HARD RUBBER IS, NO QUESTION, CONSISTENTLY THE BEST VANCOUVER BAND EVENT YOU CAN SEE.
DISCORDER MAGAZINEFormed by John Korsrud twenty years ago, The 18-piece Hard Rubber Orchestra has been one of Canada's most active and unpredictable ensembles of creative music.
Over the years they have collaborated with an incredibly diverse spectrum of Vancouver artists such as Phil Dwyer, Sook-Yin Lee, Linda Bouchard, Brad Turner, Joe Keithley, Kokoro Dance, Dee Daniels, Emanuel Sandhu, Alvin Cornista, The Tomorrow Collective, Veda Hille, and filmmakers Brian Johnson and jamie griffiths. HRO has released two CDs, recorded numerous CBC broadcasts, toured to Europe in 2003 and across Canada several times, and received the 2005 Alcan Arts Award - the largest arts award in Canada for creation. They have pushed the boundaries of the concert experience, creating several large multi-media shows such as The Ice Age ice shows (2010, 2000), the arts rave Drum & Light Festival (2010, 2009, 2008), The Elvis Cantata (1996, 1994), the Alcan awarded Enter/ Exit (2005).
HRO is also one of Canada's leading ensembles to commission new compositions, commissioning forty new works by thirty composers from jazz and classical fields such as Phil Dwyer, Hugh Fraser, Brad Turner, Michael Blake, Tony Wilson, Fred Stride, Paul Dolden, Peter Hannan, Linda Bouchard, Howard Bashaw, Keith Hamel, Rene Lussier, and Jean Derome.
Next:
Saturday, November 13, 8pm
20th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT!!!
Featuring Veda Hille, Hugh Fraser and probably a wack of other guests!
The New Woodward's Theatre
RECENT:
Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Saturday, July 3, 7:30 - Roundhouse Arts Centre
Chris Gestrin, mini- moog & piano
Bill Sample, keys & piano
Daryl Jahnke, guitar
Kerry Galloway, bass
Dave Robbins, drums
Jack Duncan, percussion
Derry Byrne, trumpet
Kent Wallace, trumpet
Tom Shorthouse, trumpet
Rod Murray, trombone
Dennis Esson, trombone
Jeremy Berkman, trombone
Brad Muirhead, bass trombone
Bill Runge, soprano sax
Saul Berson, alto sax
Steve Kaldestad, tenor sax
Chad Makela, bari sax
Cameron Wilson, violin
John Korsrud, director
Very Special Guests:
Hugh Fraser
Tony Wilson
Bill Clark
Ice Age 2010
An Ice Show Like No Other
Emaunel Sandhu
March 20, 7:30
Harry Jerome Rink, North Vancouver (23rd & Lonsdale)
featuring Zamboni choreography, hockey, curling, ringette The 18-piece Hard Rubber Orchestra, 3-time Canadian champion Emanuel Sandhu, many of Canada's top figure skaters including Katherine Kang and the dance pair of Tarrah Harvey/ Keith Gagnon. Also on hand will be CBC's Kevin Sylvester as host, Bob Robertson of CBC's Double Exposure, DOA's Joe Keithley, and new commissioned compositions by Peter Hannan, Brad Turner, Bill Runge, Tony Wilson and many others.
February 11, 2010
Drum & Light Festival
Emily Carr Great Northern Way Campus 577 Great Northern Way / Vancouver
WATCH VIDEO PREVIEW
This high-energy dance event features a 14-piece groove big band, five drummers, electronic music, eye-popping visuals and movement by the Tomorrow Collective.
In 2008 and 2009, Vancouver’s Hard Rubber Orchestra introduced the Drum & Light Festival, a series of sold-out multimedia dance events featuring a 14-piece groove orchestra and eye-popping visuals.
The party continues in 2010 with this evening of high-energy sonic and visual extravagance. Music by an all-star collection of Vancouver artists — Ray Garroway (K-OS), Randall Stoll (Soulstream), Alvin Cornista (Sekoya), DJ Timothy Wisdom, keyboardist Chris Gestrin and others — is fused with incredible visuals by Brian Johnson and Jason White and movement by the Tomorrow Collective.
featuring:
Ray Garraway (K-OS) drums
Randall Stoll (Soulstream) drums
Nino DiPasquale (Sekoya) drums
Tim Proznick (Kia Kadiri) drums
Myles Bigelow, percussion
Jack Duncan, percussion
Stefan Smulovitz, laptop
Bernie Arai, electronics
Timothy Wisdom, turntables
Alvin Cornista, sax
Kent Wallace, trumpet
Chad Makela, bari sax
Chris Gestrin, keys
Russ Klyne, guitar
Andre Lachance, bass
John Korsrud, trumpet, director
Vancouver's 20-piece Latin-Jazz
Goma Dura
HIGH-ENERGY BIG BAND SALSA AND LATIN-JAZZ
Aug. 6, Orpheum Theatre
Opening for Poncho Sanchez
Watch Video from Shadbolt Arts Centre, 2009
RECENT:
2009
CBC Radio Broadcast
CBC Radio 1, Tuesday May 28 - 10pm
Violin Concertos by Cameron Wilson, Howard Bashaw
Cameron Wilson, violin
Giorgio Magnanensi, guest conductor
Hard Rubber Orchestra on TOUR!!
we take 18 unruly musicians on the road.
