Massive lay-offs at Ballet BC see entire company lose jobs

Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, November 25, 2008
VANCOUVER - Ballet BC has laid off its entire company. The announcement came today at a news conference.
Consisting of 18 classically trained ballet dancers from across the globe, the company, formed in 1986, has commissioned, created and specialized in remounting contemporary ballets nationally and internationally.
With ticket sales down by about $270,000 because of the ongoing economic decline, Ballet BC is hoping that its annual Christmas presentation of The Nutcracker can help save the company's season.
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2008: Symphony Takes First Grammy, Eyes Juno

At the 2008 Grammy awards, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra took home the prize for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) with Orchestra, for the CBC recording of violin concertos by Walton, Korngold and Barber, performed by Canadian violinist James Ehnes and conducted by VSO Music Director Bramwell Tovey.
"We are just thrilled" said an ecstatic Maestro Tovey. "It was an amazing thing to be in the room when they read out the nominations, and I didn’t think it would be us. I dedicate this well-deserved win to all the spouses and families of the members of the orchestra, including my own wife, because they give us the emotional support to get out there and play every season. We also send our gratitude and congratulations to James Ehnes, an extraordinary Canadian artist who deserves to be recognized as one of the great violinists in the world today. And finally, our deepest gratitude and congratulations go out to CBC Records, without which this could not have happened. We are always happy to work with CBC Records, and this GRAMMY is also a recognition of the consistent quality of their recordings."
VSO Board Chair Art Willms sees the award as a culmination of a long period of hard, focused effort to raise the quality of the organization, saying "Our peers in the industry have spoken, and recognized that this orchestra belongs in the ranks of the best in the world in terms of quality and presentation, and I am just so proud of this orchestra and the entire organization. And congratulations to James Ehnes as well, what a great talent – we look forward to having him on our stage again in next season’s Brahms Festival."
With the GRAMMY sealed up, it’s on to the JUNO Awards. This same record has been nominated for Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment. The JUNO Awards will take place on Sunday, April 6th in Calgary.

2007: Landmark Love Nest Demolished

On Dec. 6, the wrecking crews went to work on one of BC architect Arthur Erickson’s most world-renowned and influential houses, a grand sequence of portals and frames elegantly descending down a Horseshoe Bay cliffside. This 1963 house for David Graham was featured on the pages of Life magazine and leased as a love nest to Warren Beatty and Julie Christie when in town to shoot Robert Altman’s McCabe and Mrs. Miller.

2008: Paderewski's Piano Unveiled

The celebrated Paderewski Grand Piano belonged to Ignacy Jan Paderewski; a famous Polish pianist, composer, and former third Prime Minister of Poland. The piano was built in New York in 1880, and purchased by Paderewski for use on his North American Tour. That tour ended in Vancouver, where in 1910 Paderewski sold the piano to the Marquis of Anglesey (who established the village of Walhachin). For the next 50 years the piano was played during concerts at the Walhachin Community Hall. In 1961, the piano was presented to the UBC school of Music, and in 2007 transferred to new custodians in the form of the Paderewski Heritage Committee, in order that it be preserved and maintained for its significant historical interest and value.
The refurbished piano was unveiled at a special recital of the musician's work at the Polish Embassy in Vancouver, on January 10th, 2008.