The New Improvisers Studio
Description:
Western Front, in partnership with Coastal Jazz, presented the third edition of The New Improvisers Studio—a free, weeklong educational program for emerging musicians aged 17 to 24, offered as part of the 2026 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. The New Improvisers Studio supported collaborative exploration in musical improvisation through workshops led by a festival artist in residence, who was hosted at Western Front.
It was led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick Shiroishi with special guest Wendy Eisenberg.
Shiroishi centred the practice of listening to foster deeper awareness, connection, and responsiveness as improvisers. Participants explored improvisation as an extension of the self, looking inward while remaining attentive to the world around them. Together, they investigated what constitutes an individual artistic voice—through instrumentation, graphic scores, and other visual approaches to composition—and what it means to express that voice independently and within an ensemble.
The program participants were Jack Blanco (drums), Ben Cai (saxophone), Thomas Chen (alto saxophone), Jaiden Christie (violin), Erin Kim (bass), Duncan Krywolt (trumpet), Yang Lai (piano), Aya Maranda (violin), Valentina Oh (guitar), and Klee Zubot (guitar).
This culminated in a public performance that was presented as a programmed event of the festival in the Grand Luxe Hall on July 4, 2026.
Presented in partnership with Coastal Jazz, with the support of the Deux Mille Foundation and the Government of Canada.
Related People
Related Events
Captions:
- The New Improvisers Studio, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Jack Blanco and Patrick Shiroishi at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- The New Improvisers Studio, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- The New Improvisers Studio, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Valentina Oh and Erin Kim at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Thomas Chen, Ben Cai, and Duncan Krywolt at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Wendy Eisenberg and Patrick Shiroishi at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Yang Lai at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Jack Blanco at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Erin Kim at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Valentina Oh at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Jaiden Christie at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Duncan Krywolt at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Ben Cai at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Thomas Chen at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Aya Maranda at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Klee Zubot at Western Front, photo documentation, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
- Klee Zubot, Jaiden Christie, Patrick Shiroishi, Erin Kim, Wendy Eisenberg, Yang Lai, Duncan Krywolt, Valentina Oh, Thomas Chen, Jack Blanco, Ben Cai, and Aya Maranda, Jun 30, 2026. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Back to:
Western Front is a non-profit artist-run centre in Vancouver.
We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.