Gifts of the Cosmos

Get ready for blastoff!

Inspiring music, images and stories about the universe that will spark imaginations!

Join Surrey SPARK Stages and Surrey City Orchestra on this visual and sonic voyage!

You'll journey to the outer reaches of the galaxy while Surrey City Orchestra, conducted by Jaelem Bhate, performs selections from Holst's Suite "The Planets." This live performance  features projections of the latest celestial images from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.

Gifts of the Cosmos also features original stories about our universe written by acclaimed storyteller, poet and playwright Joseph Dandurand.

And, by special video message you'll hear from Canadian astronaut Jenni Sidey-Gibbons about the excitement of space travel as she plans for her flight with NASA.

Arrive early to explore the lobby before lift-off for some interplanetary fun!

Suitable for ages 7+

Advisory: May be flashing lights.

get tickets

About Surrey City Orchestra 

The Surrey City Orchestra is a group of professional musicians, which has been performing for local audiences since 2018. Based in the City of Surrey, the orchestra features professional musicians who call Surrey home, as well as promoting cross-cultural collaborations through music.

The orchestra has worked with many local dance groups, choirs, acrobats, student musicians, and businesses to bring high quality live performances to Surrey.  The orchestra will be conducted by up and coming composer and conductor Jaelem Bhatte. 

About Jaelem Bhatte

Jaelem Bhate is a conductor, composer, and bandleader from Vancouver, whose musical diversity has come to define his career. He currently sits on the board of Orchestras Canada and was named to the CBC's 2019 30 under 30 hot classical musicians. 

As a conductor, Jaelem has worked professionally as a guest with the Vancouver and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Vancouver Philharmonic. He is the current music director of the Vancouver Brass Collective, as well as the artistic director of Symphony 21, an ensemble which he founded. Jaelem completed his Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting at UBC in 2019 under the guidance of Dr. Jonathan Girard.

As a composer, Jaelem has been described as “a rising star” (The Midwest Record). He is founder of the 17-piece Jaelem Bhate Jazz Orchestra. CBC Radio 1 recently covered his original suite for Jazz Orchestra ‘The Nameless’ that featured the poetry of underrepresented, disadvantaged and discriminated against communities. His recently released debut album ‘On the Edge' features a who’s who of Vancouver jazz instrumentalists. It's been hailed for its “polished and confident arrangements” (All About Jazz, 2019), and it won the 2020 Julian Award for excellence in Jazz.

His music was featured as part of the 2019 and 2018 Jean Coulthard Readings, presented by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, as well as by the Victoria Symphony in their 2019 Hugh Davidson sessions. 

As a community leader and programmer, Jaelem created the BRASS-embly symposium, aimed at encouraging youth in BC to become further involved in the brass and music community. He also serves as Music Director for the Brock House Orchestra, serving a dedicated group of seniors, improving their quality of life through shared music making. He has been involved with youth teaching at the St. James Music Academy on the downtown East side of Vancouver, as well as the UBC Summer Music institute. 

About Joseph Dandurand

Director of the Kwantlen Cultural Center, Joseph A. Dandurand is an experienced and knowledgeable storyteller. A member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River, Dandurand has been a storyteller since he was a young man. His talent and passion for words and sharing stories has followed him through the many journeys of his life.

An accomplished poet, playwright, researcher, archaeologist and proud father of three children, Dandurand received a Diploma in Performing Arts from Algonquin College and studied theatre and direction at the University of Ottawa. He has produced several plays for adults and youth, including works as the Playwright-in-Residence for the Museum of Civilization in Hull in 1995 and a radio script, St. Mary’s, produced by CBC Radio in 1999.

He is also the author of several books of poetry, including I Want (Leaf Press, 2015), Hear and Foretell (Bookland Press, 2015), The Rumor (Bookland Press, 2018), SH:LAM (The Doctor) (Mawenzi Press, 2019) and The East Side of It All (Nightwood Editions, 2020), which was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize, In 2021, Dandurand received the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence.

About Jenni Sidey-Gibbons

In July 2017, Dr. Sidey-Gibbons was recruited by the CSA as one of two new astronauts. She relocated to Houston, Texas, to take the two-year Astronaut Candidate Training Program at the Johnson Space Center. The program includes scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station (ISS) systems, simulated extravehicular activities (EVAs, or spacewalks), robotics, physiological training, flight training, Russian language courses, and sea and wilderness survival training.

Dr. Sidey-Gibbons completed the program and obtained the official title of astronaut in January 2020. Prior to joining the Canadian Space Program, Dr. Sidey-Gibbons worked as an assistant professor in internal combustion engines at the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge. She also taught undergraduate and graduate students in the Energy, Fluid Mechanics and Turbomachinery Division on topics ranging from conventional and alternative energy production to introductory thermodynamics and flame physics.

She has also actively acted as a role model for young women considering technical careers in science-related fields. Most notably, she is the co-founder of the Cambridge chapter of Robogals, a student-run international organization that aims to inspire and empower young women to study STEM through fun and educational initiatives. Through this work, she has taught programming to over 3,000 young girls across the UK.

These outreach activities, along with the technical success she achieved in her academic career, led to her receiving the prestigious Institution of Engineering and Technology's Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award and a RAEng Young Engineer of the Year Award in 2016.