Joyce Hinton is one of the Co-Managing Directors for the Chan Centre here at UBC. For those of us that haven’t been there since Arts Orientation in first year or….ever, Joyce let us in on some of the events that go on at the Chan. She explained to me that the Centre has two primary purposes aside from bringing in amazing artists. One is to serve as a venue for classes, rehearsals and performances for the School of Music and the Theatre department, and the other is to serve as a “rental venue for other parts of campus to use our space as well as wider Vancouver community,” Joyce explains. The Chan has been used by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and for high school graduations, for example.
The vision of the Chan Centre is to bring in what Joyce calls “top notch artists” that “reflect the vision of the university. We think about the value and role of the arts and how we can make things accessible to people through the arts. Lots of the artists we bring in have passionate beliefs,” Joyce explains. As a venue on a university campus the Chan aims to reflect the values of UBC through their choice of artists. For example, there are sometimes pre-concert talks that are relevant to the content or culture of the artist’s work.
So what’s coming up at the Chan? Over the next year there will be nine concerts for the main stage series. Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club is a Grammy award winning band from Cuba on their adios tour, meaning that this is one of the last chances people will have to see them on tour. Paco Peña, one of the greatest living American Flamenco artists and spokesperson and musician for Flamenco, will also be coming to the Chan. Youssou N’Dour, another guest, was named African artist of the century, and included in The Times 100. His music has served as a launching pad for the Senegalese social movement and he has been outspoken about the issues of malaria and women’s rights. On November 21 the Chan will host Carminho and Sara Tavares from Portugal on February 2 Jazz artist Branford Marsalis will be performing. He is a very inspiring spokesperson for building houses after Hurricane Katrina. A couple weeks later the Chan will feature Dee Dee Bridgewater, who is a Jazz artist, singer, and activist and she is very interested in women’s issues. Anoushka Shankar plays traditional instruments as well as a being a DJ. Arlo Guthrie will be next. He an incredible storyteller, and his pieces are humorous with strong political messages. Cécile McLorin Salvant is last for the main stage, and she is only about 24 but has already been nominated for a Grammy.
“Some students are really plugged in to what were doing,” says Joyce. She explains that they have student rush tickets (available for ages 25 and under in general, not just UBC students). “For these incredible artists there are a minimum of 25 tickets for students to get for $15.” The rush tickets are also for really great seats in the Chan.
Rush tickets are released a week in advance and must be bought at the Chan Centre ticket office in person with a valid student ID. Only one ticket can be picked up per person. The Chan offers other student discounts as well. “I call it the best date night!” Joyce laughs as she explains that student discounts for musical events around Vancouver are listed on student page on website and student prices for events at the Chan often range between $10-18. Students can also get 10% off in advance of student rush tickets if they keep an eye on student tickets page on the website and put in a student promo code.
Students tend to think the Chan is “a venue for their parents,” says Joyce, but students put on lots of stuff at the Chan Centre themselves and are involved in lots of other ways as well. Students blog and perform music written by School of Music students in the lobby of the Chan.
The Chan is very active on social media and has a monthly newsletter that Joyce highly recommends for students. She emphasizes the importance of taking advantage of these opportunities while being a student at UBC because it is a wonderful opportunity to have rare yet accessible exposure to some wonderful performers and activists.