Saturday, August 13, 7:30 pm

Curtis Clear Sky & Constellationz

Uplifting empowering Indigenous narrative with funky grooves consisting of hip-hop, funk, blues & soul.

Curtis Clear Sky: lead vocals
Tia Taurere-Clear Sky: supporting vocals
Terran Eason: drums
Tai Quinn Whyte: keyboard
Peter Beach: bass
Beaver Thomas: guitar

Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz captivate audiences with their funky rhythms, thundering percussion, blasting horns, soulful harmonies, dicing & slicing DJ with empowering lyrics that gratify your soul. Curtis and his band’s highly-engaging performances make you “bump with the booming blasting blare” and you’ll be “moving your feet like you don’t care.”

constellationz.com

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Sunday, August 14, 3 pm

Serenata Mexicana

Featuring the duo of Mexican soprano Lili Nogueras and Cuban guitarist Josué Tacoronte with trombonist Jeremy Berkman.

Lili Nogueras: vocals
Josué Tacoronte: guitar
Jeremy Berkman: trombone

Two years ago, Lili Nogueras and Josué Tacoronte began their duo with the project Opera Flamenca and now they perform a program of traditional Mexican songs, with classical/popular voice and flamenco guitar. For this special performance they are joined by guest trombonist Jeremy Berkman who brings a unique and original musical contrast. As a trio they were featured in “Elementos” for Turning Point Ensemble's 1+1+1 film project and were recently invited to contribute to the Victoria Flamenco Festival. Pianist and soprano Lili Nogueras began studying music at the age of 6 and has studied and performed around the world. Acclaimed by critics, guitarist Josué Tacoronte has released three albums and in 2013 he was awarded Best Concert Interpreter at the International Festival CUBADISCO Awards. Trombonist Jeremy Berkman currently performs with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Cappella Borealis, and the Vancouver Brass Orchestra and has contributed to over 30 commercial recordings.

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Friday, August 19, 7:30 pm

Kutapira

Zimbabwean marimba with West African and Afro-Cuban percussion.

Sangito Bigelow: marimba, percussion, drums, vocals
Theo Vincent: marimba, percussion, drums
Jeremy Bryant: marimba, percussion, drums
Kai Buchan: marimba, percussion
JeanSe: electric bass

Melding the rhythms of Zimbabwe and West Arica with Reggae, Samba, Afrobeat, Funk, Jazz, Cumbia, Disco and Hip Hop, this fusion of styles is intelligently selected, seamlessly blended and brought to you by Kutapira. ​What started out thirteen years ago as a youth world music initiative has metamorphosized into the crowd-pleasing percussion explosion known today as Kutapira. The name Kutapira means “Sweetness” in the Shona language of Zimbabwe, a fitting title for a band that plays a fusion of Zimbabwean marimba with West African and Afro-Cuban percussion. For years they performed exclusively as a mallet swinging, skin-slapping quintet but now, in their latest evolutionary form, they feature vocals and electric bass. 

kutapira.com

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Saturday, August 20, 7:30 pm

The Fugitives

Modern folk music with big streaks of storytelling.

Brendan McLeod: guitar, vocals
Adrian Glynn: bass, balalaika, lead vocals
Chris Suen: banjo, vocals
Carly Frey: violin, vocals

A folk collective headed by songwriters Adrian Glynn and Brendan McLeod, the band has toured extensively through Canada, Western Europe, and the UK. Over the past twelve years, they’ve earned a reputation for unforgettable live shows, brimming with complex harmonies, infectious storytelling and top-notch musicianship. Trench Songs, The Fugitives' fifth record, was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards and a JUNO Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year. Their previous album, The Promise of Strangers, won Best Folk Album of 2019 from the German Music Critics' Association and before that, 2013's Everything Will Happen spent ten weeks on the top ten Canadian folk charts and earned them a support slot across Western Canada with Buffy Sainte-Marie and an appearance at UK’s Glastonbury Festival.

 “This show is simply brilliant” (CBC)

fugitives.ca

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Sunday, August 21, 3:00 pm

Public Dreams

Zheng and drums manifest a momentary cross-cultural conversation.

Andrea Wong: zheng
Spencer Schoening: drums
Shruti Ramani: vocals
Nikko Whitworth: bass
Meredith Bates: violin

Public Dreams is an experimental musical group that explores the convergence of different musical traditions and cultures through free improvisation. Drawing on folk, rock, and jazz influences, they meet in a playful space for public dialogue between distant soundscapes. Public Dreams’ exchange of eclectic grooves and vulnerable melodies are driven by the fleeting nature of improvisation with hopes to define a present moment.

