Smooth as Silk: VICO at Sound of Dragon Music Festival

Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (Vancouver) Friday April 22, 2016 – 7:00-8:30pm, Performance Centre, Roundhouse

co-presented with Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra

Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra  www.vi-co.org

The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra is a professional concert orchestra devoted specifically to performing new intercultural music on a grand scale. Founded in 2001, it was one of the first such ensembles in the world, and is currently the only one of its kind in Canada. The VICO’s core roster consists of 24 musicians, some of whom are trained in the Western (European) classical tradition, while others are performers in the musical traditions of cultures from all over the world (Asian, African, East Indian and Middle Eastern, among others). Through composition, performance and educational outreach to music professionals, youth and the general public, the VICO serves as a voice for Canadian composers and musicians of diverse backgrounds, and fosters the creation of musical works that fuse and transcend cultural traditions. The VICO has collaborated with many other organizations in Vancouver’s world music and new music communities, including the Sacred Music Festival, the Chutzpah! Festival, the Canadian Memorial Church and Centre for Peace, Vancouver Pro Musica, Laudate Singers, Vancouver Community College School of Music, the NOW Orchestra, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and Capilano University. A 2012 recipient of the City of Vancouver Cultural Harmony Award, the VICO has been described as “the United Nations of music” (CBC Radio) and “music that sounds like Vancouver looks” (Georgia Straight).

溫哥華跨文化管弦樂團 (Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra 簡稱 VICO) 是加拿大獨一無二跨越不同文化的大型音樂團體，並在國際世界音樂及現代樂領域中，扮演重要的角色。樂團聚集了來自不同文化背景的音樂家，共同創作及演繹當代跨文化音樂作品。於VICO的音樂會中，總是可以見到西洋管弦樂器與中國、日本、越南、非洲、伊朗、中東或印度傳統樂器，在同一個舞台上，演出同一首樂曲；古典、爵士、現代及世界各民族音樂傳統，在這肥沃的音樂土壤上，不斷繁衍出新的生命。 雖然在加拿大及其他許多國家，已有不少小型樂隊從事不同音樂文化的融合與創新，但VICO擁有了20餘位音樂家做為核心團員，以及更多不定期邀約的音樂家，其規模組織的完整，包涵族群類別之多，都是樂團獨特之處。VICO團員的音樂背景，有世界各國音樂學院畢業的高材生，也有享譽國際的傳統與民間音樂家，在找尋共同語言的同時，展現彼此不同的文化特色，這正是加拿大多元文化所要體現的精神。 溫哥華跨文化管弦樂團的編制，除西洋管弦樂器外，包括中國的笛、 簫、二胡、琵琶、古箏、阮、三弦、嗩吶、笙；印度的塔布拉鼓、西塔琴、竹笛；日本箏、尺八；越南獨弦琴；伊朗揚琴、塔爾琴、胡琴；中東魯特琴；歐洲民間樂器手風琴、直笛、愛爾蘭豎琴；以及世界各國的打擊樂器。VICO為喜愛民族音樂，並對跨界融合有熱忱的音樂家們，提供了一個可以無限伸展的空間，就像一個聲音的“調色盤”，創造出儘是單一文化中不曾出現過的音響色彩。 VICO的作曲家和演奏家們，是大型跨界音樂發展的推手，譜寫並演奏著未來的音樂。於2001年成立至今，樂團堅持以音樂打破不同民族間的隔閡，彼此由好奇、溝通、學習，到包容、了解，才能進而發展出新的樂種，讓世界大同的理念在音樂中得以實現。溫哥華跨文化管弦樂團，用音符編織錦衾，是當代音樂的新聲。