VIM House, Early Music Vancouver and Coastal Jazz present COMMON GROUNDS

featuring Pacific Baroque Ensemble and Alan Matheson Septet

Thursday June 30, 2016, 7:30pm
Christ Church Cathedral
690 Burrard Street
Tickets $46 at ticketfly.com

Two Ensembles. Two starkly different genres. In this remarkable project, a Baroque ensemble led by JUNO Award-winning harpsichordist/chamber organist Alexander Weimann and a brilliant jazz septet led by trumpeter/composer Alan Matheson explore threads running from the 1600’s through today’s creative jazz scene. Bringing together disparate musical communities, the two groups will perform works from their respective fields as well as pieces written for the “common ground” of both. In this timeless meeting place, the long melodic lines of Ellington and Strayhorn echo Handel and Bach, while the endlessly creative practice of “theme and variation” is a keystone of jazz improvisation, of the Baroque and, one could argue, of life.


Pacific Baroque Ensemble

Alex Weiman director, harpsichord / chamber organ

Matthew Jennejohn recorder / cornetto

Chloe Meyers violin

Catherine Motuz trombone (sackbut)

Ed Reifel percussion

John Lenti baroque lute / guitar


Alan Matheson Septet

Alan Matheson leader, cornet/flugelhorn/piano

Rob McKenzie trombone

Julia Nolan saxophones

Dave Branter clarinet / saxophones

Jon Roper guitar

Laurence Mollerup bass

Craig Scott drums


The vision for VIM House is to build a music centre to showcase the incredible diversity and wealth of music in Vancouver and to host performers from around the world; to create a place where musicians and artists from different genres and cultures will meet one another, exchange ideas and experiences and collaborate.

Common Grounds provides an exciting glimpse of one the many facets of this artistic vision for VIM House. This important curatorial collaboration combines the forces of Early Music Vancouver which has brought the beauty and richness of centuries old music to West Coast audiences with Coastal Jazz, which since 1985 has opened ears to incredible range of music and experience that is jazz. Both presenters have made a massive contribution to the ecology of live music in Vancouver.

Genuine, respectful collaboration between artists, curators and presenters will be one of the key strategies for creating a unique and dynamic environment at VIM House, a place where music and community thrive.


We gratefully acknowledge the support of the City of Vancouver through Cultural Services, the BC Arts Council and the Leon and Thea Koerner Foundation

Posted in Archive.