Sometimes I browse through the “Lifestyles” articles in the New York Times – vicarious living for those of us who made a living entirely as a viola player until getting the wonderful job as Executive Director of ACMP in 2020! Now that I am entering my seventh year in this position, I realize that ACMP chamber music gatherings all around the world are where it’s at. And what ACMP members are doing is so exclusive that the major media outlets don’t even know about it.

As is becoming an annual tradition, I connect with ACMP members in Vancouver when I go home to visit my parents. This was a short visit, but ACMP’s local NAOC councilor Christina Wolf managed to set up three chamber music sessions at three different homes, including her own, in quick succession.

The first of these was a small, intimate afternoon of chamber music, and a testament to the magic of music and its healing powers. We played viola quintets at the home of an active local musician where our music was an important part of a house full of love and family.

The next two sessions were lavish chamber music parties with fun and fabulous people. The first of these was at Christina’s own apartment on the east side of downtown Vancouver.  Christina and Yoko Ito traded off first and second violin, while Paul Orban held it all together on his cello (with yours truly on viola.) As always, the unsung hero of the quartet was its fifth and most dedicated member, Coda, who sat in the middle and enjoyed the music throughout the evening. 

It was an ambitious night of quartet reading, starting with Hugo Wolf’s Italian Serenade (no relation to Christina Wolf, but her mother bought her the parts when she was still a teenager because of the name.) We washed the Wolf down with some Haydn Op. 20 No. 3, at which point I learned that a strange (and unsubstantiated) rumor is floating around Vancouver that Haydn did not write those pieces! I am from Vancouver, so I can say, without malice that – well – some Vancouverites have some unique points of view…

Another unique Vancouver characteristic seems to be a love of sharps, which we enjoyed in Borodin’s second string quartet (and Max Bruch’s seldom-played viola quintet in the first session.) After Borodin, we took on Johannes Brahms’ String Quartet No. 3 in B flat major, Op. 67. We did not get to the famous viola movement, so I already know I need to come back. After a long night of quartets, Christina and her partner François Vallée (a professional tree planter and music lover) regaled us with local Riesling and cheese and charcuterie from a well-known establishment at Vancouver’s famous Granville Island Public Market, presented so beautifully on Christina’s famous cutting board. The highlight was a cheese from Québec, where François is from.

It was a gorgeous summer evening on Christina, François and Coda’s balcony with a view of the mountains and downtown Vancouver!

The following night, Christina, François and I reconvened at the home of violinist Horng Dih Lee (aka “HD”) and his wife Shirley Chu. Joining us on cello was Hey Woun Hyun, who is an established local cello teacher, and her husband Theo Nguyen. We started the evening with a luxurious al fresco dinner in HD and Shirley’s beautiful back yard, enjoying a selection of dishes from local Thai, Vietnamese and Singaporean restaurants. (The Hainan chicken was a highlight, for me!)

You may have already gathered that Vancouver chamber musicians are daring. After dinner, we went inside, where I was stunned by the beauty of HD and Shirley’s home, which had been built for the first mayor of Vancouver in the late nineteenth century. We delved right in with Beethoven Op. 18 No. 6. After Beethoven, we played Borodin’s second quartet again, at Hey Woun’s request, followed by a lavish dessert buffet. 

After a sugar high (and food coma), we read through the first movement of the Smetana string quartet, and then parted ways – at least for the moment.

I look forward to my next trip back to Vancouver. Thank you so much to Christina for organizing all this music.

As you can see, Vancouver is even more beautiful than everyone says – and if you make a trip there, be sure to reach out to Christina who can connect you with so many wonderful local players!