Midsummer Mix Tape 2026

Set List

Amy Stephen

1. The Wind – Cat Stevens, arranged by Amy Stephen
2. Nazanin – written and arranged by Amy Stephen
3. El Condor Pasa – music by Daniel Alomia Robles; lyrics by Paul Simon; arranged by Amy Stephen

D’arcy Han

4. I wish I knew how it would feel to be free – written by Billy Taylor & Dick Dallas, arranged by Mariah Mennie
5. Yi Wu Suo You (Nothing to my name) – written by Cui Jian, arranged by Mariah Mennie
6. Feeling good – written by Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse, arranged by Mariah Mennie

Kathleen Nisbet

7. Prophet of the New World – written & arranged by Kathleen Nisbet
8. Say Say – written & arranged by Kathleen Nisbet
9. I Am A River – written & arranged by Kathleen Nisbet

Shireen Nabatian

10. Ajde Jano – traditional Serbian, arranged by Michael J Fleming
11. Razbolje Se Lijepa Hajrija – traditional Bosnian, arranged by Michael J Fleming
12. Telal Viče – traditional Bosnian, arranged by Michael J Fleming

About The Music

D’arcy Han (ZiZi) / Mariah Mennie

I wish I knew how it would feel to be free

(Writers: Billy Taylor, Dick Dallas | Arranger: Mariah Mennie)

Made famous by Nina Simone in 1967, this song is often associated with the American Civil Rights Movement for its portrayal of the human desire to live without fear, systemic prejudice, and restraint. 

Yi Wu Suo You (Nothing to my name) 

(Writer: Cui Jian | Arranger: Mariah Mennie)

An artist that not only defined a generation’s voice, but ushered in the rock genre into China, Cui Jian is known as the Chinese “Godfather of rock”. While it appears to be a simple love song about courtship, its parallel cry of frustration, uncertainty, and desire for something more, deeply resonated with a generation longing for social change in the late 1980s.

Feeling good 

(Writers: Anthony Newley, Leslie Bricusse |Arranger: Mariah Mennie)

An audience favorite, this Nina Simone 1965 release celebrates hope, renewal and self-assurance.  Filled with images of a world coming alive, the timeless classic exudes strength and confidence.

Kathleen Nisbit

Prophet of the New World

This song is about Louis Riel, first premier of Manitoba and leader of the Métis people. The lyrics reference some of the poetry found in his journals, and describe his journey leading the resistance of Métis, First Nations and early settlers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan as Canada expanded in the west. The style of the fiddle reflects the feel and timing of a crooked Métis fiddle tune.

Say Say

This song is about connection, finding ways to understand and having the freedom to express ourselves even as we come from different places.

I Am A River

This song talks about recognizing the women who are missing from the history books, reclaiming their language, songs and stories. It is also a water song which acts as a prayer for healing.

Shireen Nabatian / Michael J. Fleming

Ajde Jano (traditional Serbian)

“Ajde Jano” is a beloved folk song throughout former Yugoslavia. The lyrics say, “Come on Jana, let’s dance! Let’s sell the horse so we can dance, let’s sell the house so we can dance, we’ll sell them so we can dance!”

Razbolje Se Lijepa Hajrija (traditional Bosnian)

The beautiful Hajrija ails underneath a walnut tree, or maybe it’s a lilac tree. Three brave young men come to her aid. “Hajrija, are you ill?” says one. “I would suffer in your place” says another. And the third says, “I would die for you.” The beautiful Hajrija responds, “No need to suffer nor die. If you take off your cloak and lay against my body, I think that would be more helpful!”

Telal Viče (traditional Bosnian)

The town crier is shouting from dawn to dusk, “The paša’s concubine has run away! And with her, she has taken two piles of treasure, the watch from his belt, the horse from his stable, and Mujo the treasure-keeper!” The paša’s guard comes upon her that first night and asks her why. “I took the treasure so I wouldn’t have to beg. I took the watch so I’d never be late. I took the horse so my feet wouldn’t get tired along the way. And I took the treasure keeper so I wouldn’t have to sleep alone!”

About the Artists 

D’arcy Han / ZiZi (featured vocalist)

Beijing born, Vancouver raised D’arcy Han has been singing and performing since she made her vocal debut on Chinese national TV at the age of 7. As a vocalist and artist, she performed at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival and toured the USA, Europe, and Asia with her many music projects. In 2017, D’arcy appeared on Sing! China (“The Voice”) with an international audience of over 400 million. The program vaulted this Canadian singer/songwriter to celebrity status. This was followed up by special performances and appearances at national television events including the Chinese Spring Gala show, the Miss World 2017 Final, the Silk Road International Film Festival, the Strawberry Music Festival and China International Fashion Week, and more. In 2018, her debut EP This is Me, reached #4 on the BBC Soul Charts, and is still peaking on Spotify and other online mediums. From stadiums to intimate stages, D’arcy captivates with what critics describe as a uniquely charming voice paired with an unmatched classiness in personal style and stage presence. An honorary member of the Canadian Association of Songwriters, D’arcy co-writes, produces and collaborates with songwriters/producers, artists, and performers from both North America and Asia. She is a cultural ambassador, committed to bridging people through music, acting and performances.

