For the second concert of the 2024-25 season, Selkirk Pro-Musica proudly presents 88 Strings on Friday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m. at St. Saviour’s Anglican Church.
A Canadian quartet that mixes traditional Chinese, Persian and Western plucked instruments, 88 Strings showcases new musical inventions and adventures written or arranged specifically for the group. Described by an audience member as “plucked string heaven,” 88 Strings’ unique sound blends classical and world music together into enveloping and often hypnotic music.
The ensemble was formed as an initiative of the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO) in 2020, who sponsored their first activities giving composer workshops and concerts. 88 Strings’ first performances took place during VICO’s “The Longest Night: Music For Solstice” in December 2020.
The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra was founded in 2001 and is one of the world’s first concert orchestras devoted specifically to performing new intercultural music on a grand scale. It is currently the only professional ensemble of its kind in Canada.
Through composition, performance and educational outreach, VICO supports the development of Canadian composers and musicians of diverse backgrounds (including Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Indian, Iranian, Latin and South American, Vietnamese, North American and European), and fosters the creation of musical works that fuse and transcend cultural traditions.
88 Strings is comprised of four musicians— Ali Razmi, a Tar and Setar player who earned a Masters in Music from the Art University of Tehran in 2006; John Oliver studied classical guitar at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Music Composition at UBC and McGill University (D.Mus.,1992); Dailin Hsieh graduated from Taiwan’s National Tainan University of the Arts and received a Masters Degree in Ethnomusicology from National Taiwan Normal University; and Dr. Joy Yeh, professor and chair of the Harp Division at the Vancouver Academy of Music.
St. Saviour’s Anglican Church is located at 701 Ward St. Tickets are available at Otter Books.