Spring at the Chan Center

Recently I went to an amazing concert called Spring at the Chan. Rachel Z. was in the choral group and It had been a long time since I had listened to live singing so I had to go. Trinity Western College put it on and they did such a good job. I had never been to any concerts other than elementary and high school, so attending the concert was a huge treat for me.

The day was spent shopping with friends (thanks LeAnne and Martha!) and I was able to get some new clothes for Spring, specifically for our Bible conference coming up in just a couple of weeks. After shopping we went out for dinner at White Spot with Chasm and his Lady (Drooler's parents) who actually were sans kids for the evening! The White Spot that we went to made their fries in a dedicated fryer, and knew quite a bit about what to watch for when serving a gluten free dish so I was able to order a bunless burger and fries and it was such a treat. Believe it or not, my server actually had Celiac disease and she was able to quickly tell me of three dishes on the menu that were gluten free as well as inform me that they served the fries to people with Celiac disease on a regular basis. I love that restaurants are becoming more aware of gluten and cross contamination. Hopefully there will come a day on this earth where I do not have to tote around a cooler full of gluten free food everywhere I go! Anyways, sorry for the loooong side note, I got distracted.

So after dinner we went to the Chan Center which is on the University of British Columbia campus. The Chan Center is an amazing building. There is no way to explain it, you have to experience it yourself. A mouse could squeak and no matter where you were sitting I bet you would hear it. The instruments and voices were equally balanced with NO amplification. There was even a harpsichord and we could all hear its little tinny notes as clear as day. There were a few solos and it was so neat that they didn't need amplification.

The location of the Chan Center is so beautiful.

I did snap a few photos, but what I cherish the most is the video. I don't even know if it is proper to take video at an event like this and now that I think about it, it probably isn't. I'll just say that there were others around me taking video and that the guy two rows up recorded the whole thing with his camera, so I don't feel that guilty. I like the video because I can look at the program and listen to the music and remember how much fun it was to be at the concert.

Before the show.

There were many different styles of songs, some in English and others in foreign languages. There was a piano duet during one of the songs, accordion, bagpipe, cello, electric bass, flute, electric guitars, organ, harpsichord, a trombone quartet, as well as drums and many different variations of rhythm instruments. There was a guys choir and also one song where a number of choir members stood up and down the aisles and sang the main part of the song with the choir joining them later, it was so beautiful!

Chasm and his Lady.

Wow, look at the happy couple behind us. Grrr!

Ay-Laung Wang directed the whole show and she is good, very good in fact. A few times she even directed while playing the organ. The movement of her body cued everyone else even though part of the time her arms were crossed and her feet were on pedals on opposite ends of the organ. After the intermission she spoke directly to the crowd for a little bit and it was like stand up comedy, she is a character and it was so enjoyable.

A piano, harpsichord and organ trio.

Rachel had quite a few family members and friends come to the concert but it was so crowded after the performances and so busy that I didn't get a photo of Rachel (but she looked beautiful.) I guess if you zoomed in to one of the chorus group photos you would be able to see her on the left hand side near the center of the sopranos wearing a dress with a wide v neck. :) Oh and Little R, sorry I caught you off guard in this photo! I had to post it anyways.

Please, once again, do not make fun of notice my poor video skills. They will probably never get better, so if you are prone to sea sickness, just close your eyes and listen and it should pass. :) It's a long video, but you should watch it anyways! It is just some short clips of a few of the songs, and the end is really fun. It was great watching a bunch of girls in pretty dresses and men in bow ties sing like they were around a fire in Africa or something.