A charismatic Vancouver composer, singer, and keyboardist will bring her funky and soulful vibe to the Orpheum Theatre to welcome the Year of the Horse. Kristin Fung will be one of the performers at the Asian-Canadian Special Events Association’s annual LunarFest Concert on Tuesday (February 24).
The joyful Fung will be joined on-stage for a 35-minute set by Ginger Chen Pimentel (bass), Alvin Brendan (guitar), and Trent Otter (drums). In her newsletter, Fung quipped: “See you at the Orpheum! (I always wanted to say that.)”
She plans to perform her original songs in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese in what she describes as “electro CantoFunk”.
Fung’s current projects include the upcoming studio recording of her single “Why Don’t You Dance”. She is also part of Canada’s first Asian women-led R&B duelling piano act, The No Sweet Carolines, with former Sing! China finalist ZiZi, who was raised in Vancouver.
In 2023, Fung released her second EP, “Live at the Garden”.
Watch Kristin Fung perform her song “You for You” from the “Live at the Garden” EP.
Fung followed that up by recording “Glory Days” in 2024 with Toronto jazz musician Jacq Teh. In the past, Fung has played the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Markham Jazz Festival, Roulette (with Anthony Braxton in New York), Ong King (Honolulu), and Viva La Musica! (Kyoto).
“There’s something very divine about creativity if we open ourselves up and allow ourselves to be just the instrument—almost an empty vessel—just being filled by goodness,” Fung told Pancouver in 2023.
Concert includes theatre, classical music, and violin soloist
The LunarFest Concert will also feature a performance by Taiwan-based Fooderlon Theater. It has been performing theatre for children and presenting kids’ workshops at this year’s LunarFest Vancouver celebrations on Granville Island. Members of the troupe have been helping children in Vancouver create horses and other creatures with recycled materials.
“We want them to realize what they’re doing on-stage isn’t so far removed from their own lives,” Fooderlon co-founder Shan-Ting Hsu told Pancouver last month. “They, too, can be the next ones to stand on-stage and share their stories.”
In addition, the annual LunarFest Concert will include performances by the Nicolas Urquhart-conducted Harmonia String Ensemble and WVYB Strings. Their program includes:
- Kirt Mosier: Overture to the Wind
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, Mvt. II
- Sam Wu: Eagle Huntress
- Joseph Haydn: Concerto for Violin in G Major, Mvt. I
- Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 6 with the WVYB – Strings
- Che-Yi Lee: 天空落水 Raining Sky with the WVYB – Strings
Talented young violinist Emma Qu will also take the stage. She has won scholarships from the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra.
The Asian-Canadian Special Events Association will present the annual LunarFest Concert at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (February 24) at the Orpheum Theatre. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are available at Showpass for $22.17.
Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and Instagram @PancouverMedia.
