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Park board partners with VSO to bring the symphony to Sunset Beach Park

Symphony at Sunset is set for Saturday, July 14
VSO at sunset
The Azelea Ensemble, which is made up of students and faculty from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music, performed at Sunset Beach Thursday morning as the Vancouver Park Board and VSO announced Symphony at Sunset. From left: Nicole Li playing the erhu (Chinese violin), Tim Chan playing the sheng (windpipe) and Michelle Li and Zhimin Yu on the ruan (Chinese guitar). Photo Jessica Kerr

The strains of Vivaldi, John Williams and Leonard Bernstein will fill the air at Sunset Beach Park this summer.

Vancouver Park Board and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announced Thursday the first-ever Symphony at Sunset. Set for Saturday, July 14, the free open-air concert will mark the start of the VSO’s 100th anniversary season.

“We are thrilled to kick off the VSO’s 100th Anniversary Celebrations in partnership with the Vancouver Park Board in a setting that will combine the scenic assets of our city with the cultural assets of our symphony,” said Kelly Tweeddale, president of the Vancouver Symphony Society and the VSO School of Music. “In the great cities of the world, free concerts like this become a place where families can come together and experience the magnitude of a symphony performance and build lasting traditions.”

Symphony at Sunset will be the first free outdoor VSO concert in the city since 2011, when the orchestra played in Stanley Park to mark the Vancouver’s 125th birthday. The VSO only plays a handful out outdoor concerts each year — others outdoor concerts this season are in Whistler over the Canada Day long weekend and in Burnaby’s Deer Lake Park on July 8.

Non-Partisan Association commissioner Sarah-Kirby Yung, who initially brought the motion to approve a partnership with VSO to the board in 2016, said she hopes the Symphony at Sunset will become an annual event in the city.

“What is better than music in our parks?” she said.

The free family-friendly event will include a pre-concert program performed by student ensembles from the VSO School of Music followed by a sunset concert performed by the VSO. The performance, led by assistant conductor William Rowson, will include a broad selection of symphonic hits including music from Leonard Bernstein, excerpts from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and John Williams’ scores from Star Wars.

The event will include food trucks on site and the public is encouraged to bring a picnic and a blanket. Concertgoers are asked to bring low chairs so as to not obstruct the view of other audience members.

The park board and VSO estimate more than 7,000 people will attend Symphony at Sunset and people are encouraged to walk, cycle or take public transit to the event.

The pre-concert will start at 7:15 p.m. with the main event running from 8:30 p.m. until 10 p.m.

@JessicaEKerr

jkerr@vancourier.com