By Tabitha Brasso-Ernst (Brand Engagement & Communications Coordinator) for Bachstage Pass
Violinist Cameron Wilson’s October is a study in joyful chaos — a month of overlapping rehearsals and projects that somehow all coexist. Between a self-written concerto, a Frozen pit run with Arts Club, and the long-awaited return of Andrew Downing’s Phantom of the Opera with the Vancouver Bach Choir, Wilson’s fall is a masterclass in balance.
A Life Between Worlds
A pillar of Vancouver’s music scene, Wilson has built a career on saying yes to contrast. With 17 years as a full-time violinist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, he found freedom in blurring genres: the crossover wit of Joe Trio, the folk drive of Mad Pudding, and the swing fuelled Van Django. That dual fluency — classical precision paired with improvisational instinct — still defines him.
“You’re still playing the same instrument,” he says, “but you’re approaching it differently.”
Young Cameron Wilson. Photo courtesy of Cameron Wilson.
Revisiting Phantom
When the Vancouver Bach Choir last presented Downing’s score in 2016, audiences left asking when it would return. The answer, nearly a decade later, arrives this October 27 at The Orpheum.
Downing’s score is a marvel of contradictions: ragtime rhythm one moment, brooding romanticism the next. Each instrument seems to carry a fragment of character, a brushstroke of mood. Wilson marvels at how vividly it transforms the silent film’s atmosphere — music that doesn’t simply accompany but re-imagines the picture.
“It’s a score you wouldn’t expect for that film. That’s what makes it original.”
This new staging reunites Wilson with Leslie Dala, leading eighty voices of the Vancouver Bach Choir. The result is an immersive, cinematic, and gloriously alive event that kicks off the VBC’s 2025-2026 season.
Photo courtesy of Cameron Wilson.
Andrew Downing’s Craft
As both performer and composer-arranger, Wilson listens for architecture — and Downing’s writing, he says, is “incredibly well written.” “Each instrument has a voice — nothing gets blurred. He knows exactly which colours to bring forward and when,” Wilson notes. What strikes him most is the originality: seamless cross-genre fluency where hints of ragtime and jazz sit beside post-romantic sweep, all in service of the movie.
Composer Andrew Downing. Photo courtesy of Andrew Downing.
A Community of Sound
Ask Wilson what makes this collaboration special, and he doesn’t hesitate: family. Years of shared projects have made the VBC feel like home — and much of that, he says, comes down to his deep musical bond with Music Director Leslie Dala.
The two first worked together years ago through Little Chamber Music Series That Could, later reuniting for creative cross-genre experiments such as The White Album Show at St. James Hall, where Dala conducted Beatles arrangements. They’ve since joined forces on symphonic collaborations across B.C., including Mozart and Carmina Burana performances that solidified an unspoken trust. “Les is one of those forces who can conduct anything,” Wilson says. “He just gets musicians — whether it’s a full symphony or a band of improvisers.” That sense of mutual respect filters through the entire ensemble. Wilson describes rehearsals as “open, warm, and disciplined.”
“I’ve always felt like the Bach Choir thinks of me as extended family — truly at home and accepted. After so many projects together — onstage and behind the scenes — that sense of belonging is real.”
Photo courtesy of Cameron Wilson.
Staying Relevant — and Grateful
For all the projects in orbit, Wilson speaks not of exhaustion but of gratitude. His secret weapon is what he calls “smart practicing”: shorter, more focused sessions that preserve joy while keeping technique razor-sharp. He keeps a couple of touchstones in mind — wisdom he attributes to famed cellist Pablo Casals: first, that a musician keeps practicing because they’re still getting better; and second, that a string can sound its most alive right before it breaks. For Wilson, both ideas ring true: chase improvement with humility, and play with enough intensity that the music feels on the edge of revelation.
“There’s a part of everybody that’s unique,” he says. “You’re bringing something nobody else can bring to a performance.”
Relearning his own concerto, Canadian Seasons, has reminded him why he began in the first place. It’s renewed his fascination with the violin’s voice — a full-circle moment that mirrors Phantom’s own rediscovery.
Andy Hillhouse, Cameron Wilson, and Brent Gubbels. Photo courtesy of Cameron Wilson.
One Night Only
Nine years separate this Phantom from the last. For Wilson, that distance matters: an entirely new generation will hear Downing’s score for the first time.
“It’s a real event,” he says. “I hope it’s sold out.”
He calls the music “sweeping, nostalgic, brooding” — three words that perfectly capture Downing’s immersive world of the Phantom. In a season packed with projects, this one still feels singular: a night where silent film, choral symphony, and Vancouver’s artistic heart all converge on one stage.
Event Details
Vancouver Bach Choir and Vancouver Civic Theatres present: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with Andrew Downing’s original score
When: Monday, October 27 2025 at 8pm
Where: The Orpheum — Vancouver Civic Theatres Silent Movie Mondays (601 Smithe Street)
Featuring: 7-piece orchestra + Vancouver Bach Choir (80 voices)
Film directed by Rupert Julian
Original score by Andrew Downing, conducted by Leslie Dala
Photos courtesy of Cameron Wilson.