STRANGER FRIENDS ORCHESTRA

The STRANGER FRIENDS Orchestra is a 14-piece modern big band led by rising new-music composer, Dean Thiessen. The term ‘stranger friends’ is meant to evoke an awareness of the unbridled connectedness and community that can be established through the appreciation and performance of music. Curiosity, collaboration, inclusion, creativity, and diversity are the core values of this ensemble as we seek to create a powerful musical force that looks and sounds like our society today. Within the culture of the ensemble we acknowledge that we rehearse, composer, and perform on the  unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

 

The ensemble is composed of some of the most creative and inspiring voices in the Western Canada jazz scene. The music written for the band shares little resemblance to the classic ‘swing era’ big band sound but rather explores a more modern sound through a mixture of many musical and cultural influences. The ensemble is a marriage of the performance and compositional traditions of the great African American musicians who created this art form and the youthfulness and innovation of the musicians.

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Saxophones

Brent Mah

Ardeshir Poukeramati

John Nicholson

Sofia Avelino

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Trumpets

Rory Hislop

Feven Kidane

Thad Bailey-Mai

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Trombones

Gregory Dent

Janine King

George McNally

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Rhythm Section

Chris Fraser

Suin Park

Jen Kim

Jamie Lee