Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

My parents did everything within their means to foster my modest musical pursuits. I’ve been attending VSO concerts since Kazuyoshi Akiyama was the resident conductor and know how privileged we are to live in a city where on any given night we can soak in a little culture in a beautiful venue in the heart of downtown.
And it doesn’t have to be some high brow pretentious affair where people in tuxedos and ball gowns wax philosophic over glasses of white zinfandel. Okay sometimes it’s a little like that. But tickets are often very affordable. Have a favourite composer or concerto or symphony? Check to see if the VSO is performing it. You may be surprised at how affordable seats are.
Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.1 is a personal favourite of mine. It illustrates a man’s decent into madness and hearing it live is a head bangin’ wild ride that will blow your mind. From the depths of despair to frantic pizzicato strings it’s what insanity sounds like. Seeing Yo Yo Ma backed by the VSO perform it a few years ago was intense.
The piece of music was so radical that Stalin issued a death warrant for Shostakovich. In response Shostakovich wrote Symphony No.5 (subtitled An Artist’s Response to Justifiable Critique.) And The VSO is performing it in June.
It’s a pompous, powerful and ridiculously over-​the-​top piece of bombastic hooplah. There are freakin’ harp and bassoon solos and the percussion section alone is going to blow the roof of the Orpheum.
Of all the concerts and recitals I’ve attended I only once left disappointed. Itzhak Perlman performed Beethoven for all of 20 mins., did 5 or 6 curtain calls and no encore. $ 250 for 20 mins. Thppppt! He played encores the other times and, frankly we weren’t standing there clapping our hands raw because we wanted him to come out and bow six times.
Also he actually paused between movements to tell people not to clap. People’s emotions got the best of them and he saw fit to lecture them for it. Music critics later said he didn’t play an encore in order to leave the audience’s ears unadulterated or some such nonsense. Sycophantic dweebs.
The last concert I attended was for their New Music Festival. I’ve heard San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet at the Chan Centre a couple times. Tickets to see Kronos normally cost around $ 150. But this year they performed with the full orchestra and the best seats in the house were $ 35!
I ended up phoning the box office to see what the catch was. Was it just a rehearsal? Was the concert only 15 mins. long? Did the orchestra give the strings section the night off? (it’s New Music you never know.) Would there be a student conductor? No catch. Full length concert. Full orchestra. Maestro Bramwell Tovey conducting.
After the concert the VSO hosted a meet and greet afterward. Kinda like the lounge area at the VAG FUSE nights with gelled lighting and a DJ. We got to drink beer (good beer) with the Maestro, one of the composers as well as Kronos violinists Sherba and Harrington who were entirely gracious and seemed happy to chat with attendees.
The new President of the VSO came over and introduced herself. We chatted about the arts scene in Vancouver (she’s from Seattle) and it was nice to hear about her plans for the upcoming season. I asked her why the tickets were so inexpensive and she shrugged and said «New Music.» Adding that the prices reflect the demand for New Music but it’s important and represents the future of composing. It’s so important to support this festival I’m buying tickets to the entire series next year.
Don’t let the Gothic arches and painted cherubs intimidate you. You don’t need to be an expert in classical music to enjoy the experience here. You don’t need to know what Andante Cantabile means or dust off your prom dress. Wear jeans and a t-​shirt or dress up fancy-​like and make a romantic night of it. The symphony is comprised of artists who have dedicated their lives to art and making music. They don’t care about your social status or how you dress. Go and enjoy yourself. It’s no big deal.

Gotta hand it to their marketing dept, or maybe their Accounting, but as soon as you buy a lottery, they’ll keep on sending you cute reminders lol.
After 2 years, I’ve given up.

5 stars for the VSO, and 0 stars for the audiences:
Most of the patrons arrived suitably dressed for a feed at a Swiss Chalet, and not-​in this instance-​for an evening of Beethoven’s «Emperor» piano concerto, played by Alexander Melnikov.
Latecomers arrived just before the Adagio un poco mosso movement, and the orchestra and audience was then forced to wait while these flaneurs settled themselves into their seats.
During the Adagio movement, it was as if the concert hall had been transformed into an invalid’s ward due to all the coughing and hacking. All the coughing had caused such a disturbance during the first movement that the conductor gave an impromptu lesson in concert hall etiquette to the audience whilst the latecomers were being seated before the second movement commenced.
As it presently stands, audiences are reminded to not take photographs, not clap between movements, and to turn their cell phones off during the performance.
With the present state of moral degradation in Canada, I can comfortably predict that in the not too distant future concert goers will have to sit through a introductory civics class before being granted the privilege of access to the concert hall.
From the state of the audience I witnessed the other evening, they are still bottlenecked at rudimentary toilet training.
A whole new layer of horror has recently been added to the VSO. Producers unwilling to justify investing in concerts that rely on large sums of risk capital: there’s little incentive to invest in concerts that will frustrate and baffle the mass audience’s need for reassurance. Instead of a night of Shubert, the culturally stunted can be lulled by music from «The Godfather» films, or regaled by music from Warner’s «Bugs Bunny and Tweety» television program.

