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Langley percussionist performs at home

Langley Community Music School kicks off 2025 with a concert featuring their own Katie Rife
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Katie Rife is an accomplished musician, who is the principal percussionist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and has performed in numerous concerts with other orchestras.

Multifaceted artist, producer, and faculty member Katie Rife will be performing at Langley Community Music School’s (LCMS) Concert Cafe Classico series concert at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26. 

“Katie is a dynamic artist, and this performance is sure to be captivating. With this program, she will introduce our audience to some new and unique sounds,” said LCMS’ artist director Elizabeth Bergmann, who will be hosting a pre-concert conversation with the audience and artist at the start of the afternoon. 

During the initial commentary, Rife is expected to share some of her career highlight, as well as some personal insights into her afternoon’s selections.

She grew up in Langley, beginning her musical studies on piano and discovering percussion later in high school.

Rife holds a masters of music and professional studies diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music – where she studied with longtime San Francisco Symphony principal percussionist Jack Van Geem – and a bachelors of music in percussion performance from the University of British Columbia – where she was fortunate to study with both Sal Ferreras and Vern Griffiths.

In between her degrees she was an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre, returning through the years to participate in numerous programs and residencies. Rife said she's forever grateful for both her time at the centre and with her teachers for shaping her creative thinking.

She believes strongly in music education and is currently on faculty at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Langley Community Music School, and a teaching artist at the Sarah McLachlan School of Music. 

And now an accomplished orchestral musician, she is the principal percussionist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and has performed in numerous concerts with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and Allegra Chamber Orchestra.

An enthusiastic performer of new works, this weekend Rife will showcase works by Canadian composer Emily Doolittle, local composers Jennifer Butler, Anna Hostman, Marcus Goddard, plus Australian composer Rae Howell.

"The enchanting afternoon will feature the rich timber of the marimba, the lustrous and ethereal sounds of the vibraphone, and more!" enthused Bergmann.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors and $10 for students, and available from the LCMS box office at 604-534-2848 or online at Eventbrite. The Rose Gellert Hall is located at 4899 207 St. in Langley.

 



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