At 8EAST, 8 East Pender Street, Vancouver, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Saturdays October 17 to December 5, 2026
For up to 25 participants, Free with a NOW Membership
Workshops are drop-in, please bring your instrument (and/or amps) and be ready to play!
Donations gratefully accepted (here).
Since 1978, the New Orchestra Workshop Society (NOW) has presented music improvisation workshops, offering space for exploration and participation. Our workshops are for improvisers of all levels of ability and ranges of experience, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, age, race or religion. We protect privacy in our workshops and adopt the We Have Voice Collective Code of Conduct. Read more about NOW workshop policies here.
Oct. 17 Adriana Camacho
Adriana Camacho is a double bassist, documentary filmmaker and improviser, active promoter on the Mexican and international scene of free improvisation and free jazz. Her drive as an improviser has led her to collaborate and record with musicians, poets and artists such as Anne Waldman, Ana Ruíz, Chefa Alonso, Elliott Levin, Naima Karlsson, Guro Moe, Phillip Greenlief, Daniel Carter, Federico Ughi, Germán Bringas, Scott Amendola, Lisa Mezzacapa, Natalia Pérez Turner, Alex Otaola, Todd Clouser among others.
She was resident of the 577 Records Sounds of Freedom music residence in Canale Monterano, Italy 2023. She has participated in improvisation ensembles directed by Kahil El Zabar, William Parker and Phillip Greenlief. She has played in forums and festivals such as Suoni per il Popolo in Montreal, Roskilde Festival, Copenhague Jazz Festival, Worldwide Festival Séte, Cafe Otto London, ICA London, Museum of Modern Art of CDMX, Knulp Bar in Trieste Italy, Museum Ugo Cara in Trieste Italy, Resist! Vienna, Austria, Monday Improviser's Session Vienna, Austria, Pavilion 2.0 Venice Italy,, Medicine for Nightmares, San Francisco, Philliput Gallery Philadelphia USA, Malmo Museum Sweden, Kuhlspot, Berlin, Neu Berlin Institute of Improvised Music, among other forums.
Oct. 24 Robyn Jacob
Robyn Jacob is a composer, pianist, vocalist and educator living and working from the unceded territories of the Sḵwxwú7mesh, Xwməθkwəyəm and Səl’il’wətaʔ Nations, also known as Vancouver. She has composed works for a wide variety of ensembles including Grammy winning Third Coast Percussion (Chicago), Architek Percussion (Montreal), Grammy winning Sō Percussion (Brooklyn), Chor Leoni (Vancouver), and the Victoria Symphony, and has collaborated with visual artists, instrument makers, dance and theatre.
Oct. 31 Johanna Hauser
Johanna Hauser, clarinets, is grateful to live and work on unceded Coast Salish territory. An avid improvisor and classical musician, she began her career in New York City performing with the Group for Contemporary Music, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the Brooklyn Philharmonia Chamber Players. She has recorded for the CBC and the NFB and as director of the Kits Classics and Carnegie Classics concert series, Johanna has produced and performed in over 150 chamber music concerts.
Nov. 07 Lisa Cay Miller
Presently living on the unceded Territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Tsleil-Waututh, and Musqueam peoples, Lisa Cay Miller (she/her) is an improvising pianist and composer who loves to create in the moment. Dr. Lisa Cay is the Artistic Director of the NOW Society, and is so honoured to have been part of the NOW workshops for many years. lisacaymiller.ca
Nov. 14 James Goddard
James Nicholas Dumile Goddard is a Ndebele-Canadian sound artist, curator, arts administrator and experimental saxophonist. He currently lives and works in Montréal, QC. His work explores themes related to race, the speculative and power dynamics. He performs solo as skin tone, in the duos NYON & Platitudes and as part of KY band, the Egyptian Cotton Arkestra, and Quinton Barnes Black Noise Ensemble. He's worked in community radio, concert promotion and non-profit administration – all these experiences inform an interest in non-hierarchy within his creative and administrative practices. skin tone was/is always a reactive project – relying heavily as it does on improvisation skin tone is always changing; unable to remain inert in the face of a changed situation. For a long time, it was an outlet to reflect on anti-black police violence – to respond to anti-black police violence. As time went on skin tone became an outlet to explore a wide-range of themes.
Nov. 21 Aleida Pérez
Aleida Pérez is a violinist and improviser interested in new music and experimental forms such as free improvisation. She currently collaborates with the Liminar ensemble. Her most recent performances include a residency with the Norwegian collective Verdensteatret, the Epiciclos concert as part of the Diferencial series, and La escucha infinita.