Well, first off I love the kid concert series. Loved it as a kid, and I would probably still love it as a grown adult.
The performances the VSO puts on makes me want to become a member of the orchestra– I kid you not. I want to pick up any oboe, violin, man I’d even learn the timpani or the bass!!! I want to play in the orchestra you guys are so good at playing live it makes me want to be a full time orchestra member.
Miss the symphony of light.
Love that the TD all access pass has been upped to age 35 now– all those students and under 35 can enjoy VSO shows without worrying about their mortgage, car payments or tuition. :) or those who also love eating out.
Anyway– check it out. It’s classy and usually people wear their Sunday’s best to VSO shows

Sorry to have to write a bad review.
I was in Vancouver for a couple of days and wanted to hear the Vancouver Symphony. I googled «Vancouver Symphony» and saw that the historic Orpheum Hall was a couple of blocks away from my hotel. I was using an iPhone and the text was very small and I had to zoom in and out to navigate. I google mapped it just to make sure of the location and bought two tickets online 130 dollars for the Friday April 24 concert.

When I arrived at the concert hall at 7:15pm the hall was dark and there were signs on the door saying that a concert had been cancelled — but this wasn’t the concert I wanted to attend. I called the Vancouver Symphony and got an automated message to call back during normal business hours from 9−7pm weekdays.
Now that I have returned to my hometown I called the Vancouver Symphony to figure out what happened to the concert: they said it was actually at the Chan Centre at UBC. I wish I had known this so I could have walked to Chan Centre.
The website was misleading because although it does say the Chan Centre, the address at the bottom is 500 Seymour Street. This is also the same location that shows up in a google search.
I feel the symphony should have given me a refund for these tickets. I spoke to a very polite woman at the Symphony who said it is not the policy of the Symphony to offer refunds for past concerts.
Having experienced their intransigence in this matter, I am sure that I would never again attempt to buy tickets the Vancouver Symphony. This whole transaction has left a very bitter taste in my mouth.

I’ve seen a few productions here over the years. I appreciate the classical music and the roots that it has built for modern music, however, I am appreciating more that they’re making more of an effort to recruit some of the younger fans and pop culture fans. I’ve seen the Danny Elfman show case, Bugs Bunny and the movie themes productions. Depending on the production tickets have always been hit and miss, however, affordable for the most part. It is nice to dress up and enjoy a night out at the Orchestra.

Love the VSO and the Orpheum is beautiful!
If you’re 30 and under, sign up for the TD All Access pass. It’s a fab deal.
I’ll be back :)

Every time I attend a VSO concert, I come away with my soul refreshed! It is a great way to spend an evening and when compared to other activities, is actually very well-​priced!
If you have never come to a performance, it should be on your list of things to experience very soon! You will be glad you did!

I really like the VSO. I’ve been a few times now, and every time is wonderful. They’ve done a really great job trying to attact a younger audience, everything from having discounted group tickets to having more modern and contemporary artists partner for shows to participating in the Vancouver Inspiration Pass. They’re doing everything right.
I also like the location — the Orpheum is beautiful and is laid out perfectly for the VSO. I wish there were more washrooms around, it always seems nearly impossible to make it back to my seat in time during intermission.
If you haven’t been, you should go. It’s certainly enjoyable and a great idea for an evening out. It’s not just for couples too, there were several families that went with their young kids — the age range is impressive. I hope it’s a sign that the VSO is thriving well in the city!

