A series of intimate dinners and parties in inspiring spaces

An ongoing series of cocktail parties and intimate dinners in architecturally, historically relevant and / or otherwise inspiringly weird locations.

These photos from recent Secret Spaces events are a fine introduction: a summer cocktail party at the Marine Building penthouse, a sweet spring W2 suite dinner, an autumn dinner at Arthur Erickson’s Baldwin House on Deer Lake Park, a wine tasting at Koo’s Garage and a sizzling summer dinner atop The Keefer Suites penthouse.

Recent event:

Kensington Place

Friday, June 1, 2012
Drinks 6:30pm  |  Dinner 7:30pm
Entertainment by Veda Hille

HOSTS:
In the spirit of secretiveness, all we will tell you about your hosts is that one is a Vancouver filmmaker, writer and artist and the other a local fabricator.

SPACE:
Kensington Place Apartment is a New York Upper West Side heritage apartment that just happens to be built across from a beach in Vancouver.  Designed by architect Philip Julien in 1912 in Second Renaissance Revival Style, this grand old lady has been home to filmmakers, artists, architects, musicians, singers, conductors, writers, healers, doctors, city planners, politicians, and even a governor general.  Gloria and Gerry Britland, the previous owners of this particular home, lived here when the building was still for rental only.  When it was converted to a strata title in 1972, they bought two of the grand-sized units, blew out a wall and converted it in to a rococo dream where the Vancouver Opera used to have their opening and closing galas every year.  In fact, Irving Guttman, who founded the VOA, lived just up the stairs.  In 1998 Kensington Place received a Vancouver Heritage Award. Since 2001, the celebratory baton was passed on to the current owner, who continues to host poetry brunches, the Vancouver International Film Festival, salons, fundraising events, piano recitals, film shoots, theatre readings, impromptu milongas, karaoke madness and a lot of wonderful dinners. The last person to shoot in the apartment was Robert Redford with Shia LaBeouf for his upcoming film The Company You Keep.

Kensington Place loves company.

ENTERTAINMENT:
Veda Hille is a Vancouver musician whose talent knows no bounds. From moody indie pop, orchestral folk rock and ‘vaudefolkian’ duets to chorale creations, opera and theatrical scores, Hille easily bops between musical genres and art forms, enchanting audiences with her charming onstage repartee, unfettered musical prowess and melodious voice. In addition to her own songs, which straddle the murky boundary between folk music, art song and esoteric rock, recent projects include The Fits (vaudeville duets), Duplex! (rock music for kids) and Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata, (theatrical song cycle which premiered at Club PuSh in 2009 and went on to a wildly successful run at the Arts Club Theatre during the PuSh Festival in 2012).   vedahille.com

“Hille is one of the most acclaimed artists in the country — luminescent, fierce, haunting, and with talent to burn…seeing her live is like discovering that the giant talking wizard’s head actually is a giant talking wizard’s head.  —Anna Lemond, The Coast, Halifax

WINE DJ:
Harry Hertscheg , Executive Director of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, brings his special skills as ‘wine DJ” to the evening, programming a selection of vintages to groove with the food and entertainment.

SPREAD:
Delectable canapés and an inspired and original six-course dinner by Kevin Mooney, accompanied by a medley of fine wines.

For more info and to RSVP, contact Belinda Bruce at bb@conspiracy.ca