Tuesday Night Jazz at the Church proudly presents the Alexander Aarø Trio: Nordic Sound meets North American Jazz!
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Time: 7 PM
Location: James Bay United Church, 511 Michigan St.
Admission is by donation, with a suggested contribution of $20. However, everyone is welcome, regardless of contribution.
Nordic Sound Meets North American Jazz
This special concert is a collaboration between Norwegian pianist Alexander Aarø and award-winning Vancouver Island musicians — bassist Ken Lister and drummer Hans Verhoeven.
Presented in a classic piano trio setting, the performance celebrates nuance and improvisation, inspired by the legendary Bill Evans Trio. Together, the trio will explore the many ways of approaching both original compositions and jazz standards.
We also take this opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Vancouver Island University's Jazz and Popular Music program, which has nurtured countless influential artists over the past 30 years — including Brooke Maxwell, Brent Jarvis, Christine and Ingrid Jensen, Graham Villette, Andrew Janusson, and many more.
With the university's recent decision to cancel the program, Alexander and the trio represent the final generation of students and faculty from this vital chapter in West Coast music education.
Join us in honouring this legacy and supporting Alexander’s final concert, presented as part of his Master’s program at Nord University in Norway.
Featuring:
Alexander Aarø (Piano)
Ken Lister (Double Bass)
Hans Verhoeven (Drums & Percussion)
Guest Artist Bios
Alexander Aarø
Alexander Aarø is a Norwegian pianist from Oslo who has been studying on Vancouver Island since August 2024, working closely with Ken Lister and Hans Verhoeven. He holds formal education in jazz dance and is active in various collaborative performance and concert projects. This concert is part of his Master's thesis project at Nord University in Norway, where he is completing an exchange semester at Vancouver Island University.
Ken Lister
A professional jazz bassist and educator for over 40 years, Ken Lister has performed, recorded, and toured with some of the top names in jazz. He appears on two Juno Award-winning albums: Mainstream Jazz Album of the Year (1997) with Hugh Fraser’s Quintet, and Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year (2012) with Phil Dwyer’s Orchestra. Based on Vancouver Island, Ken continues to teach and perform widely, maintaining strong ties with the jazz scenes in Vancouver, Victoria, and beyond.
Hans Verhoeven
“One of the finest young drummers I’ve heard in Canada in recent years.” — Don Thompson
Hans Verhoeven is a versatile musician with an international performance career. He has shared the stage with award-winning artists including Oscar Stagnaro, PJ Perry, Christine Jensen, Don Thompson, and Phil Dwyer. Hans is a respected instructor at Vancouver Island University, with a background in both jazz and classical music.
Join us for a night of shimmering textures, innovative soundscapes, and high-spirited improvisation as we celebrate the enduring impact of VIU’s jazz faculty and students.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday Night Jazz at the Church admission by donation (suggested $20)
Masks are optional at the well-ventilated, spacious, and acoustically excellent sanctuary of James Bay United Church.
relax in the cosy and acoustically excellent sanctuary
of James Bay United Church
for some very special presentations
Watch previous weeks' Live-Streams ... but before you watch, please consider making a donation to the Arts Ministry of James Bay United Church. From the drop-down menu select Fund # 2- Arts Ministry and Tuesday Night Jazz ... in the comments section you can leave a note about what show you were watching ... or any other message for us.
DONATE NOW Fund # 2- Arts Ministry and Tuesday Night Jazz
Tuesday Night Jazz at the Church is an Arts Ministry of James Bay United Church
in partnership with the Victoria Jazz Community