Select an event for more information:
-
FIESTA MEXICOLOMBIANA
Saturday, May 26
Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac St.A Super Fiesta evening featuring three very distinct groups playing the music of Mexico and Colombia… Mariachi, Son Jarocho, Huasteco, Vallenato and Cumbia. With special guest direct from Guanajuato Mexico, Son Del Monton. Get ready to dance to these vibrant groups and later dance the night away to the tropical selections of DJ Marc Fournier.
-
CHE MALAMBO – Direct from Argentina
April 11, 2018
Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton St.Combining the lightning-fast footwork of Riverdance with the smouldering intensity of flamenco and tango, Che Malambo will storm the stage this spring with a breathtaking new program of fleet-footed precision and intensity
-
Ventanas & Lache Cercel Roma Ensemble
Sat February 24
Russian Hall, 600 Campbell St., StrathconaA unique double bill featuring the music and dance of migratory cultures that intersected from Eastern Europe to the Iberian Peninsula, including Sephardic Jewish, Spanish-Roma flamenco, Balkan-Roma, Romanian, Turkish, and more. From Toronto, singer-dancer Tamar Ilana leads the Balkan-Flamenco group Ventanas. From Vancouver, virtuoso Romanian-Roma violinist Lache Cercel leads his Roma-swing ensemble, with special guest Moroccan singer Meriem Ben Amor
-
TAMAR ILANA & VENTANAS
Thursday, February 22
Hermann's Jazz Club, 753 View St., VictoriaTamar Ilana and her trans-Mediterranean ensemble Ventanas fuse passion and intimate dialogue, embracing the varied instrumental and melodic traditions of North Africa, the Balkans, Turkey and Spain to create fresh interpretations and original songs
-
“ILLUMINATION” – Persian & Turkish Sufi Concert
Sat February 17
Vancouver Playhouse 600 Hamilton St.A sublime evening of Persian and Turkish music, reuniting international-renowned Turkish Sufi musician Omar Faruk Tekbilek with Vancouver’s premiere Vashaan Persian Music Ensemble, and whirling dervish Raqib Burke, Israeli-Canadian guitarist Itamar Erez. They will embark on a new presentation called “Illumination”, led by female santour player and musical director, Saina Khaledi.
-
ZIMBAMOTO Album Release
Thursday, November 23
Wise Hall, 1882 Adanac St.After nearly a decade of electrifying festival and club shows across Canada, ZIMBAMOTO is finally releasing its first album, Tambai. Latin fusion band MNGWA will be warming up the night!
-
NOMADIC MASSIVE
Thursday, November 2
Rickshaw Theatre, 254 East Hastings St.NOMADIC MASSIVE is a unique crowd-rocking, multilingual hip hop crew based out of Montreal. Known for their explosive shows and sharp socially conscious lyrics, the 10 piece band has captivated audiences worldwide with their own mix of global beats, based on live instrumentation and the art of sampling.
-
TRIO DA KALI
Friday, October 6
St. James Hall, 3214 West 10th Ave.Caravan launches its 18th season with sublime and powerful music from Mali, co-presented with the Rogue Folk Club. Trio Da Kali is a group of outstanding musicians from the Mande culture of southern Mali, who come from a long line of distinguished griots, featuring vocals, balafon & ngoni.
-
Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra
Sunday, July 16
Red Room Ultrabar 398 Richards St.Montreal’s Gypsy Kumbia Orchestra is an explosion of music and dance, circus and imagination. The band is a creative chaos that fuses Afro-Colombian percussion with the brass and violin melodies of the Roma peoples of Eastern Europe.
-
Secrets of Eternity with Mahbobeh Golzari
Friday, June 16
Orpheum Annex 823 Seymour St.A collaboration of members of Vancouvers Vashaan and Diba Persian music ensembles, and featuring the Canadian debut of Iranian vocalist, Mahbobeh Golzari.
-
Noam Vazana & Itamar Erez – Victoria
June 8
Hermann's Jazz Club, 753 View St., VictoriaIf Nina Simon or Tori Amos would go a little crazier and play trombone and piano at the same time, they would sound like Noam Vazana. Noam has brought a breath of fresh air into the Jazz and World landscapes. Her daring choices, incorporating vocals, piano and trombone simultaneously in her live show are taking her cross over to a deeper level.
-
Noam Vazana & Itamar Erez – Vancouver
June 7
Frankie's Jazz Club & Restaurant 765 Beatty St.For over 10 years Israeli-born, Amsterdam-based Noam Vazana has brought a breath of fresh air into the Jazz and World landscapes. Joined by guitarist Itamar Erez, together they will explore the global landscape of music from Middle-east, Spain, and beyond.
-
KAYHAN KALHOR & ALIREZA GHORBANI – Iranian Maestros
Thursday, May 18
Centennial Theatre 2300 Lonsdale, North VancouverA rare meeting of one masterful instrument and one sublime voice, in the Persian music tradition of “Saz va Avaz”, featuring maestros Kayhan Kalhor on kemanche and Alireza Ghorbani on vocals, and guest percussionist.
-
EMEL MATHLOUTHI – Tunisia’s Voice of a Generation
Sunday, May 14
Rio Theatre, 1660 East BroadwayTunisia’s voice of a generation. It’s the astonishing range and sensuousness of Mathlouthi’s voice that is most compelling. There are swoops and growls reminiscent of Bjork and even traces of her goth past as she picks out minimal, reverberant lines on electric guitar which make you wonder if shes also been listening to the xx.
- The Guardian -
VanAFRICA – A Journey of Music & Dance through Africa
May 11 & 12
Roundhouse Performance Centre Davie & Pacific (Yaletown)VanAfrica is musical journey across Africa, featuring the traditional music and dance of more than 6 different ethnic groups and 4 different countries, led by a cast of some of Vancouver’s most exciting practitioners of African performing arts.