Looking ahead: A note from director Pat Carrabré

While we have not been able to welcome an audience in our venue since last spring, the Chan Shun Concert Hall has been as busy—or busier—than ever. Thanks to stringent safety protocols, we have been able to support rehearsals and recorded performances for the Dot Com Series, UBC School of Music, and many artistic partners in our community. We feel very fortunate, and are so appreciative to all of you who joined us online for this new format.

As of now, we are planning for events with a live audience to resume in October 2021. We will begin cautiously, expecting that ongoing Public Health Orders may limit our capacity. We also know that international travel restrictions will take some time to ease, so our artistic focus will begin with Canadian talent. We are in the final stages of contracting artists for our new guest curator series, which will kick off this fall with programming planned by renowned mezzo-soprano Marion Newman. It will feature a range of artists from Indigenous opera to contemporary popular styles. We are also working on programs that feature Latin rhythms and circus arts, as well as some of the hugely talented musicians that work and study here at UBC.

My first year as Director has been intense and exciting. We have spent quite a bit of time thinking about how we can best serve our extended community. We hope to develop some new opportunities for you to connect with the artists we feature, getting to know them and their work better. We can’t wait to welcome you back inside the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, so please keep an eye on your inboxes for our season announcement later in the summer. Until then, I hope you can take some time to enjoy the performances streaming on our virtual stage.

Take care and stay safe.

Pat Carrabré

Director, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts