UBC
A celebration of life for late choral director Diane Loomer takes place tonight (Friday, Jan. 11) at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC.
The much-loved Loomer died Dec. 10 after a lengthy illness. She was 72 years old.
The free concert in celebration of Loomer will be performed by three of her most recent choirs, the Elektra Womens Choir, Chor Leoni Mens Choir and EnChor Chamber Choir, and will include a sing-a-long. Chor Leoni invites everyone taking part to shed a happy tear for her great life, hug each other and SING.
Chor Leoni will also be honouring Loomer, in perpetuity, by periodically commissioning major choral works for the mens choir in her name by drawing from the newly established Diane Loomer Commissioning Endowment Fund through the Vancouver Foundation. The family asks that in lieu of flowers music lovers consider supporting this endeavour.
Its advised to arrive at the celebration early as there are no reserved seats and the centre, located at 6265 Crescent Rd. at UBC, is expected to fill up. The celebration starts at 7:30 p.m.
Broadway Station
Ours is not to ask why, but what the heck. The No Pants SkyTrain Ride begins this Sunday, Jan. 13 at 1 p.m. sharp (rain or shine) at the Broadway SkyTrain Station, opposite Shoppers Drug Mart.
The event was organized to coincide with the No Pants Subway Ride global event, launched in 2002 by Improv Everywhere in New York. This year marks the fourth annual no-pants event in Vancouver.
The rules are simple. All partici(pants) need are a transit pass/ticket and a backpack. Participants are asked to arrive wearing pants and are directed not to speak to anyone at the station. Once theyre seated on a SkyTrain car theyre to do whatever theyd normally do while riding, such as reading. But as soon as the car door closes, everyone is to stand up, take their pants off and pack them into their backpack. If anyone asks why they took their pants off, its suggested participants answer with: Because they were getting uncomfortable. Organizers insist the goal is to make other riders laugh, not frighten them or make them mad. For more information, visit No Pants SkyTrain Ride Vancouver 2013 on Facebook or improvanywhere.ca.
Downtown
ArtStarts on Saturdays presents Drumming with Fana Soro:
A free workshop for kids and families Jan. 26.
Learn the infectious rhythms and songs of West Africa at this hands-on workshop with master drummer and balafon player Fana Soro. Drums are provided. No pre-registration is necessary and while the session is best suited for kids ages five to 12, all are welcome.
There are two drumming sessions, one starting at 11 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m.
ArtStarts on Saturdays is a free workshop series for families at the ArtStarts Gallery, featuring fun, 45-minute, culturally diverse workshops with childrens artists. Dont forget to check out the exhibition, Sense of Place, featuring art from students from across B.C. exploring themes of identity, land, community and home.
The gallery is located at 808 Richards St. Please arrive 10 minutes early to register. For more information visit artstarts.com.
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