"NEWS photo Stuart Davis BRUCE PULLAN and the Vancouver Bach Choir rehearse for their upcoming concert. Vancouver Bach presents sacred Bloch Sharp Minor and ihe opera MacBeth, Swiss composer | n 1915, having just completed the Symphony in C Ernest Bloch arrived at a crossroads in his artistic ca- reer. Feeling the overwhelming urge to connect with his family roots, Bloch abandoned secular works and began re-interpreting his religion in his music. These new works mirrored the Jewish soul, or as Bloch put it, “the complex ag- itated sou! that | feel vibrating through the Bible.” Some of his most famous works ~ Schelomo, Béal Shem and the israel Symphony — Judaic in color with brooding emotion — were written during this time. On Sunday, Bloch’s moving and lyrical setting of the Jewish Sab- bath liturgy, Sacred Service, will be the main work of a special concert of Jewish music presented by the 150-member Vancouver Bach Choir at the Orpheum Theatre. It’s the fourth concert of the choir’s 1990-91 season and a fit- ting way to mark its 60th anniver- sary. . Since its inception in 1930, the Vancouver Bach Choir has been an important member of the city’s cultural life and a prominent feature of Vancouver's choral music scene. A large semi-professional choir whose members come from all walks of life, the choir has earned a reputation as a highly gifted group of singers who specialize in large-scale symphonic works. The he only la EVELYN JACOB © spotlight feature This season it opened with Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand — a colossal piece that featured seven local choirs and a handful of international soloists. With its musical director Bruce Pullan, a tenor soloist and King’s College choral scholar, the Van- couver Bach Choir has performed nationally with the Calgary Philharmonic and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and has toured Britain, France, Poland and Holland. Last year it strengthened its in- ternational reputation when it joined international opera singers, dancers and the 1,000-member cast of Aida ir Tokyo. It’s one of Canada’s busiest choirs, perforining an average of 20 concerts a year, are traditionally held in the Or- pheum. Abeut one-third of the choir’s members live on the North Shore, including choir general manager ooe eure) RESTAURANI 12 of which - large ve bills 5 you'll see at O'Doul’s Restaurant are on the toucans... Our Prices Are Pawsitively Refreshing. SPeoeoeeoeoeereeoeaeeeeeeveeoeerxr eestor Gilian Wilder, whose West Van- couver home serves as the group’s office. Wilder, who has sung in the choir since 1969, says the Bloch concert, (which is being presented in conjunction with the Jewish Festival of the Arts), fits in nicely with theschoir’s history of perfor- ming religious repertoire. “The Sacred Service is a wonderful piece of Jewish liturgy. For us, it’s a logical thing to per- form, seeing as we’ve done so many requiems, passions, religious services.” The evening performance also includes Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and the over- ture from Verdi’s Nabucco and the Va Pensiero Chorus. Radio show host and concert narrator Otto Lowy will recite the Kaddish (meaning ‘‘sanctifica- tion,” an ancient Jewish prayer used to mourn the dead) in Hebrew. Boy soprano David Rosborough of Port Coquitlam, last seen in the Vancouver Opera’s production of Alcina, will be featured. Baritone soloist is Metropolitan opera star, Alan Monk. Monk is well-qualified to sing Sacred Service, having al- ready performed it 14 times in tsrael. The choir has had a fong-stan- ~ ding history of working with both national and international soloists, says Wilder, who notes that mez- zo-soprano Judith Forst will sing at the choir’s next (May 4) concert. > : ® a a Our new menu is surprisingly affordable, so amazingly reasonable. While it's not true that toucan eat as cheaply as one at O'Doul’s, it is fair to say you won't need large bills, . because your bill won't be large. O’Doul's Restaurant 1300 Robson Street Vancouver, BC. VOE 1C5 Phone for reservations: 684-5461 CAPILANO Wednesday, March 6, 1991 - North Shore News - 23 International Women’s Day Events Thursday, March 7 FREE LECTURES 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Several college faculty will be dedicating their lectures to women’s issues on this day. The community is invited to attend. COMMUNITY FORUM 5:30 - 7 p.m. H402 Information tables will be set up by local community groups, and free wine and cheese and a hot and cold buffet will be offered. THE MARY CATHERINE PATERSON LECTURE, 7:30 p.m. Room A117 Hilda Ching will be speaking on ‘Women in Science - Diversity and Difference’’. A schedule of the day’s events is available in the Student Society office (Room N116) or by calling 984-4953. COLLEGE 2055 Purcefi Way « North Vancouver « B.C. “A Week In Ireland” Will be featured from March 11-17 /91 Daily Lunch and Dinner Specials is topped off with two Gala Evenings plus Live Entertainment Friday March 15th from 6:00 pm Saturday March 16th from 6:00 pm For Reservations & Information call 926-8922, ask for Pat Seating from 6:00 to 10:00 pm PAT RESTAURANT ENTERTAINMENT PUB AT THE COACH HOUSE INN PRESENTS COUPLES NIGHT! EVERY SATURDAY 8:30 P.M.-1:00 A.M te 2 male exotic entertainers featuring Jericho & Richard Richards we 3 Female exotic entertainers vw Free flowers for the ladies te Standup Comedy by Yuk Yuk's starring Chris Molineux _ "700 LILLOOET RD., NORTH VAN (no cover charge)