Kronos Quartet with Tanya Tagaq: Tundra Songs

A Grammy-winning experimental chamber group teams up with an Inuit throat singer for what promises to be an unforgettable musical mash-up.

Tanya Tagaq alone is worth the trip out to UBC. From Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, she has performed around the world, riveting audiences with her multi-layered techniques and haunting sound.

The San Francisco-based Kronos Quartet is also excellent, having explored cutting-edge music for more than 30 years, with hundreds of works created for the quartet specifically.

That includes Tundra Songs, centerpiece of tonight's program and a new work for Kronos and Tagaq written by Nova Scotia-based composer Derek Charke. Tonight's performance marks the Vancouver premiere of this work the L.A. Times called "passionate and superb."

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at 8:00 pm.

Majumder/Cullen/Payne: Laugh It Out!

Comedians Shaun Majumder, Sean Cullen and Nikki Payne headline a night of Olympic laughs hosted by two Barenaked Ladies, Ed Robertson and Tyler Stewart (they're funny too).

The Orpheum, 8 pm.

Mahler Symphony No. 8: Symphony of a Thousand

Four hundred and thirty performers - musicians, choir members and soloists - will fill the stage at the acoustically-improved Queen Elizabeth Theatre for what should be a spine-tingling night.

QET, 8 pm.

Ginger Goodwin Way

Visual artists Mariana Castilo Deball, Michele Di Menna and the Until We Have A Helicopter collective (Matthew Robertson and Wes Cameron) wrestle with history in an exhibition inspired by a controversial labour artist.

Or Gallery, today until March 6.

Sunday 31

Anthony Braxton's Sonic Genome Project

Legendary American composer and saxophonist Anthony Braxton teams up with 59 musicians - Braxton's 12+1tet and 47 locals (including high school students) - for eight continuous hours of music, featuring compositions Braxton has written over his long, prolific career, as well as musical improvisations. Ensembles will break apart into "cells" and audiences are invited to wander around and listen to the different sounds. While Braxton conducted a Sonic Genome recording project in 2003, this marks the world premiere of this ambitious musical experiment as a public performance. And - it's free.

Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre, Sunday 12:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. (or later).

Border Zones: New Art Across Cultures

An exploration of ethnic and national identity in the age of new media, the first temporary exhibition at the new MOA. The works include Anspayaxw, an installation by Canadian-raised London-based sound artist John Wynne, with photographs by Denise Hawrysio, documenting the effort to preserve endangered native languages.

MOA until Sept. 30.

The Edward Curtis Project

This is your last chance to experience this multimedia presentation: part-theatre, part-photography, a provocative collaboration between playwright Marie Clements and photographer Rita Leistner.

Presentation House Theatre, 2 pm.

LunarFest: Soul, Art, Life

The whole city seems to be taken by this public art initiative and it's easy to see why: the lanterns are gorgeous and colourful - even before they're lit up at night. This is not to be missed.

Granville Street between Georgia and Robson, until Feb. 28.

vancouver2010.com/cultural-festivals-and-events