Female Bagpipe Master Cristina Pato Leads Chan Centre Stage April 11

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia presents the boundless sounds of the Cristina Pato Quartet on April 11, 2019, at 8pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Cristina Pato is a musical force, skilfully playing at the edges of jazz, classical, Latin, and world music with a tightly knit, synergistic band featuring Julien Labro on accordion, Edward Perez on double bass, and Mauricio Zottarelli on percussion. The multi-talented Pato can be heard in collaboration with musicians from around the world, including Yo-Yo Ma and the supergroup Silkroad Ensemble.

"Cristina is incredibly captivating on stage - the type of performer you can't take your eyes off of," says Joyce Hinton, Co-Managing Director of the Chan Centre. "When I saw her in New York a few years ago I was struck not just by her dynamic energy but also how beautifully and effortlessly she combines various styles of music for a fresh and contemporary sound. Vancouver audiences are in for a treat!"

Born in Ourense, Galicia, in northwestern Spain, the prodigious musician has been an active recording artist and performer since the age of 12. Pato came of age during a period when gaita (Galician bagpipes) was experiencing a renaissance in the 1990s, and was the first female gaita player to release a solo album in 1999 with Tolemia. Her sound remains strikingly fresh, and has been called "wild, feral, yet virtuosic and breathtakingly fast" (New York Music Daily).

Since then, Pato has produced and released six solo gaita recordings and two albums as a pianist, in addition to collaborating on more than 40 recordings as a guest artist. Her work with Yo-Yo Ma on Songs of Joy and Peace (2008) helped earn a Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album. She tours regularly throughout the US and Europe, and has shared the stage with artists such as jazz pianist Arturo O'Farrill, Cuban saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera, and the musicians of the Chicago Symphony and the New York Philharmonic.

The piper's repertoire crosses genres and disciplines. Pato holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano from Rutgers University - as well as multiple advanced degrees in piano performance and digital arts from her native Spain - and lends her versatile academic and artistic pursuits to educational aims. In addition to performing with the Silkroad Ensemble, she also serves as learning advisor to forge partnerships with Harvard University and other opportunities for artists.

Her 2015 album Latina is an exploration of her roots in Latin music, following various 6/8 rhythms that have migrated throughout the world. Pato's captivating group will span the rhythms and sounds of two continents in this concert, from the Sicilian tarantella with roots in Italy and the Galician muin?eira from Spain, to the Latin America rhythms of the Venezuelan joropo and the Peruvian lando?.

Chan Centre Connects Events (chancentre.com/connects)
A series of ancillary events programmed in conjunction with Chan Centre performances, exploring the role of arts and artists in society.

Film Screening: The Music of Strangers - Thurs, March 21, 7pm at The Cinematheque (1131 Howe St). Legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma leads viewers on a musical journey with The Silkroad Ensemble - an extraordinarily diverse collective of musicians from around the world who exemplify music's ability to blur international boundaries and inspire hope. Featuring Cristina Pato, Wu Man, Kayhan Kalhor, and others. $13/$11.

Pre-show Artist Talk with Cristina Pato - Thurs, April 11, 7pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Before the performance, Cristina Pato joins us onstage to talk about her journey as an artist, and her passion for sharing the music of the Galician bagpipes with audiences around the world. Moderated by CBC Radio host Paolo Pietropaolo.