High Tension: Contemporary String Series with East Van Strings

High Tension: Contemporary String Series
East Van Strings

Performance: Saturday, February 26, at 8:00 p.m.

Artists: Gordon Grdina (guitar, oud), Peggy Lee (cello), Jesse Zubot (violin), Eyvind Kang (viola)  

Tickets: Series tickets were $35 general; $30 member/students
Single performance tickets were $15 general; $10 member/students

The East Van Strings have built a repetoire inspired by a wide range of musical sources. Everything from Berg to free jazz, Arabic taqasim, Indian rhythmic cycles, and Philip Glass contributes to the group’s vast area of expression, highlighting the dynamics of their improvisation and the personality of each member of the group.

Gordon Grdina, a protégé of Gary Peacock, is a Vancouver-based guitarist/oudist who has toured extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada. Peggy Lee is a member of Talking Pictures and the NOW Orchestra and also works with Standing Wave, a new music ensemble dedicated to performing new written works, principally by Canadian composers. Eyvind Kang leads many projects and has recorded and toured with the likes of Bill Frisell Quartet, Robin Holcomb, Mr. Bungle, and John Zorn. Jesse Zubot, of Vancouver, is a member of the acoustic roots group Zubot & Dawson. Zubot is also a member of the Great Uncles of the Revolution, which includes well-known Toronto bassist Andrew Downing and trumpeter Kevin Turcotte. Both groups are Juno Award winners.