Aleida holds a degree in classical violin from the Escuela Superior de Música (INBA). She began her musical studies in the basic program at the Ollin Yoliztli Cultural Center and continued her training at the ESM (Educational School of Music), where she completed her degree under the guidance of maestro Cuauhtémoc Rivera. She has participated in various festivals such as the National Violin Encounter at the University of Zacatecas, the Contemporary Expressions Festival, Aires Nacionales (FAM-UNAM), and the International Chamber Music Festival at the University of Querétaro. She has performed at venues such as the Blas Galindo Auditorium, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Teatro de la Ciudad, the CCU-BUAP (Center for Fine Arts), the Casa del Lago, the Ex-Teresa, and the Sala Silvestre Revueltas-CCOY. She has taken master classes with Jorge Rici, Renata Knific, David Colwell, the University of Kansas Trio, Erika Dobociewicz, Ron Francois, and Ryu Gotto, among others.
Aleida is active in Mexico City's experimental music scene, participating in various independent forums and festivals specializing in contemporary practices such as Material Art Fair, Index, Arte Book Fair, Museo Anahuacalli, Arte Alameda, Galería Kurimanzutto, El Nicho Experimental, and the Vernacular Institute.
Nov. 28 Alex Motta
Alejandro Motta is a classically trained double bassist with a focus on contemporary music, sound experimentation, and stage performance. He is the co-founder of the free improvisation ensemble Algo Cruje and has collaborated with various national orchestras, including the OFUNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra). He recently participated in the performance of Memor I.A. as part of the UNAM Composition Workshop and is currently a member of the CEPROMUSIC Ensemble. His work ranges from traditional repertoire to more free-flowing creation, integrating sound and presence.
Dec. 5 DB Boyko
One of Canada’s most adventuresome vocalists, DB Boyko has explored the boundaries of music with many. Her enduring projects with singer Christine Duncan: Idiollala, Hubbub and the Canadian tour of “Stall” set in public washrooms invite whimsy and serious listening. Spontaneous choral works for community include: Express Your Voice, the VOICE OVER mind choir, Ayelet-Rose Gottlieb’s album 13 Lunar Meditations: Summoning the Witches and the 2024 collaboration with Aki Onda on José Maceda’s Udlot Udlot, for 100 musicians. For 25 years she was Director/Curator of Western Front New Music.
~ 8EAST ACCESS STATEMENT ~
The 8EAST social space for new culture is a project of the NOW Society, located on the Territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh and səlil̓wətaʔɬ Peoples, in Chinatown, in the DTES, in Vancouver.
We are committed to making 8EAST a safe(r), welcoming and more accessible space. We do not tolerate discrimination based on age, gender, neuro a-typicality, disability, place of origin, cultural background, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We do not tolerate racism, sexual aggression, assault, or harassment which can include unwanted touch or comments that objectify or sexualize. We adopt and follow the We Have Voice Collective Code of Conduct.
We can accommodate a variety of needs, including assistance dogs, walkers, wheelchairs, scooters, and strollers. To arrange for American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation, please contact now@nowsociety.org.
We recognize that access is an ongoing and evolving discussion, and acknowledge that this statement may be insufficient. Concernts or suggestions can be addressed, discussed or expressed anonymously by emailing safety@nowsociety.org. 8EAST ventilation: Open windows and door, 3 HEPA air purifiers and UV lights on return air in the HVAC system. Mask wearing is recommend and masks will be available. Seating, wooden stackable chairs without armrests, is movable.
Seating is generally arranged in groups of two or threes with space between groups for easy mobility. Wheelchair seating is easily accommodated. The 34 inch wide main entrance to 8EAST has a threshold of approximately 0.5 inches high. There is no door automation. During events, the door is open or can be opened by the Front of House person. There are no ramps or stairs to navigate. Internal floors are smooth concrete. Outdoor plaza events are held on concrete pavers, some are uneven. Paths and hallways are kept free of impediments.
8EAST has a wheelchair accessible, non-gendered toilet on site with a door width of 35 inches. Additional public toilets, not wheel chair accessible, are located in the adjacent hallway. The NOW Society emergency evacuation procedures are in place for all individuals. The Front of House person or a staff member onsite is trained in naloxone administration and will be the contact person in case of emergencies.
GETTING THERE AND PARKING:
8EAST is located within 50 meters of buses 004, 007, 019, 022, 209, and N19 on Pender Street. Stops for buses 003, 008, 014, 016, 020, N8, N20, and N35 are located within 250 metres on Hastings Street. Stadium–Chinatown SkyTrain Station is approximately 400 metres away. General metered street parking is available on surrounding streets. A passenger drop-off zone without a curb is located within 50 metres at 531 Carrall Street. To arrange for HandyDART transportation and accompanying assistants, please contact now@nowsociety.org.
There is a bike rack on the SW corner of Pender and Carrall Street, viewable while inside 8EAST and on the Plaza. Covered bike parking is available at the Main Street – Science World Skytrain Station. From there, one can take the #3 bus, then walk West down Pender to 8EAST (c. 5 mins), walk to 8EAST (c. 15 mins) or ride one skytrain stop to Stadium – Chinatown and walk Northwest to 8EAST (c. 5 mins). The closest Bike Locker to 8EAST is located at VCC Clark. From there, one can take trains to Stadium – Chinatown Skytrain Station and walk NorthWest to 8EAST.