Canadian harp-and-cello duo Couloir are bringing their "twenty-first-century art music" to North Delta next week.
Featuring Ariel Barnes, first solo cellist of the Nürnberg Symphony in Germany, and Heidi Krutzen, principal harp of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, U.K., Couloir's "passion lies in creating fresh music with today’s leading composers through the kaleidoscopic sound world of cello and harp," according to the band's bio.
"Both Barnes and Krutzen have developed international presence as soloists, chamber musicians and orchestral leaders, concertizing regularly in Europe, North America and Asia to critical acclaim."
The group plays the North Delta Centre for the Arts (11425 84th Ave.) at 1 p.m. on Feb. 11 as part of Delta Matinée Series, hosted by the Vancouver Chamber Music Society in partnership with the City of Delta.
VCMS artistic director Kevin Park said Couloir's rare combination of instruments "really bring out a very intimate experience and colourful tonal play,” especially in a venue he described as having some of the best sound of anywhere the society presents shows.
“The acoustics in that theatre are something that’s quite remarkable, with just the right amount of reverb. It just brings out a real sweetness to the sound of every instrument, especially string instruments. It really delivers a sense of intimacy and it feels like you’re really hearing artists up close in a small room,” Park said, noting the venue’s open sight lines.
“I don’t think the venue was designed for classical music, but somehow it really works out well.”
Tuesday afternoon's concert will featuring "Close for Couloir, Op. 48 for harp and cello," a piece composed expressly for the duo by Caroline Lizotte; the world premier of "Dvandva," a multi-movement work that "emphasizes the harmonious coexistence and interdependence of contrasting forces within a unified whole" composed by Jeffrey Ryan; and "Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D. 821" by Franz Schubert.
Tickets for the 60-minute show (no intermission) are $25, available at vancouverchambermusic.com/couloir.
The Vancouver Chamber Music Society launched its North Delta series last year after a successful test show in 2022. Going into this second season, which kicked off in October, artistic director Kevin Park said the society already had around 30 subscribers, a number he called “quite promising” given it's about a quarter of the venue’s capacity.
The society also puts on a series of evening concerts at South Delta Baptist Church in Tsawwassen that Park said has become a “cultural staple of that community” since launching in 2019.
“We have over 100 annual subscribers and it is going really strong,” Park said in an interview last fall.
“Our North Delta series is a little different from Tsawwassen. In Tsawwassen we’re focusing on international artists of a world-class calibre. This is not inferior to that, but [for North Delta] we’re focusing on Canadian artists.”
Both the evening and matinée series are part of the society’s mission to bring quality chamber music to a broader audience away from the usual downtown Vancouver venues by presenting accessible, affordable concerts in communities around the Lower Mainland.
The society also learned from survey and market analysis that potential audience members were reluctant to drive all the way downtown to listen to classical music, Park said, which sparked the organization’s expansion into other communities — Delta, New West, Coquitlam, Chilliwack and the North Shore.
“When we look at the city of Vancouver, there are plenty of concert presenters and organizations such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and so on; there are almost too many. But as soon as you get out of the city of Vancouver, I mean, do we see any quality chamber music concerts or professional classical concerts presented? Not really. That’s one of our main missions, to actually bring these concerts out to the communities and audiences in the suburban areas,” Park said.
The Delta Matinée Series at North Delta Centre for the Arts continues April 15 with the Academy Chamber Playerss — a collective formed at the Vancouver Academy of Music by members of the school’s faculty, — performing works by Luigi Boccherini, Maurice Ravel and Arnold Schoenberg, before wrapping up on May 6 with audience favourites the Vancouver Cello Quartet, comprised of Park and fellow cellists Lee Duckles, Luke Kim and Cristian Márkos.
Other shows in the Delta Evening Series include Kallaci Trio (violinist Yoojin Jang, violist Hanna Lee and cellist Joonho Shim) with a program featuring Franz Schubert, Bohuslav Martinů, Jean Françaix and Ludwig van Beethoven on March 21; and violinist Kerson Leong and pianist Ian Parker performing selections by Johann Sebastian Bach, Eugène Ysaÿe, César Franck and Maurice Ravel on May 23.
“We’re finishing the season really strong with Kerson Leong,” Park said excitedly, reading an excerpt from the Toronto Star that describes Leong as “not just one of Canada’s greatest violinists but one of the greatest violinists, period.”
“I’ve seen many violinists of the highest calibre, the most well-renowned world-class soloists, to very talented prodigies. As an artistic director, I see these talents all the time, but when I first saw Kerson, I jumped out of my couch to really come close to watch his sheer amount of talent. It is something mesmerizing, even just from across the screen,” Park said.
“I couldn’t help it, I had to bring him to our series and share him with our audience. I believe this is Kerson’s first presentation on a Vancouver stage, I don’t think he’s been presented in the Lower Mainland or B.C. before”
Details about the performers and their planned programs, as well as links to purchase tickets, are available at vancouverchambermusic.com/delta.
