VPS Announces Reconciliation Sessions Featuring Spakwus Slolem.

Vancouver Piano Sessions is proud to announce a special outdoor Reconciliation Session on the afternoon of August 8, 2026, at Robson Square — the pedestrianized public plaza in the heart of downtown Vancouver, officially also known as šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square. The event is free and open to the public.

The session will feature a performance by Spakwus Slolem — the Eagle Song Dancers — members of the Squamish Nation whose traditional territory encompasses the Howe Sound, Vancouver, and Whistler area, lands the Squamish people have inhabited and stewarded for over 10,000 years. Their songs, dances, and ceremonial masks offer a window into a living culture rooted in the sea-going canoe, the cedar longhouse, and the traditions of the Coastal Salish peoples.

Leading the performance is Elder S7aplek (Bob Baker), co-founder and spokesperson of Spakwus Slolem, born and raised Squamish, and a cultural practitioner of more than 35 years. Elder Baker has carried his Nation's traditions to stages across the world — from the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland to Taiwan and Japan — and was part of the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. He is also a residential school survivor, and his willingness to share the living culture of the Squamish Nation in the spirit of reconciliation gives these performances a depth and significance that extends well beyond the stage.

The event continues a tradition that has been central to Vancouver Piano Sessions since its first edition: the belief that music has the power to heal, connect, and build bridges across communities. The open-air setting at Robson Square — šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl'e7énḵ Square — on the unceded and traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, is itself a reflection of that spirit, bringing this encounter between cultures into a shared public space accessible to all.

The program will also feature VPS participants performing works from the Western classical repertoire that share themes with the songs presented by the Eagle Song Dancers, creating a dialogue across musical traditions. Further programming details will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Admission is free. All are welcome.