Astrolabe Musik

13/12/2025

Our on-line auction, Reach fro the Stars, closes tonight at 10 PM. Yet there are still plenty of fantastic lots up for grabs, including this pair of tix to Vancouver International Wine Festival's tasting room—the perfect gift for the in your life. Head on over to bid on them now, and have a look around at what else catches your fancy! They're a super deal! Then check things out and bid on what else catches your fancy!

Auction item 'Wine Fest Tix !' hosted online at 32auctions.

06/12/2025

Reach for the Stars, Astrolabe's annual on-line auction fundraiser, is now live. Check it out for a veritable cornucopia of unique experiences, gift certificates (perfect for holiday giving), artwork, esoterica, collectibles and more! Only on for a week, until December 13th, so there's no time to lose! Bid early and bid often! Many thanks to everyone, especially other arts organisations, the numerous West End businesses and many members of West End BIA, for supporting us. Not to mention a heckuva deal on Tix for Vancouver International Wine Festival...

Silent auction 'Reach For The Stars 2025' hosted online at 32auctions.

26/05/2025

Coming up this Saturday, May 31! A not-to-be-missed performance of two extraordinary new works written specifically for Astrolabe by Bulgarian composer Gheorghi Arnaoudovand Iranian-Canadian composer Farshid Samandari
FICTION, FACT, FOOLS — AND THE SEARCH FOR TRUTH AND BEAUTY
Notes of the Phantom Woman & The Great Sea
A Double World Premiere in Partnership with Yarilo Music
One Performance Only - Saturday, May 31, 7:30 pm
The Annex (823 Seymour Street, Vancouver)
Tickets and more info: Eventbrite

Art Imitates Life
Gheorghi Arnaoudov’s Notes of The Phantom Woman comments on the famous “Woman Without a Face” — a hypothesized serial killer whose existence was inferred from DNA found at numerous crime scenes across Europe spanning 16 years. A haunting adaptation of Iana Boukova's evocative poetry, Notes of the Phantom Woman takes this strange story as a starting point for its own investigation on the nature of reality.
Musical Mysticism
The Greater Sea (drawn from a short story from Kahlil Gibran’s book The Madman) explores the paragon of different music styles in a theatrical setting, pondering the human condition and one’s own spiritual saga to find the ideal destination. Iranian-Canadian composer Farshid Samandari presents the singer as the storyteller, the main character, and her soul, in this journey of encounters with seven different strangers.
Eclectic Instruments
Conductor Dala leads an ensemble of Vancouver’s finest musicians playing a wide array of instruments including double pianos and manual typewriter.
Don't miss this provocative fusion of contemporary classical music, minimalism, and spectral techniques that will leave you questioning what—and who—to believe.

ASTROLABE MUSIK THEATRE PROUDLY PRESENTS A DOUBLE WORLD PREMIERE OF TWO MONODRAMAS FOR VOICE AND CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

12/05/2025

Astrolabe Musik Theatre in Partnership with Yarilo Music presents FICTION, FACT, FOOLS — And the Search for Truth and Beauty—A Double World Premiere, Saturday, May 31, 7:30 pm, at The Annex (823 Seymour Street, Vancouver)
Tickets and more info: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/fiction-fact-fools-and-the-search-for-truth-and-beauty-tickets-1312372715119?aff=oddtdtcreator
Journey through truth and illusion with Astrolabe Musik Theatre's captivating double bill featuring world premieres of two groundbreaking monodramas.
In "The Greater Sea," Iranian-Canadian composer Farshid Samandari brings Kahlil Gibran’s spiritual quest to life, blurring the lines between madness and enlightenment.
Bulgarian composer Gheorghi Arnaoudov's "Notes of the Phantom Woman," a haunting adaptation of Iana Boukova’s evocative poetry, unravels a baffling 16-year true-crime mystery, challenging our very perception of reality.
Vancouver's finest musicians unite under renowned conductor Leslie Dala , featuring soprano Heather Pawsey; Jonathan Bernard and Gregory Samek (percussion); Paolo Bortolussi (flute); Jane Hayes, Rachel Iwaasa and Anna Levy (pianos); Isidora Nojkovic (cello); and Nolan (saxophone).Born in Iran and based in Vancouver, Farshid Samandari is a musician and composer whose work reflects his interest in contemporary classical music, spectral analysis, and extended techniques. Internationally recognised Bulgarian composer Gheorghi Arnaoudov specialises in music for theatre and film, orchestra and vocal works, chamber and piano works that draw their roots from minimalism.
Written specifically for Astrolabe, these extraordinary works examine Keats' eternal question: "Beauty is truth, truth beauty"—but in our complex world, how do we recognize either?Don't miss this provocative fusion of contemporary classical music, minimalism, and spectral techniques that will leave you questioning what—and who—to believe. Vancouver Civic Theatres The Annex.

