It wasn’t the program that was remarkable — sonatas by Mozart and Brahms and songs by Richard Strauss are all reasonably standard concert hall stuff. Rather, it was the setting that set it apart: an airy dining hall in south Vancouver elder care home Kopernik Lodge.

For lodge resident Sophia Baynton, the concert was a highlight of the week. Baynton, who is in a wheelchair, can’t move around the city as easily as she once could, so opportunities to hear live classical music are few.

As a lifelong music lover, Baynton gets a real kick out of the performances, with six slated for this year. Other Kopernik Lodge residents enjoy them too, she says. “But it’s really a special treat for those of us who know a lot about music.”

Bringing the gift of music to British Columbia health care facilities — and to appreciative listeners like Baynton — is the point of the ArtsWay initiative of the Health Arts Society. The program got underway in 2006, offering some 200 performances in its first season. By the time it reaches its fifth anniversary, the goal is 5,000 performances over five years.

A presentation of the project’s many successes, learnings and documentation and various research results will be presented on Friday, April 3 from 1 to 4PM at the Coal Harbour Community Centre (480 Broughton Street, Vancouver).

To attend, please RSVP by March 27 to Deepali Parhar, Program Facilitator T: 604-713-1861 or by email deepali.parhar@vancouver.ca

More information on the project (PDF).