Abbotsford’s Jan Bislin will showcase his impressive violin skills at a special Father’s Day concert on June 19.
The show, titled Redemption, is slated to be the 20-year-old musician’s farewell concert before leaving to Europe to study music. It will feature a blend of classical, jazz and contemporary songs along with a few comedic skits sprinkled throughout.
“It should be a fun night, something different,” said Bislin. “My goal is to do something a bit different than every other classical musician and combine comedy with jazz.”
The day after the concert, Bislin will leave to participate in Italy’s Casalmaggiore International Music Festival. The three-week program offers advanced training and numerous performance opportunities. He will then attend classes at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, where he’s majoring in violin and strings with a minor in piano.
Bislin picked up his first violin at the age of four and has since become a well-known classical jazz player and composer throughout the Lower Mainland. He has won several provincial music festivals, is a double silver medalist from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and performed numerous concerts in the U.S., Germany, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Italy. Bislin has also released two albums, the latest titled Strings on Fire.
“I love the feeling you get when you’re on stage, that adrenaline rush,” he said. “It’s like freedom. Everything just goes away and you’re in your own world when you play. My goal is to make people feel what I kind of feel.”
The farewell concert begins at 8 p.m. at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium, 32315 South Fraser Way.
Tickets are available at the door or in advance at King’s Music, 604-309-4823.