ASTROLABE MUSIK THEATRE PROUDLY PRESENTS A DOUBLE WORLD PREMIERE OF TWO MONODRAMAS FOR VOICE AND CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

10/02/2025

Friends! Don’t walk, don’t run - FLY to the QE Theatre to catch VVancouver Operas production of Flight before it takes off for good! We went opening night and left exuberant - so much to love! Stellar singing by the fantastic ensemble cast, crystalline playing by the VO Orchestra under Maestro Leslie Dala, Morris Panych’s masterful direction, Ken MacDonald’s impressive set, Jonathan Dove’s compelling score, and the laugh-out-loud humour and sobering pathos of the story. What a delight to see colleagues showcased in such a fantastic production. Don’t miss it! Only two performances left (Feb. 13 and 16)! https://secure.vancouveropera.ca/flight

25/11/2024

REACH FOR THE STARS!
Our 7th Annual Fundraising Auction is LIVE ONLINE November 23 - December 7!

With the holidays right around the corner, there’s no time like the present to Reach for the Stars. Our online auction fundraiser is the perfect place to search for a unique gift for that special someone.

Every dollar earned from Reach for the Stars 2024 supports Astrolabe productions of compelling contemporary music theatre. Last year we broke new ground with the Canadian premiere of George Benjamin's Into the Little Hill; the North American premiere (co-produced with the Allegra Chamber Orchestra of Jocelyn Pook's Hearing Voices; and world-wide streaming of our feature-length opera documentary The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ (https://watch.telusoriginals.com/view/64d691cffe4dd625cf0a4959). This year, we were thrilled to produce the CD release concert of The S*x Lives of Vegetables - Music of Leslie Uyeda (https://redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/album/the-sex-lives-of-vegetables-music-of-leslie-uyeda) There are more ground-breaking projects in the line-up for the next few seasons — watch our newsletter for further details.

2024’s wide range of auction items includes something for everyone, from fine wines, original art and home décor to outdoor activities, riveting reads, live music and theatre - and more!

Your support truly does make the difference in creating work that speaks to our time, reflects our world as it is, and envisions better ways to be.

Click below to bid from SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23 to SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2024.

THANK YOU!! YOU are the reason we make music.

Silent auction 'Reach For The Stars 2024' hosted online at 32auctions.

16/08/2024

10 years ago, on this evening, at this very moment, we made magic.

It’s hard to imagine that an entire decade has passed since we gathered outdoors, under the sky and the stars, with the beauty of Lake Okanagan and the hills embracing us, to share with an audience what we had, over two years, created together. A lifetime, and the blink of an eye. Ten years since the beginning of a profound and irrevocable journey, realised through the power of music, dance and story-telling: a journey of listening, of creating, of respecting, of sharing, and a journey of walking together.

limləmt / thank you

Turning Point Ensemble Westbank First Nation Cori Dee
Barbie Towell Brenda Fedoruk Domagoj Ivanovic Marina Hasselberg Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa Lindsay Kelm Kelm Communications Quails' Gate

07/08/2024

We are SO excited for Raven Grenier's special Studio Showing TOMORROW NIGHT (Thurs., Aug. 8, 7:30 p.m.) at the Scotiabank Dance Centre! Raven is a multi-talented, visionary emerging artist, and this is your chance to see “Wolverine”, her new work-in-progress, along with her visual art and design work. DON’T MISS THIS! More info here:

A special event celebrating the work of multitalented Indigenous choreographer, dancer, singer and visual artist Raven Grenier. The evening includes a showing of Grenier’s new Read more

07/06/2024

THE S*X LIVES OF VEGETABLES CD CELEBRATION!
Saturday, June 8, 2:00 p.m.,
ANNEX (823 Seymour Street, 2nd floor)
ADMISSION BY DONATION

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/astrolabe-musik-theatre-society/

Or AT THE DOOR!

Join us for this live concert ,and pre-order the CD (official release date June 28) now!

https://redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/album/the-sex-lives-of-vegetables-music-of-leslie-uyeda

HUGE THANKS to the City of Vancouver Cultural Services and Vancouver Civic Theatres for its support of this concert, and to all of our friends, donors and supporters! YOU are the reason we make music.

30/05/2024

THE S*X LIVES OF VEGETABLES CD CELEBRATION!
Saturday, June 8, 2:00 p.m., ANNEX (823 Seymour Street, 2nd floor) Vancouver Civic Theatres
ADMISSION BY DONATION - https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/astrolabe-musik-theatre-society/www.astrolabemusiktheatre.com

Join some of Astrolabe Musik Theatre’s favourite musicians for a celebration of their upcoming CD The S*x Lives of Vegetables - Music of Leslie Uyeda.
AK Coope (clarinet), Rachel Iwaasa (piano), and Heather Pawsey (soprano) serve up a selection of composer Leslie Uyeda and poet Lorna Crozier’s spicy and salacious songs of passion, prurience and produce, along with Uyeda’s fearless “The First Woman” and heartfelt Hahawo Shinobite (I Cherish and Honour My Mother).
PLUS ….A world premiere by composer Gabriella Yorke with poetry by Miel Enage, inspired by the dream-like photography of Maggie MacPherson (who Astrolabe audiences will remember from 2018’s production of unheard) from her book QuaranDreams.
Don’t miss this unique performance of contrasting works highlighted by love, lust — and legumes.
CD cover photo credit: SD Holman

12/12/2023

Thanks / limlemt so much Charlie Smith and Pancouver for your support! This is indeed a milestone .

In The Lake / nx̌aʔx̌aʔitkʷ, Heather Pawsey and Delphine Derickson Armstrong show how reconciliation works when it comes from the heart.