Chan Centre's 2015-16 Season to Feature Legends, Legacies & More

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) announces its spectacular 2015/16 concert series, bringing a staggering array of virtuosic musicians, spirited vocal wonders, thrilling débuts, and anticipated returns to the acoustically exquisite Chan Shun Concert Hall. From passionate flamenco to cherished American folk, from energized West African pop to stirring Indian sitar music, the season's performances defy standards and transcend genres, promising to inspire and amaze.

"The 2015/16 Chan Centre Presents series features names that have reigned over the music world for decades, such as Marsalis, Shankar, and Guthrie," says Joyce Hinton, Co-Managing Director and curator of the Chan Centre Presents series. "Full of rich musical heritage and artistic lineages, our upcoming season bridges both continents and generations in an enchanting reminder of music's universal value. These artists are a testament to the fact that in any place, in any time, music has the power to move minds, connect communities, and ignite passions."

The 2015/16 Chan Centre Presents series includes:

ORQUESTA BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB
Thursday, October 1, 2015 at 8pm
The legendary Cuban ensemble, responsible for triggering "a worldwide Latin-jazz revival" (Rolling Stone), gives one final performance in Vancouver of classics from their GRAMMY Award winning 1997 recording. The Adiós Tour will see the iconic musicians, enshrined in the famous Wim Wenders documentary film, bid farewell to their fans around the globe.

PACO PEÑA
Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 8pm
Widely acclaimed as the living master of flamenco guitar, Paco Peña launched his international career nearly 60 years ago and has since graced the world's greatest stages. In "Flamencura," an impassioned tribute to the musical tradition of his native Andalusia, he is joined by a dazzling troupe of vocalists, guitarists, and dancers.

YOUSSOU N'DOUR
Tuesday, November 10, 2015 at 8pm
For the first time since his legendary Expo '86 appearance, one of Africa's most iconic singers shares his fluid and arresting tenor voice with Vancouver. Along with his electrifying band Le Super Étoile de Dakar, N'Dour has been thrilling world music audiences with his mix of mbalax, the popular music of Senegal, and other influential genres for more than four decades. Drawing on his griot roots of oral tradition, the politically inspired artist has helped spark social change movements around the world.

CARMINHO AND SARA TAVARES
Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 8pm
Two of Portugal's most adored female artists exemplify the diverse, rich music of their homeland in a captivating double-bill. Opening the concert with a spirited fusion of Angolese rhythms and warm vocals is soulful singer and guitarist Sara Tavares. In the second half, audiences experience a leading voice of the fado resurgence as songstress Carminho channels the legends that came before her in a much-anticipated Vancouver début.

BRANFORD MARSALIS
Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 8pm
Performing for the first time ever in Vancouver is revered saxophonist Branford Marsalis, the eldest brother of the famed New Orleans jazz clan. The three-time GRAMMY Award winner and NEA Jazz Master is joined by an ensemble of acclaimed musicians for an evening of new works and jazz standards.

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER AND IRVIN MAYFIELD WITH THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Saturday, February 27, 2016 at 8pm
Bringing a slice of The Big Easy to the Chan Centre stage, Dee Dee Bridgewater showcases her magnificent vocal talent with the help of Irvin Mayfield's GRAMMY Award winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Time-honoured songs and new compositions weave a slice of New Orleans history in a rich concert experience entitled "Dee Dee's Feathers."

ANOUSHKA SHANKAR
Friday, April 8, 2016 at 8pm
Continuing to blaze the trail created by her father, the late Ravi Shankar, Anoushka elevates the sitar to new levels of mastery, incorporating fresh styles and techniques to offer her own unique take on the classical Indian instrument. She returns to the Chan Centre with brand new material from her soon-to-be released eighth studio album.

ARLO GUTHRIE
Thursday, April 21, 2016 at 8pm
Prolific folk artist and social commentator Arlo Guthrie is credited with setting the standard by which singer-songwriters are measured. The beloved American icon offers a rare performance of Alice's Restaurant Massacree. Only toured on its ten-year anniversaries, the 18-minute anti-establishment anthem is one of many pieces to be shared from the illustrious artist's catalogue.

CÉCILE MCLORIN SALVANT
Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 7pm
Back by popular demand, the young 2010 Thelonious Monk Competition winner delighted Chan Centre audiences with her vocal power and virtuosity last February. Compared to artists such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald, her one-of-a-kind interpretations of jazz standards and blues compositions have garnered wide critical acclaim.

CHAN CENTRE CONNECTS
The Chan Centre is proud to complement the concert season with its well-received outreach series, Chan Centre Connects. Through enlightening artist and expert talks, panel discussions, workshops, and documentary film screenings in downtown Vancouver at The Cinematheque, the series offers audiences a platform for more in-depth engagement with the season's programming. Chan Centre Connects events are updated online throughout the year.

BEYOND WORDS
Beyond Words, presented by the Chan Centre, explores the power of words in performance, both as an agent of change, and as a means of igniting conversation. In Blackbird, Fly, on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 7:30pm, violinist and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain and spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph explore their roots, weaving movement, narrative, music, Haitian folklore, and hip hop. For Words in Motion, Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19, 2016 at 7:30pm, a trio of dynamic choreographers: Olivia C. Davies, a practitioner of Aboriginal dance theatre, Anusha Fernando, a local leader of the Indian Bharata Natyam movement; and Greek/Canadian Paraskevas Terezakis, an expert of interdisciplinary undertakings, are each paired with a writer to unite words and movement from their own stylistic perspective. Words in Motion is produced in partnership with The Dance Centre.

RADIUS
Radius, presented by The Nu:BC Collective and Turning Point Ensemble in partnership with the Chan Centre, brings together some of the city's top ensembles in a collaborative exploration of the full spectrum of sound. Superimposition on Friday, April 29, 2016 at 7:30pm and Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 2:30pm will feature a new concerto commissioned from composer Aaron Gervais, as well as a new arrangement by Serbian-Canadian Ana Sokolovic and a premiere for Nu:BC by UBC's Dorothy Chang.

Single tickets for the 2015/16 series go on sale at 12 noon on Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Subscription packages will be on sale as of 5pm on Sunday, April 26, 2015 and include eight-concert series subscriptions as well as three-concert and six-concert packages. (Please note: Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club is an add-on show and not part of any subscription package)

Subscriptions can be purchased in the following ways:

• Online at www.chancentre.com.
• By phoning (604) 822-2697, Tuesday - Saturday, 12 noon - 5pm.
• In person at the Chan Centre ticket office, 6265 Crescent Road, UBC (Tuesday to Saturday): 12 noon to 5pm. *The Chan Centre ticket office is closed on Sundays, Mondays, and statutory holidays.
• By mail - Send completed brochure order form to: Chan Centre Ticket Office, 6265 Crescent Rd. Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z1. Email chan.centre@ubc.ca to request a copy of the printed brochure with mail-in order form.

About The Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC (www.chancentre.com)
Since 1997, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC has earned an international reputation for its striking design, stellar acoustics, and exceptional programming. Artists, critics, and patrons alike are unanimous in their praise of the facility, winning it a place among North America's premier performing arts venues. The Chan Centre boasts three unique venues: the superb Chan Shun Concert Hall, the dramatic Telus Studio Theatre, and the intimate Royal Bank Cinema. From classical, jazz, theatre, and opera to world music, the Chan Centre is a vital part of UBC campus life where artistic and academic disciplines merge to inspire new perspectives on life and culture. Past performers and guest speakers include: Wynton Marsalis, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mariza, Renée Fleming, Dan Savage, Yo-Yo Ma, Angélique Kidjo, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Gilberto Gil.