I love VSO concerts. I didn’t actually know how decently priced they are until I compared to other cities. SF dress circle tickets are $ 125 most often, Seattle about the same, whilst the concert I went to yesterday was half that price, and it featured Midori. Yes, that Midori. The technical virtuoso with the soul of an angel, who looks like she was put on the Earth to shred bows in the space of a symphony movement, who is going to get scoliosis given her crazy posture but at least she wasn’t thrashing about, that Midori.
Last year’s concert where they had the Seoul Philharmonic come on as well was just amazing.
The concerts are held in the Orpheum, which is a lovely classic hall. It feels like you’re sitting in an opera house with a lot of rococo and baroque architecture feel, and the coziness of the lights makes you feel very much peaceful. It’s a big contrast from the ultra modern feeling of the Chan Centre, but both are great auditoriums in their own right.
Tonight’s concert was unique because the principal violist (for the viola) fell ill midway through the concert and had to leave the stage. Someone had to fill his space and basically sight read his passages because they usually got the other viola part, and it took about half a movement of Shostakovich’s Symphony #1 but then the orchestra was perfectly composed yet again. The steady hand of Bramwell Tovey guides the orchestra with the experience and forcefulness of a patrician grandfather, yet his gentle flourishes and deft waves of the hand also belie a sensitivity that was much imparted on Tristan and Isolde, Shostakovich and the Brahms violin symphony that Midori played.
My concern was more with the audience than the orchestra actually, even with the illness. At the end of Brahms’ first movement, Midori relaxed, and the audience exhaled as a whole since she had wound us up. Then no later than two seconds came and out arose a whole reverb of coughs! It was like everyone had held in their flu symptoms just to hear this amazing orchestra. Needless to say, there was much less of a pause between the second and third movements.
What a lovely concert, though! And in such a charming concert hall.

I try and go to the Symphony any time I have a chance, which is about once a month.
If you’re under 30, you can get 2 — $ 15 tickets so it’s GREAT!!! That’s right, $ 15 for any seat in the house! It’s basically a steal.

One if the best deals in town — 5 concerts for $ 100. Our seats are in the 4^th row in front of the double basses and they are fine. The concerts are always fantastic — the VSO is chock full of great musicians and Bramwell Tovey is the cutest conductor. — he hops and flails and gets the best out of his orchestra.
There isn’t a fee if you need to change your ticket (seasons ticket holders only) and the folks on the other end of the phone know the theatre and the concerts really well and can always give you an informed opinion on any question you might have. I also appreciate the little stickers they give you for your calendar so you know when your next concert is. You also get a 5 dollar discount and additional discounts during the year for any concert.
They make classical music accessible and rarely play anything too post-​modern. The soloists that come and perform are great — they’ve ben featuring a lot of young up and comers over then past few years which is vital if they want to keep classical music relevant.

So way back when, I was a band geek (trumpet). Plus played piano as a kid. So I (somewhat) know music well, kind of.
I haven’t been to a symphony concert in years and this was my 1^st VSO experience. I went to the opening weekend with featured Jon Kimura Parker playing Rachmaninoff.
As expected, the crowd consisted of a «sea of greys» as Jenna L puts it, but an enthusiastic bunch they were. The stars of the show are the mass of violins. Each violinist swaying passionately with each movement, it’s hard to take your eyes off them.
The pianist, Jon Kimura Parker, was stellar. Always amazes me how they can remember such long, intricate pieces of music and play it uniquely.
Check their calendar. They have some great artists throughout the season.

Sunday afternoon concert feat. Augustin Hadelich was purely genius. His techniques and understanding of lyricism are simply amazing… I was so impressed!
The Orpheum is such a classic looking venue with beautiful chandelier and glittering walls. With my access pass I also get a massive discount on tickets, often paying $ 10 something for a concert. On Sunday afternoon concert though, you will see «sea of greys».
One thing that bothered me throughout was the «my ass in your face» man who sat next to me. People. Please please please whatch which direction you rears are facing, and if they are not pointing south, but in any other direction, then ensure they are not in someone’s face… This also applies to your feet and their directions if you want to cross your legs! GAH!
Anyways, I very much resisted an attempt to tap his butt with a program to let him know his back is in my private bubble but decided I give him another chance (which he repeated anyways).
So much for my ranting, but I am sure it happens often… But I shall not take away a star for my wonderful experience otherwise.

Did you know that if you are a post-​secondary student, you can get a VSO access pass for free that allows you to go to most VSO performances in the best available seat for only $ 10??? That IS the best concert deal in town, as the website advertises.
I happened to stumble on this and then decided to go to a VSO Pops series concert: A Century of Broadway. That is definitely the best $ 10 I ever spent on entertainment! The music was amazing, and I love the Orpheum! The VSO is really a group that can play anything. We got to listen to songs from famous musicals in the early 1900s all the way to Wicked and Phantom of the Opera.
Fantastic!!!