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As spring gave way to summer, the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra closed the main run of its 23rd season, and by every measure, the season was a success. Beginning with its season-opening concert at the Orpheum Theatre, the VMO built a year defined by range, ambition, and a steady stream of notable artists, including Jonathan Roozeman, Christel Lee, Rio Arai, and Piotr Alexewicz.

HIGHLIGHTS ALONG THE WAY

The fall brought SENSES, a musical production by Wendy Cheung conducted by Music Director Ken Hsieh, followed by a Chamber Series concert featuring violin soloist Rio Arai alongside a world premiere commission. Later in the season, Maestro Leslie Dala led the orchestra in a program joined by the VBFC Symphonic Choir and a quartet of vocal soloists, a performance that reflected the VMO’s continued commitment to large-scale choral and orchestral collaboration.

The Lunar New Year concert brought together pianists Mina Stefanovic and Piotr Alexewicz, along with the Vancouver Oratorio Society and the Vancouver Chinese Choir Association, in a program spanning Glinka, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky. The Spring Concert turned toward a quieter register, with guitar soloist Iakovos Kolanian performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez ahead of Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3.

THE SEASON FINALE

The season’s finale, held once again at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, brought the year to its most celebrated close. The VMO presented the Canadian debut of Chinese pianist Wei Luo, already established with major orchestras across China and the United States and mentored by Gary Graffman, who considers her among his most promising students. Her performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 met audiences with striking emotional depth and colour, while the programme’s close, Tchaikovsky’s rarely performed Symphony No. 2, known variously as Little Russian and, more recently, Ukrainian, drew a standing ovation from a sold-out house that required additional seating to accommodate demand.

SUMMER NOT YET FINISHED

Though the formal season has concluded, the VMO’s summer is not yet finished. The orchestra has a selection of performances still ahead, including the Sea to Sky Concerto Gala, the Vancouver Piano Session Concerto Gala, and the orchestra’s free outdoor concert at Jack Poole Plaza, a longstanding summer tradition for the city and one of its most anticipated free performances of the year.

LOOKING TOWARD THE FALL

With these final performances completed, the VMO’s attention is turned to fall, when the 2026/2027 season is expected to be announced. For a community that has come to expect excellence and discovery from this orchestra, season after season, the wait between one chapter and the next promises to be a short one.

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VMO: It’s 23rd Season Comes to a Close With the Next Coming Soon