May 1
Kitchener, Ont. - Open Ears New Music Festival
May 2
Ottawa, Ont. - National Arts Centre's
BC Scene Festival
trumpets
Derry Byrne, Chris Davis, Brad Turner
trombones
Dennis Esson, Rod Murray, Steve Mynett, Brad Muirhead
saxes
Saul Berson, Steve Kaldestad, Bill Runge, Chad Makela
violin
Cameron Wilson
piano
Chris Gestrin
guitar
Ron Samworth
bass
Andre Lachance
drums
Dave Robbins
latin percussion
Jack Duncan
director
John Korsrud
April 5, Roundhouse Hard Rubber Orchestra
celebrates iconic Dutch composer
Louis Andriessen’s 70th Birthday.
HRO celebrates Louis Andriessen's 70th birthday with Mr. Andriessen in attendance.
One of the world's most famous composers, Holland's Louis Andriessen is in Vancouver as part of the Andriessen @ 70 Festival, part of a world-wide celebration of Louis' 70th birthday. The feature composition will be the screening of Peter Greenaway film: M is for Man, Music and Mozart with the live performance of the Louis Andriessen score.
With guest soloists:
Cristina Zavalloni, voice (Bologna); Monica Germino, violin (Amsterdam); Cameron Wilson, violin (Vancouver)
Guest conductor: Giorgio Magnanensi
March 14, Scotia Bank Dance Centre
by
Cameron Wilson and Howard Bashaw
Cameron Wilson, violin soloist
Feb 5, 6, 7, WISE Hall
Drum & Light Festival
Three evenings of high-energy sonic and visual extravagance, featuring percussion, electronica, visual projections, and movement by an all-star collection of Vancouver artists. Don't miss this new 15-piece rave-esque orchestra with amazing visuals by Brian Johnson and others.
Last year both evenings sold out immediately!
15-piece all-star mondo-groove super-orchestra
5 drummers, horn section, laptops, turntables, keys, guitar, bass, & more…
Orchestra consists of…
Ray Garraway (K-OS) drums
Randall Stoll (Soulstream) drums
Tim Proznick (Kia Kadiri), drums
Myles Bigelow, percussion
Jack Duncan, percussion
Stefan Smulovitz, laptop
Dan Kearley, laptop;
Timothy Wisdom, turntables
Alvin Cornista, sax
Kent wallace, trumpet
Chad Makela, bari sax
Chris Gestrin, keys
Russ Klyne, guitar
Andre Lachance, bass
John Korsrud, trumpet, director
Visual/ Projection/ Movement Artists: Brian Johnson, Jason Whyte, Tomorrow Collective…
Cantata for the King
Sat. Jan. 31 - CBC Television, 9am
Offbeat homage to the late great King of Rock and Roll with orchestrations by the Hard Rubber Orchestra of Vancouver led by John Korsrud. Freat. Kevin McNulty, Joe Keithly, Dee Daniels, Tim Fuller, Babs Chula...
"Cantata for the King is a weird and wonderfully entertaining performance special - a post-modern musical celebrating the music and genius of Elvis - the King of rock'n'roll. It is a film of homage, wit, irreverent fun, and sheer sonic power. The core strength of Cantata for the King is the avant-garde musical invention of John Korsrud's Hard Rubber Orchestra and the performance talents of special guest soloists." - Telefilm Canada
The Hard Rubber Orchestra is the "Godzilla of the Vancouver jazz scene, a big, goofy monster that stomps through complex charts with the swagger of big swing band and the heat of a thermonuclear explosion." (Alex Varty, The Georgia Straight). This 17-piece ensemble, consisting of many of Vancouver’s finest musicians under the leadership of composer, conductor and trumpeter, John Korsrud, plays daring, unpredictable, high energy music, that draws on a wide range of influences. Expect to hear music ranging from A to L. The Hard Rubber Orchestra has performed its wild and eclectic brand of music at venues across Canada and Europe including the DuMaurier International Jazz Festival in Vancouver, the BIMhuis and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Quebec and the Music Gallery in Toronto.
Korsrud and the Orchestra are also known for producing large-scale, highly entertaining, multimedia events such Enter/ Exit which was the winner of the 2005 Alcan Arts Award, The Ice Age: The World's First New Music Ice Show (Kerrisdale Arena, 2000), Elvis Cantata II (St. Andrews Wesley Church, 1996), White Hot Core (Du Maurier International Jazz Festival, 1995), The Elvis Cantata (St. Andrews Wesley Church, 1994). The Ice Age incorporated 10 figure skaters, including gold medalist Emanuel Sandhu, hockey players, curlers and more. White Hot Core, a sensual and provocative collaboration with Kokoro Dance, drew high praise from audience and critics alike. CBC Television adapted The Elvis Cantata for their show Opening Night (Cantata for the King). The original Elvis Cantata at St. Andrew's Wesley Church, was an ambitious and highly successful production involving commissioned work of 10 composers, a 27-piece orchestra, soprano Liz Skillings, singer Sook Yin Lee and actor/singer Ian Ross McDonald.
HARD RUBBER ORCHESTRA PRESENTS ORQUESTA GOMA DURA
For lovers of Big Band, Latin Jazz and Salsa music, this 20-piece steamy, Latin edition of the Hard Rubber Orchestra brings together some of the finest Latin jazz and Salsa musicians in Vancouver.
Watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgOs5XDMsEE
WHAT OTHERS SAY...
"The Hard Rubber Orchestra presents a volatile and thrilling conception of ensemble jazz in hybrid with post war European influences such as Ligeti, Berio, Xenakis and Lutoslawski. Such an idea could be disastrous, but HRO is very successful thanks to tastefully conceived compositions, arrangements and beautiful playing by the members of the band."
- Ian Crutchley, Discorder
"...a 15-piece band that is nothing short of a killer."
- Step Magazine