If you believe that some things are better together, like chocolate fudge and vanilla ice cream, or a great melody and a fantastic lyric, then you'll love these concerts! The team of George and Ira Gershwin are renowned for their ability to place just the right melodic turn of phrase with an intriguing lyric. The Odlum Brown Gala Opening Concert - Here to Stay: The Gershwin Experience (Orpheum, Aug 10) showcases their genius with stellar soloists and our own VSO. Fans of choral music won't want to miss the purity of unaccompanied singing when Nordic Voices perform their heavenly program "Ciels" (Chan Centre, Aug 11). This internationally acclaimed group's focus on all things celestial, along with their perfect tuning, will transport you! Gabrieli's Venice: A Polychoral Vespers (Christ Church Cathedral, Aug 10) will fill the Cathedral with Gabrieli's sonorous compositions for multiple choirs, strings, and brass in a remarkable concert commemorating the 400th anniversary of his death. Aficionados of solo song shouldn't miss Ariette oubliées, a recital of Debussy songs by Donna Brown & Philippe Cassard (Christ Church Cathedral, Aug 17). Your workaday cares will be erased as these two remarkable artists perform a selection of evocative miniature masterpieces.

Gershwin Sizzle

 
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Your iTunes playlist skips from fado to McPhee; at your next dinner party you are just as likely to put on a classic Streisand CD as the latest Tango Club collection. You are an adventurer, and MusicFest Vancouver is your guide to a world of musical exploration!

Begin your journey with the sultry voice of Cristina Braga and her jazz harp at Harpa Bossa Jazz, as she presents songs by Tom Jobim and other masters of Música Popular Brasileira (Christ Church Cathedral, Aug 13). Later the same day, ask yourself: what do J.S. Bach and the gentle sounds of Sundanese gamelan have in common? Find out at Ancient Cultures New Sounds, featuring the Bergmann Piano Duo and Gamelan Si Pawit (Christ Church Cathedral, Aug 13). The genre-stretching program of Broken Hearts & Madmen (Orpheum Annex, Aug 16) brings together cabaret specialist Patricia O'Callaghan and the renowned Gryphon Trio for a concert of songs and tangos by Leonard Cohen, Lhasa de Sela, Nick Drake, and more. For the ultimate stylin' night out, don't miss Pink Martini (Orpheum, Aug 17). Internationally beloved for their cool mix of retro nostalgia that fuses classical and pop culture, they'll have you dancing in your seat!

Pink Martini - Hey Eugene

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Imagine a date with the TV character Frasier Crane, complete with the obligatory pre-concert glass of sherry. If you appreciative of the very best in life, you might include the Gryphon Trio: Beethoven's Best (Christ Church Cathedral, Aug 15) in your line up, which features the much-loved Archduke and Ghost  piano trios.  Pianists Philippe Cassard and François Chaplin bring a French flair to the stage in Deux pianos: Hommage à  Debussy (Vancouver Playhouse, Aug 18) as they celebrate Debussy's 150th in a sensuous program that includes the deliciously titled Prélude à l'après midi d'un faune. Carpe Diem String Quartet: Big Sky Big City (Christ Church Cathedral, Aug 18) captures Dvořák's impressions of America in the 1890s. By way of contrast, the hustle of Harlem and Hollywood are illustrated in music of Duke Ellington and George Gershwin; and postcards from "Big Sky Country" are shared in the Fiddle Suite: Montana, by violist/composer Korine Fujiwara. Cultivating once more some European roots, the Swiss Piano Trio will perform music of Mozart, Brahms and two of their countrymen in Schweizer Klaviertrio: Chamber Gems (Christ Church Cathedral, Aug 11). Like a fine wine, there's a great deal of music that appreciates with age!  

Carpe Diem String Quartet: Cherry Blossoms and Peasbottom

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