America - Charles Ives
Songs without Words - David Stanhope - Movement I. Questions, II. Innocence (Featuring PSWE Saxophone Section)
Suite Francaise - Darius Milhaud - Movement 4. Alsace-Lorraine, 5. Provence


Intermission

Children's March - Grainger
Vancouver Saxophone Ensemble:
 
Slava - Leonard Bernstein
Duet from Lakme - Leo Delibes  
Suite - Robert Farnon
Braseijo - Edmundo Villani-CĂ´rtes 

We're looking forward to sharing this repertoire with you on Saturday night.  Get your tickets at Evergreen Cultural Centre or through your friendly, neighbourhood PSWE musician.  

Monday, 8 February, 2010

How to get to Evergreen

The number one reason people give me to not come to a PSWE concert at Evergreen Cultural Centre is that Coquitlam is just too far away.  Members of the PSWE board had the conversation about travel times and I was amazed at how close Evergreen Cultural Centre really is.  Our two board members who live furthest from Coquitlam calculate that it actually takes less time to get to Evergreen than any of the major concert halls in downtown Vancouver.  Our president comes from Abbotsford and obviously must drive through Coquitlam to get to Vancouver.  The big surprise was our board member from West Vancouver.  Driving time to downtown Vancouver from Caulfield is about 25 minutes.  Then you have to find parking. The driving time to Evergreen Cultural Centre from Caulfield is about 30 minutes and parking is easy and free!  Obviously, if you live in the West End, you can walk to the Orpheum, but from most places in the Lower Mainland, Evergreen is a lot closer than you think!

So how do you get to Evergreen?  It's so easy!  If you're approaching from the Trans-Canada head north on Lougheed Hwy.  You will have likely taken the Cape Horn exit and followed signs that say Lougheed Hwy East or to Port Coquitlam/Maple Ridge.  You will travel along Lougheed until it turns into Pinetree Way at Coquitlam Centre Mall.  You are continuing to travel north (toward the mountains).  Keep going.  Once you've passed the mall, you will get to Guilford and you will see Evergreen Cultural Centre on the north-east corner.  Find parking through the first driveway on your right.

You might prefer to use the Barnet Hwy if you are coming from the north side of Vancouver or from the North Shore.  If that's the case, you can follow the major traffic patterns through Port Moody (along St. Johns) and either travel all the way to Pinetree Way (at Coquitlam Centre Mall) and turn left and follow the directions above or jog left at Ioco Rd as you are coming out of Port Moody and turn right on Guilford Way.  When you get to Pinetree Way, you will see the Evergreen Cultural Centre.  Turn left and make an immediate right into the parking lot!

Use the map below and we'll see you on Saturday night!!!!



View Larger Map

Sunday, 7 February, 2010

Vancouver Saxophone Ensemble

PSWE is honoured to welcome the Vancouver Saxophone Ensemble to the stage next weekend for the "Joy of Sax."  This ensemble is similar in makeup to PSWE in that it is a collection of outstanding sax players who are professional, student and extremely talented amateur musicians.  In fact, you will notice some significant cross-over as many of our PSWE sax players leave the stage to return moments later, often on a different saxophone, with the Vancouver Saxophone Ensemble.

The group is directed by one of Vancouver's most accomplished saxophonists and music educators, Julia Nolan.  She, along with husband David Branter are the saxophone powerhouse much of the saxophone specific activity in the Lower Mainland.  They teach or have taught many of the top classical and jazz players, play regularly with groups like the Vancouver Symphony, the Vancouver Opera, CBC Radio Orchestra, CBC Jazz Orchestra, and Alan Matheson's many jazz ensembles.  Julia and Dave are also half of the saxophone quartet, Saxophilia.

This is the Vancouver Saxophone Ensemble's second live performance as an ensemble and we look forward to hearing their varied repertoire from Bernstein and Ives to Delibes and Farnon.

Make sure that you don't miss this exciting performance.  Get your tickets now through any PSWE member or from the Evergreen Cultural Centre.  The concert is at 8pm on Saturday, February 13th.