The Coast Recital Society will bring award-winning pianist Roman Rabinovich to the Raven’s Cry Theatre on Nov. 3 for a program that explores exuberant works by Schumann and Beethoven as well as serene pieces by Haydn and Debussy.
As part of the society’s outreach program, Rabinovich will also offer concerts at Christenson Village and Silverstone Care Centre during his time on the Sunshine Coast.
Rabinovich is the 2008 winner of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition and performs worldwide as a soloist. He is also a composer and visual artist.
Denise Ball, artistic director of the Coast Recital Society, said Rabinovich was one of the first artists she reached out to when she started programming the season.
“I had heard his recording of Haydn a few years ago, and was absolutely blown away by the colours he was able to create,” she said. “He has everything you want in a pianist — crystal-clear technique, expressive range and a capacity to convey ideas with great subtlety. He’s got it all.”
Together with his wife, violinist Diana Cohen, Rabinovich is co-director of the ChamberFest Cleveland and ChamberFest West Festival in Calgary, where he makes his home.
Single tickets are $35 for adults, $10 for students with a few subscriptions still available at $180 for adults and $50 for students. For tickets, email [email protected] or call 604 885-0991. For more information, browse to coastrecitalsociety.ca.
Spook-tacular symphony
Opening their milestone 30th concert year, the Suncoast Concert Band and the Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra will present a Halloween concert on Oct.26 — with local music students onstage for the festivities. The event takes place at the Roberts Creek Creek Elementary School gymnasium.
Conductors Tak Maeda and José Ceron-Ortega will lead the spooky strains of “Danse Macabre,” “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and other hair-raising hits by the band and the orchestra respectively. The show is the first Halloween concert since 2016. The event marks a hallowed commencement of the Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra Association’s milestone 30th concert season.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the orchestra and local string teachers, cello instructor Sarah Poon, violin teacher Michelle Bruce, and Serena Eades, Tegan Ceschi-Smith and Janice Hamilton of the Serena Eades Academy of Music guided students to master two pieces in tandem with the orchestra. These youngsters, from six-year-olds to high schoolers, will cast a spell over the audience as they join the orchestra to play “Dragonhunter” and “Phantom Dance.”
“Our community orchestra brings the community together to share music and create one big sound,” said Bruce, also a founding member of the orchestra. “We are looking forward to adding young string students so they can experience the thrill of being part of that big sound.”
“The chance to play with experienced orchestral players is a rare event. I firmly believe that making music together is the pinnacle of community spirit, and I am delighted that the students have this special opportunity,” added Poon, owner and head teacher of Grace Notes Music Studio.
Attendees in fancy dress will be eligible to participate in a costume walk for a chance to win prizes.
Tickets are $15 for adults (cash at the door) and free for youth (up to Grade 12). The show starts at 5 p.m. on October 26.
Quilters regard new ruler
The monthly meeting of the Sunshine Coast Quilters' Guild will take place on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre.
The doors open at 9:30, with a business meeting at 11. The highlighting of the day will be Julie Faulkner's trunk show and a new ruler demonstration at 12:05.
Admission for non-members is $10; more information is available online at scquiltersguild.com.
