The Kessler Academy String Orchestra 2026
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2026
ROUNDHOUSE | 181 ROUNDHOUSE MEWS | Google map
Doors open at 2:30PM. Concert at 3:00PM
TICKETS | $25-$42
Regular, student/arts worker
General admission seating.
featuring:
Spartak Margaryan, piano
The Microcosmos Quartet:
Marc Destrubé, violin
Andrea Siradze, violin
Tawnya Popoff, viola
Zoltan Rozsnyai, cello
The Kessler String Academy Participants
Young string players: Want to apply to the Kessler Academy? Click here.
I honestly think that I have never grown so much as a musician in such a short time as I did last week. It stretched me beyond my limits and challenged me, but I came out of it feeling much different (and happier) about my musical abilities.
Kessler Academy Participant
Don’t miss a classical highlight of Vancouver’s summer.
When the Kessler Academy String Orchestra takes the stage with the Microcosmos Quartet and celebrated pianist Spartak Margaryan, they’ll perform repertoire inspired by Apollo, the Greek god of music, poetry, and the sun.
Following a week-long mentorship program of intensive rehearsals, young professional string players share great music by Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, and Alfred Schnittke.
Benjamin Britten’s Apollo is exuberant and virtuosic, while Igor Stravinsky’s Apollon Musagète, the composer’s first collaboration with choreographer George Balanchine, exemplifies the elegance and rhythmic precision of neoclassicism.
The concert also features Alfred Schnittke’s Piano Concerto, performed by pianist Spartak Margaryan. Praised for his “strongly defined personality” and “exceptional refinement,” Margaryan is widely regarded as one of the most promising pianists of his generation, bringing extraordinary depth and artistry to everything he plays.
Join us in supporting the stars of tomorrow with performances that promise an unforgettable afternoon of inspiration and musical discovery.
The Kessler Academy is generously sponsored by Eileen Mate.
The Kessler Academy is also supported by The Greygates Foundation, held at the Vancouver Foundation.
Grand piano provided by Showcase Pianos.
This performance is part of Music on Main’s 20th Season.
Music that resonates.
Programme
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Apollon, K048 – Ballet in two scenes (1928, revised 1947)
Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)
Concerto for piano and string orchestra (1979), with soloist Spartak Margaryan
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Young Apollo, Op. 16, for piano, string quartet and string orchestra (1939, commissioned by the CBC)
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