88 Strings comes to Substack

Why we're here. We want to share our unique intercultural music with the world.

88 Strings in dress rehearsal in advance of a recent performance...

Welcome!

Hello Substack!

We are 88 Strings – actually, if you’re counting, 80 strings and 8 hands.

We are a Canadian quartet that mixes Chinese, Persian and Western plucked instruments. Described as “plucked string heaven,” our unique sound blends classical and world music together in an enveloping and often hypnotic music.

You can watch a video of one of our first performances at the end of this post.

Here are a few reasons why we have come to substack:

• we want to merge our mailing list with our followers, so that everyone gets the same information about our activities.

• We want to have a permanent record of our achievements in a presentation that is easy to read, like a magazine, and to which you can return reliably, unlike a social media feed or email message.

• not only do you get a feed experience like Facebook, but you will also receive email notices when we post. Our posts will be for all to see, and permanent, so that we can more easily grow our audience. Don’t worry: you won’t get a lot of email and posts from us, just the good stuff!

• we want to share our music with the whole world, not just the Meta platform.

If you are migrating from Facebook, welcome!

If you previously received our email newsletter, welcome to the new format. (You will have to opt-in by subscribing here - we can’t “add” you ourselves.)

Praise

Here is what presenter Howard Jang had to say after our concert last November:

“ The audience response to 88 Strings was exceptional. Audiences were deeply appreciative of the ensemble’s remarkable artistry and the beautiful, evocative colours created by their diverse instruments. 88 Strings is one of the most unique and compelling quartets we’ve presented—engaging, distinctive, and artistically superb. I recommend them wholeheartedly to any presenter seeking a truly memorable concert experience.”

Howard Jang, ArtSpring

Stay tuned, explore more…

Subscribe to get future updates of our concerts, videos, and future projects, and to read back-stories about how our intercultural ensemble does it.

You can learn more about us from our main web site: https://88strings.ca

We can also be found on Facebook and YouTube.

Here is a video of one of our first performances, during COVID, when the Vancouver Inter-cultural Orchestra recorded our performances live to video in an empty theatre. Have a listen to John Oliver’s Gradual.

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Subscribe for free. Pledge if you like.

We are offering our publication for free. You will also have the option to pledge to support us with a paid subscription should we decide to enable that. We are not affiliated with any organization. We have to fund all of our activities by performing! One of our proudest activities is commissioning living composers to write music for us. Every pledge shows your support for such activities. Help us bring new music into the world! Pledge today!

Welcome! Enjoy!

John Oliver for 88 Strings