Nikkei Annual Community Awards

We were delighted to perform in support of a community celebration at the stunning Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre last Saturday night. Over 250 supporters, friends and families gathered to honour four Nikkei community leaders for their immense contribution to building a strong and vibrant Japanese Canadian community across British Columbia.

Offering a diverse repertoire, flamenco dancer Marilu Vallejo joined our duo with her reputable flamenco flair! Visit our GALLERY for more pictures. Vino & Forte - 2016

Custom Made Portable Piano

We notice on occasion that V&F is approached by fans and organizers who love the idea of using our duo for entertainment but cannot afford either the space or expense of bringing in a grand or upright piano for their event.

We spent some time thinking about this and finally made the decision to build our own portable V&F piano that will offer the aesthetic appeal of having a piano-on-stage appearance. 

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We searched online and offline for the right components to get our preferred look. Ivan took care of the foundations and constructed the piano legs and base board. Oriana used her architectural skills to 'moonlight' and produce state-of-the-art designs for the body panels. She carefully carved out the shapes, embossed a gold V&F logo for the final touch and voilà!

This was a super fun project and we are still coming up with an official nickname for this unique instrument, suggestions are welcome! We are delighted that V&F can now reach any desired venue with a convenient assembly time of only 8 mins!

Keep an eye out in future for the next "off the beaten track" V&F concert. 😉

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Concert in the Courtyard

The last eight months have been a busy and enjoyable time for V&F with requests to perform for local recitals and events in and around BC. One of our favourite venues to date was Ravencourt B&B, an artistic and creatively designed post and beam straw-bale mansion located in the gorgeous Slocan Valley within the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada.

We were certainly in for a pleasant surprise when Dorothea and Peter invited V&F to be part of their 2014 summer series of eclectic house concerts. Surrounded by wilderness with sounds from the nearby creek and chirping birds, Ravencourt B&B is a collection of charming little details. On a hot summer's day, the main living areas welcome a comfortable cool breeze, which is served by the beautiful inner courtyard. Our concert took place in a spacious atrium with overlooking balconies and forest backdrop.

Oriana White and Ivan Tucakov - performance at Ravencourt, Slocan Valley, BCWe chose 'Vino' as part of the V&F name specifically because we liked the idea of our audiences enjoying a glass of wine while listening to music. Peter also loved the idea and went to great efforts to organize an incredible wine tasting event as part of the concert! He invited the regional owner to tell his story and introduce the wines personally to the guests, which we felt created the perfect Vino & Forte ambience. We were also astounded by the sense of community as people flowed in the doors for a pre-concert drink.

Overall, we would like to thank our wonderful hosts for their hospitality as well as the engaging audience who brought a family atmosphere to this warm musical evening. We hope you enjoy this little snippet of our experience, illustrating the natural beauty and serenity of Ravencourt B&B with excerpts from Schubert's Serenade and Ivan's flamenco inspired composition Dulces Suenos. Capturing moments of the stunning skies surrounding the Slocan Valley, we sincerely hope to return for another Concert in the Courtyard in the near future!

Philippines Emergency Relief Donation

typhoon haiyan bbc After hearing about the devastating aftermath of the super-typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, we have decided to give 25% of our proceeds from the upcoming V&F concert in December towards Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) emergency relief program. Besides offering financial support, our aim is to raise awareness in our community about the scope of the disaster. 

Mozart meets Jules Verne at VIFF Opening Gala

We were invited to perform at the prestigious Vancouver Club and had a spectacular time at this year's Vancouver International Film Festival opening gala. The theme of the evening was "Mozart meets Jules Verne", which was very fitting as Vino & Forte is all about combining different eras and styles of music. Thank you to the gala producer and artistic director for the fantastic evening and  inviting us to be part of this event. We're looking forward to checking out some of those new VIFF movies!

     

Spontaneous Seawall Rehearsal

Ivan Tucakov and Oriana White Vancouver Public Piano

If you take a walk or bike ride along the Vancouver seawall, you will come across a very pleasant surprise. CityStudio, in collaboration with the City of Vancouver, have set up a series of outdoor public pianos for anyone to play during the day. We came across one on our way back from a local performance so we paused to play a few tunes.

Offering music to random passers-by with the fresh ocean air and slowly setting sun in the background felt great. Thank you CityStudio for the “Keys to the Streets" project. We are sure to pass by there a few more times in the upcoming months and rehearse for our next show! 😉

New Website and New Concert

Sep 12, 2013 - Vino & Forte - Jazz Cellar, Vancouver

A warm summer's welcome to the official V&F website. We are very excited to announce the details of our next live performance on 12th September 2013. This is your opportunity to wine & dine while being serenaded to an intricate blend of classical piano and flamenco guitar at one of Vancouver’s most intimate music venues, the Jazz Cellar.

Weaving our individual styles and compositions into a swirl of classical and Balkan-flamenco sounds, we will present an evening of harmonious music dating back from the 17th Century to present day.

Come and join us for this unique concert experience with candlelit tables and ambient atmosphere. There will be a full bar service together with an à la carte menu available before the performance and during intermission. Thank you for visiting and we hope you enjoy our new website.