Last night we held our 3rd annual JOY of MUSIC and it was a success in every way! We raised over $3700.00 for research and treatment for childhood cancer for the BC Children's Hospital Foundation, a fantastic affirmation, that if you really believe, you can make a positive change in the world around you! We had a fabulous night of music-making and we all had a great time! We showcased 9 outstanding soloists on violin, cello, double-bass and viola, who all performed with artistry, passion and brilliance; from Scherzo Tarantelle to Flamenco from solo Bach to the fiery Csardas, all of the performers were charged with electricity that was almost flammable.

After an interesting cello mishap and a resulting trip to Portland Oregon the day before, to restore his beloved Michetti Cello, Tate Zawadiuk opened the concert with fiery abandon transporting us to another world with the Chants D'espagne. Double-bassist Jeese Lu stole our hearts with his warm and captivating rendition of the Beethoven Romance in F major. Eleven year Aline Dumalski, a tour de force, played the Scherzo Tarantelle with charisma and a strength remiscent of the violin giant, David Oistrakh. We will be watching out for Aline!

Cellist Trisha Doo followed with a poised, elegant and beautiful Bach. Trisha only 15, has developed a large fan base, with almost 10,000 views on her youtube channel. Tammy Chan followed with a no-holds-barred riveting performance of the Gigue from the Partitia in d minor. We were then treated to the complete Bach  Sonata #1 in g minor performed by 3 different violinists.

Twelve year old Angelica Chen played her heart out in this fluid, dreamy and soulful Adagio, while Jack Zhang approached the Fugue with accuracy and clarity. Edmund Chung, a musician's musician, ended with the Sicilienne that was mature, thoughtful, polished with perfectly formed phrasings, and followed the gentle lilting of the Sicilienne with a powerhouse of a Presto. Playing in the upper half of the bow with the full weight and power of a legato stroke he was able to pull off a spicatto that would rival Luke Skywalker in force, this was truly a commanding and compelling performance!

Tate came back and wove a spell over the audience with the Tagell Flamenco, he really told a story and held the audience in rapt attention as he took us on an intense journey of the flamenco. And then, it got even better, when veteran of the stage and alumnus, violinist Melody Lee BMus Colburn, Artisit Diploma Colburn School of Music paired up with Edmund Chung for a flat out, knock down breathtaking Handel-Halvorsen. The ensemble between the two was  flawless, the intertwining of phrases, tempo changes,and tonal colourations  showed off their prodigious technique and their musicianship beautifully.

The last part of the concert, the soloists grouped into a nonet plus 2 violin soloists for my special arrangement of Csardas, which showcases the stunning virtuosity of the violin, and of course the violinists. This is the 2nd time Edmund Chung and Melody Lee played the  Csardas together  and they have deveolped a flirtatious interplay, trading solo lines, toying with rubato and dynamics for a delicious and spicy performance. The VIOLINPOWER! ensemble sounded great with 1st time JOY performer Henry Liao as concert-master. We all look forward to more performances with Henry who brought it all to the table, with absolute musicality, ease and good humour, a great fit for VIOLINPOWER! Everyone had fun playing with gypsy fire with perfect ensemble playing, from the cadenza laden opening the devlish vivace to the gentle swayings of the Meno tempos and then driving right through to the end with a wild gypsy flourish!

We ended the program with the entire VIOLINPOWER! orchestra, and this year we had seven new juniors, so it was very exciting to see these young violinists come into the fold, and performing greensleeves with a richness of sound Vaughn Willimesque in scope, for a perfect close to our concert. Cherie Spence from the BC Children's Hospital Foundation made the awards for top Senior Philanthropist, Edmund Chung, and top Junior Philanthropist Julia Xu, who were each bestowed with the title "super hero".

This concert would not have been possible without the great support of my good friends and vounteer staff, Adrian Lee, Trish Hopkins, Marcelle O'Reilly,Holly Littleford,Jim Littleford,Don Simpson, Arlen Vranic, Toma Doo,Bo Mon Kwan, Jennivine Doo, Alfred Hurwitz, Tammy Chan, Edmund Chung,Diana Pallot, Vancouver Community College and our supporters OMNITV Lisa Wu, Vancouver Recital Society, Long and McQuade, Sikoras Classical Records, Prussin Music, Quriing Music, and McDonalds Pharmacy. Thank you all and I look forward to next june's  JOY4!