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Sunday, August 28, 3:00 pm

Omianan featuring Thad Bailey-Mai

Original music blending elements of jazz, rock, avant-garde, and pop.

Sara Kim: vocals
Thomas Hoeller: guitar
Nikko Whitworth: bass
Jesus Adrian Caballero: drums
Thad Bailey-Mai: trumpet

Omianan is a Vancouver-based band that was formed with the intention of playing a variety of music together. Their debut album Paper Dream was released in February thanks to the support of the Canada Council for the Arts. The band was recently nominated for Global Artist of the Year at the 2022 Western Canadian Music Awards.

omianan.com

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Thursday, September 1, 7:30 pm

Michael Red + Tsimka

Deep meditative soundscapes and atmospheres inspired by dub, nature and non-physical life.

Michael Red: live electronics, sound objects
Tsimka: vocals

Michael Red is a Vancouver-based music producer, composer, curator, performer and DJ. He is founder and lead for Low Indigo, ambient/experimental artist under the name Souns, one half of LA FE, one half of Chambers, former collaborator and touring artist with throat singer Tanya Tagaq, founding member of Lighta! Sound, and collaborator with a long list of other notable artists. Michael's performed across Canada, and internationally and has been written about in The Wire, XLR8R, Resident Advisor, and Vice's Thump. Tsimka Martin, rooted in nuučaan̓uł territories, morphs millennia-old oral and drumming traditions into contemporary sonic vibrations. Inspired by the dualities of the ancient and the modern, Indigenous and settler identities, ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ and English languages, Tsimka playfully reinterprets spiritual wisdom, natural elements, and cultural stories to remind listeners of the rhythms alive in us all - breath, heart, and joy.

michael-red.com

soundcloud.com/tsimka

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Friday, September 2, 7:30 pm

Saxophilia

Home-Grown Saxophones: Canadian music for classical saxophone quartet, with works by Fred Stride, David Branter, Violet Archer, and Beatrice Ferreira.

Julia Nolan: soprano saxophone
Kris Covlin: alto saxophone
David Branter: tenor saxophone
Colin MacDonald: baritone saxophone

Formed in 1996, the Vancouver-based saxophone quartet Saxophilia has been committed to giving the highest quality performances of classical saxophone repertoire. All of the quartet members are active performers in Vancouver’s music community, as soloists and as band members in a wide variety of styles from classical to jazz to popular music. This appreciation of a diversity of music informs the group’s choice of repertoire, which ranges from the standard repertoire of classical saxophone quartet, to contemporary music, to jazz arrangements and lighter fare. In 2018, the ensemble released their self-titled recording Saxophilia, featuring the music of BC composers Dorothy Chang, Peter Hannan, and Colin MacDonald.

saxophilia.com

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Saturday, September 3, 7:30 pm

Eagle Ex Machina

Alternative rock and roll with blazing fiddle solos.

Matt Cook-Contois: vocals, fiddle, guitar
Erik Severinson: vocals, lead guitar
Tom Kuzma: bass
Mark Kerrey: drums

Eagle Ex Machina is an alternative rock band founded in 2020 by multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter Matt Cook-Contois as a vehicle to combine his love of rock music with a traditional fiddle upbringing. The soundscape of Eagle Ex Machina pays homage and draws on influences such as the Foo Fighters & City and Colour while incorporating a modern approach to Canadian Fiddling. Their debut album features an aggressive approach to song writing, guitar and violin proficiency, and a diverse set of influences to create a unique sonic signature. Matt Cook-Contois’s musical journey started on his traditional territory of Misipawistik Cree Nation through the Frontier Fiddling Program. A combination of classroom learning, the tutelage of his musician Grandfather, and years of practice culminated in back-to-back finals appearances at the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championship.

eagleexmachina.com

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926

Sunday, September 4, 3:00 pm

Whelming

Bohemian rock music for the overworked and under-stimulated.

Erik Severinson: guitar, vocals
Eric Wettstein: guitar
Markus Abramzik: bass
Mark Kerrey: drums, electronics

Whelming is a Vancouver music outfit developed for the purpose of exploring the creative capabilities of its members. With 20th century rock music as a jumping off point, the band lets their aesthetic wander with the current of each piece; landing elsewhere, feeling at home.

whelming.bandcamp.com/album/plant-your-lightning

For more information and tickets: www.firehallartscentre.ca or call the Firehall Box Office at 604.689.0926