Events Calendar

Improv Karaoke is a monthly artist-run community event where improvising musicians of all genres and experience levels drop in, sign up, and play in new ensembles created from a freshly-drawn pool of names. Coming from a shared love of improvised music-making, Andrea Wong and Spencer Schoening had wistful conversations and ideas of gatherings where musicians of all types played together with minimal curation or need for rehearsals, and in spaces that effortlessly fostered spontaneous and collaborative playing with full artistic freedom. With the enthusiasm of many musician-hosts, Improv Karaoke currently facilitates monthly musical gatherings at 8EAST in Vancouver’s Chinatown, and at the Brentwood Presbyterian Church in Burnaby, totaling 20 gathering opportunities every year for music lovers and explorers alike.

For this Vancouver International Jazz Festival event, Improv Karaoke comes to Granville Island, hosted by Andrea Wong piano, Matthew Ariaratnam guitar, Mike Allen saxophone, Mick Bryant guitar, Bahar Khazei piano/electronics, and Spencer Schoening drums, with Brooklyn-based guitarist and Coastal Jazz Artist in Residence Wendy Eisenberg joining as a featured guest.