WESTERN FRONT – Concert by Immanuel Wilkins and Lutosławski Quartet

As part of our annual partnership with Coastal Jazz, Western Front is pleased to present a very special concert on the opening night of the 2025 Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Celebrated American saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins joins forces with Poland’s Lutosławski Quartet—one of Europe’s leading contemporary classical string ensembles—for the Canadian premiere of Wilkins’ powerful new work, Ethnic Cleansing — An American Tradition. This composition was specifically written for the Lutosławski Quartet, commissioned by the Jazztopad Festival and the National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Poland. The piece is dedicated to those facing forced displacement, from Palestine to the United States.

Inspired by architect and researcher Sandi Hilal’s concept of al masha—a form of the commons—and the struggle for land and identity, the piece explores themes of survival and shifting voices, both musically and socially.

The 7:00 p.m. performance is sold out, but we’re excited to offer a second show at 9:00 p.m.

About the Artists

Immanuel Wilkins wears sunglasses as he sits in a wooden chair facing left in a minimalistic, dimly lit room. He wears a dark jacket and leather pants. To his left is a small ornate wooden table with a brass saxophone resting on it. The background is a plain, textured wall, casting soft shadows.

Immanuel Wilkins is a saxophonist and composer from Philadelphia, and based in Brooklyn, United States. His music is filled with empathy and conviction, bonding arcs of melody and lamentation to pluming gestures of space and breath. His debut release, Omega (2020) was named best jazz album of the year by the New York Times, and best debut jazz album by NPR. Wilkins’s work as a performer and bandleader is also informed by creative connections within and outside the world of jazz, and has involved collaborations with filmmakers and visual artists on interdisciplinary productions.

Four musicians from the Lutosławski Quartet stand against a white background, smiling and laughing. The first person on the left holds a cello, the second holds a viola, the third (a woman) holds a violin in front of her, and the fourth holds a violin by his side. They are dressed casually in dark tops and jeans or dark pants.

Lutosławski Quartet is one of Europe’s foremost contemporary classical string quartets, composed of Roksana Kwaśnikowska (violin), Marcin Markowicz (violin), Artur Rozmysłowicz (viola), and Maciej Młodawski (cello). Blending contemporary repertoire with classical, Romantic, and jazz music, the group specializes in the music of their namesake, Witold Lutosławski, as well as works by Polish composers Grażyna Bacewicz, Karol Szymanowski, and the group’s own Marcin Markowicz.

Accessibility

The Grand Luxe Hall is located on the second floor of Western Front, which is accessed by a flight of 26 stairs. While plans for a full building upgrade to facilitate access for wheelchair users are still underway, events in the Grand Luxe Hall are made available virtually via high-quality livestream (see link above). Further details about accessibility at Western Front can be found here.

Acknowledgements

Presented in partnership with Coastal Jazz, with support from the Polish Cultural Institute New York, United States; and National Forum of Music, Wrocław, Poland.

Portrait of Immanuel Wilkins. Photo by Joshua Woods.

Portrait of Immanuel Wilkins. Photo by Joshua Woods.
Portrait of the Lutosławski Quartet.

Portrait of the Lutosławski Quartet.

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.