Bell Centre Lights Up this Mother’s Day with Enchanted Brilliance: Strings, Swing & Stardust
Enchanted Brilliance: Strings, Swing & Stardust will be an unforgettable experience where the glow of candle lights and live music fills the air. This performance will unite jazz and classically trained musicians in a program that includes Barry White’s Love’s Theme to Bond‑inspired swagger, to Sinatra‑era charm and big‑band favourites that never go out of style.
Taking place on Mother’s Day at the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey on Sunday, May 10 at 4pm, Sinfonietta and the VSO School of Music Big Band will perform with special guest stars jazz violinist Cameron Wilson and vocalists Steve Maddock, Diana Agasian, and Leo Teixeira.
Big Band Director, Daniel Hersog says, “This is a rare chance to hear Sinatra’s big band and strings repertoire performed by this city’s most dynamic young musicians.” Carla Birston, Director, String Studies, and Harold Birston, who arranged several of the pieces say, “You won’t want to miss this afternoon of music-making as timeless songs in classic arrangements, brought to life by the dynamic ensembles of the VSO School of Music and stellar soloists, will make for a truly “Unforgettable” concert experience. Not just dazzling, but razzle-dazzling!”
Tickets are $35/$49 for adults, $19 for seniors/children. Special “Family 4 Pack” pricing of $119.
Program
Suite Française, featuring the music of French violin virtuosos Stéphane Grappelli, Pierre Blanchard, and Jean-Luc Ponty
— Sinfonietta with Cameron Wilson, jazz violinist
Great James Bond Themes by John Barry from Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever
Unforgettable, as recorded by Nat King Cole
— Sinfonietta with Diana Agasian, vocalist
Barry White, Love’s Theme
— Sinfonietta
Paseo Promenade by Benny Carter
El Abrazo by Alan Baylock
Unravelment by Daniel Hersog
— Big Band
Come Fly With Me, Old Devil Moon, Too Marvellous for Words, Without a Song, Summer Wind, New York, New York, as recorded by Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett
— Sinfonietta and the Big Band with vocalists Steve Maddock and Leo Teixeira
About Cameron Wilson
Cameron Wilson is a dynamic composer and violinist based in Vancouver. A graduate of the University of British Columbia, where he studied with John Loban, Cameron has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, and is currently a member of the National Broadcast Orchestra. He also performs regularly with Joe Trio, Van Django, and the Hard Rubber Orchestra. Cameron’s compositions and arrangements have been featured by the Vancouver, Victoria, and Charlotte Symphonies, as well as numerous ensembles and soloists across North America. His work for CBC includes themes for Discdrive, Gail Force, and In Performance, as well as music for the feature film Singing the Bones and the NFB documentary Citizen Sam, which earned him a Leo Award nomination.
About Steve Maddock
Over the past two decades, Steve Maddock has come to be known as one of Western Canada’s most versatile vocal talents. In addition to his extensive body of work as a jazz and pop performer, he’s been a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra and the Dal Richards Jazz Orchestra, as well as being a featured artist on CBC Radio (Tonic; Hot Air; Disc Drive; The Early Edition; Choral Concert and Sound Like Canada) and CTV (Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics). As a chorister, his credits include The Vancouver Chamber Choir, musica intima, Chor Leoni Men’s Choir and the Phoenix Chamber Choir. He studied acting at the University of Windsor, Ontario and remains active as a theatre and television performer. Recent stage credits include High Society (Arts Club Theatre Company), The Fantastics (Vancouver Playhouse), Jesus Christ Superstar (Stage West Calgary)’ and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Arts Club).
About Diana Agasian
Armenian-Canadian soprano Diana Agasian is an emerging artist on the international operatic and art song scene. Most recently based in Vienna, she studies voice under the tutelage of Kammersängerin Olivera Miljaković, coaches with renowned pianist and Lieder specialist Helmut Deutsch, and works with German diction coach Gabriele Jacoby. A graduate of The Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto, she has performed on stages across Canada, including Koerner Hall and the Orpheum Theatre, and has appeared as a featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for their Traditional Christmas concert series. In June 2024, she made her Vienna concert debut at the historic Ehrbar Saal and, in March 2025, presented a solo recital at the C. Bechstein Centrum. She is also an alumna of the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden, where she cultivated a deep connection to the German Lied tradition. Originally from Richmond, she studied at the VSO School of Music with Diane King. In summer 2026, she will join the Tanglewood Music Center as a Vocal Fellow.
About Leo Teixeira
Leo Teixeira is a Brazilian-Canadian countertenor and jazz vocalist/pianist whose work spans from Baroque repertoire to contemporary jazz. A student in the VSO School of Music’s Performance Prep program, Leo has established himself as a distinctive young voice in the city, performing frequently in both classical and jazz settings. Leo will begin his undergraduate studies in vocal performance this fall.
About Sinfonietta
The VSO School of Music has 4 youth string ensembles that are uniquely supportive for young students to build ensemble skills, challenge themselves musically, and experience unforgettable performance, masterclass, coaching and social opportunities. Sinfonietta is the VSO School of Music’s advanced string ensemble.
About Big Band
The VSO School of Music Big Band is an auditioned ensemble that perform repertoire from early works to contemporary jazz-rock fusion by a wide variety of composers, including works composed and specially arranged for them. The ensemble enjoys a diverse range of performance opportunities, guest coaching and masterclasses with internationally-recognized Jazz musicians.
VSO School of Music Advantage
VSO School of Music students enjoy an array of opportunities, including side-by-side and pre-concert appearances with the VSO; masterclasses with international guest artists; concerts in venues around Vancouver; collaborations with the VSO School’s jazz and other music departments; coachings with VSO principal players; weekend intensive retreats and much more.
About VSO School of Music
VSO School of Music, founded in 2010, is a 25,000 square foot state of-the-art music school located adjacent to the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Vancouver. With a mission to enrich lives through the joy of learning, playing and performing the world’s great music, the VSO School of Music develops experiences that are accessible to all, regardless of age, ability, playing level or economic circumstances; and by nurturing creative and engaged members of society through achievement in the musical arts. With a roster of over 2,000 students, the School is proud to offer individual or group instruction by members of the Vancouver Symphony and other high-quality music educators.
About Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1919, the Grammy and Juno Award-winning VSO is the third largest symphony orchestra in Canada, and the largest performing arts organization in Western Canada. The VSO creates, curates, and connects irresistible musical experiences — performing 150+ concerts annually in its home, the Orpheum, as well as numerous venues throughout Metro Vancouver.
The VSO is one of a handful of orchestras worldwide that has its own music school: the VSO School of Music. The organization delivers extensive education programs reaching more than 50,000 young people annually, and community engagement initiatives that reach a further 100,000+ people. Maestro Otto Tausk is the VSO’s Music Director and the Artistic Advisor of the VSO School of Music.
Media Availability
Interviews with a representative of the VSO School of Music and guest musicians are available with advanced notice.
Stephanie Yip, VSO School of Music, Marketing & Communications Senior Officer
Email: Stephanie.Yip@vsoschoolofmusic.ca
Phone: (604) 915-9300 ext. 108