Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces first live concerts of the 2021-22 season
The return to full audiences at the Orpheum starts with a gala performance on September 18
VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA is getting ready for a celebratory season, announcing a return to capacity audiences—assuming all goes well—for the 2021-22 season, beginning on September 18.
That’s the date of its We're Back! Gala Performance. Maestro Otto Tausk will lead a mixed program culminating in Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony. Also on the program are Beethoven’s Fidelio Overture; excerpts from Massenet, Dvořák, and Berlioz; and pieces by two new Canadian voices Dinuk Wijeratne and Barbara Croall.
On September 24 and 25, it’s Back To The Future In Concert. The VSO will play the 1985 blockbuster’s score by composer Alan Silvestri while the film plays on the big screen above.
Children’s entertainer Fred Penner welcomes families back to the Orpheum on October 3.
“We have all come through a most challenging and strange year,” maestro Otto Tausk said in a release. “The progress in BC on vaccination and reopening is fantastic. Now, we turn a page in our lives and return to the things we love most. For me and the musicians of the VSO, that means making music with you.”
Of the gala performance, Tausk said: “This is one of those concerts that we will look back on twenty years from now as the start of a whole new chapter in our lives.”
VSO president and CEO Angela Elster noted that the organization is working closing with partners at Vancouver Civic Theatres and following guidance from the Provincial Health Officer to reopen safely.
“BC’s incredible progress on vaccination and reopening plans give us great hope and confidence that we will hit Phase 4 on September 7, permitting full audiences,” Elster said. “The return to full audiences is critical for the success of our orchestra and the performing arts. We thoroughly encourage people to do their part, get the second shot, and be ready to confidently and safely join us this fall for an incredible reopening celebration.”
If things don’t go as hoped and 100-percent capacity isn’t reached in September, the VSO will operate on a last-in-first-out policy to determine access to concerts. This means that the last purchases of tickets will be the first orders that will have to be changed if there are capacity limits.
The organization has introduced new measures to keep the season ahead healthy for everyone.
To allow for no-contact ticketing, the VSO has launched a new mobile ticket app. (It’s available in Apple and Android stores for free download under Vancouver Symphony). Groups can share individual tickets directly with their members from the app.
Hands-free scanners will be in place at the Orpheum, with audiences showing their tickets via their mobile device.
Given the ever-changing times, the VSO is also introducing no-questions-asked ticket returns. “We know that there will continue to be uncertainty this season and that the need to change plans may arise quickly,” the release noted. “We will continue our current policy of free returns and exchanges through to the end of December 2021.”
Tickets go on sale July 23 at 11:30 am to the public; VSO donors and e-news subscribers can purchase immediately.
The organization also noted in the release that the box office is operating on a skeleton staff and the phone room is closed for inbound calls. Customer service can be reached via email at customerservice@vancouversymphony.ca or by leaving a message at 604-876-3434.
More information and ticket purchases are available online at vancouversymphony.ca and via the new VSO App.
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