Hard Rubber Orchestra Plays Mahavishnu

Saturday, May 31, 2025
7:30 pm: Short music films
8:15 pm: The Fits - Veda Hille and Patsy Klein
9 pm: Hard Rubber Orchestra

Rio Theatre, 1660 East Broadway, Vancouver, BC
Main Floor: Designated seating - Sliding Scale $30 | $25 | $20
Balcony: General seating $15
Tickets: riotheatretickets.ca/events/34558-hard-rubber-orchestra
More info: [email protected]

Hard Rubber Orchestra, Canada’s jazz powerhouse, will reprise the music of the famed Mahavishnu Orchestra. In the early 70's, this five-piece unit, lead by guitarist John McLaughlin, blew minds and drew a cult following with their ground-breaking fusion of jazz, Indian ragas and high volume rock. Hard Rubber will perform original arrangements by John Korsrud, Fred Stride, Bill Runge and others, with guests; drummer Randall Stoll, and Chris Gestrin on keyboards, along with the 18-piece orchestra. HRO last presented this popular tribute more than a decade ago, and is excited to once again give audiences a chance to see the Mahavishnu Orchestra re-visited and re-imagined by Vancouver's one and only Hard Rubber Orchestra. Special guests; The Fits (Veda Hille and Patsy Klein).

“John Korsrud likes a good challenge. Last year, he and his Vancouver-based 18-piece Hard Rubber Orchestra performed two big-band concerts of songs by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the 1970 jazz-rock quintet that favoured odd time signatures and high-octane delivery. To these ears, that second concert was the best show at last year’s jazz festival.” - Marke Andrews, Vancouver Sun

Formed by artistic director John Korsrud in 1990, the Hard Rubber Orchestra has consistently been one of Canada's most active and unpredictable ensembles of creative music, presenting concerts of original music by some of Canada's most exciting composers, performed by Vancouver's finest musicians. The orchestra has recorded five albums, toured across Canada and to Europe. In 2005, they were the recipients of the Alcan Arts Award, the largest arts award in Canada for the creation of new work. They have produced several large theatrical works such as operas, avant ice shows, and arts raves and commissioned nearly 100 new works by composers such as Kenny Wheeler, John Hollenbeck, Darcy James Argue, Christine Jensen, Peggy Lee, Marianne Trudel, and Brad Turner.

Others Details

Category: Arts | Performing Arts | Music Artists: Hard Rubber Orchestra, The Fits, Veda Hille, John Korsrud