Shireen Nabatian (featured vocalist)

Shireen Nabatian is a Canadian-Iranian vocalist, violinist, and PhD candidate in cross-cultural musicology at University of California, Santa Cruz. Her dissertation research is about traditional music education, the legacies of nationalism, community, and belonging at summer music camps in California, Türkiye, and Crete. Her MA thesis was on contemporary practices in Persian dance and is now published in Anthony Shay’s edited volume, Dance in the Persianate World. Shireen has spoken at several international conferences and has taught courses such as Music of the Silk Road and Pedagogy of Music. She has performed with groups in British Columbia, Washington, and California, as well as Albania and Türkiye. In Santa Cruz, she leads the Balkan folk dance band EZGIJA, and she is advising the new UCSC Balkan Student Ensemble.

Kathleen Nisbet (featured vocalist & composer)

​Kathleen Nisbet is a fiddle player and singer from Vancouver, BC Canada. Classically trained at the Vancouver Academy of Music, she returned to her Métis roots, pursuing more traditional fiddle music. Since then she has worked with artists in a variety of genres. A collaborator and regular accompanist with Compaigni v’ni dansi Métis traditional dance, she also has composed music for independent modern dance. Recent theatre credits include A Christmas Carol with Pacific Theatre and Salmon Row with Mortal Coil. Kathleen is an active member of Vancouver’s thriving bluegrass and folk scene,  performing and touring regularly with her band Viper Central with whom she has recorded three albums. She has toured with Vancouver bands, The Fugitives and CR Avery and has made guest appearances with Hedley, Fred Eaglesmith, The Belle Game, and The Vicious Cycles to name a few. She works regularly as a studio musician and has numerous studio recording credits. She is a teacher at Saint James Music Academy where Downtown Eastside kids are provided free music lessons.

Amy Stephen (featured vocalist & composer)

Born in 1967 in Edmonton, Alberta, Amy Stephen grew up in Vancouver, BC and now resides in Coquitlam. Amy was a founding member of internationally-acclaimed celtic funk ensemble ‘Mad Pudding’ and is currently a member of Vancouver’s World Music Collective. She writes and performs cultural fusion music with her husband, Persian vocalist Amir Haghighi, and is a popular studio musician and performer around Vancouver, playing piano, accordion, celtic harp and penny whistle.

 The founder and director of Vancouver’s Aurora Celebration Choir and the Coquitlam Celebration Choir, Amy obtained a B.Mus. and a B.Ed. from UBC, studying conducting with James Fankhauser, and sang with the University Singers and the University Chamber Singers. Since then, she has sung with various groups around Vancouver, including the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the Vancouver Cantata Singers and Musica Intima.

Michael J Fleming (composer & arranger)

Michael J Fleming is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and Doctorate of Musical Arts candidate in music composition at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Much of his recent work is inspired by ephemeral images in nature, and explores and integrates timbres and musical traditions from around the world. His dissertation research focuses on creating intercultural dialogue and bridging the gap between aurally learned and notated music, culminating in a composed work that incorporates instruments and techniques from multiple traditions. His Master’s thesis was a composed piece for North Indian tabla and chamber orchestra, featuring tabla performer Doug Scheurell. For the past few years he has worked deeply with musicians trained in traditions from Iran, China, Korea, India, and Uzbekistan. Notable collaborators include the Del Sol Quartet with members of the National Gugak Center of South Korea, the AsianArt Ensemble from Berlin, Germany, and the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra. He has participated in various global musician and immersive performance style and composition workshops throughout the world. Michael is also an active collaborator with local musicians and artists in Santa Cruz on numerous instruments, and plays the Uzbek dutar in the touring locally based Central Asian Ensemble.

Mariah Mennie (composer & arranger)

A sound sculptor in a coat of many colors, Vancouver based artist Mariah Mennie is a composer, pianist, vocalist, percussionist, fire dancer, yogi and music educator. Her eclectic compositional world is effervescent, evoking programmatic vistas of mystical lands, wild natural places, fantastical words and psychological intricacies of the mind. She has a special interest in rare and unique instruments and loves studying different music traditions from around the world. Lately she has been exploring sound within ceremonial and healing settings. She has received commissions from Redshift, the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra, Standing Wave Ensemble, Vancouver New Music and Turning Point Ensemble, with notable performances of her works at the ISCM World New Music Days, the VSO New Music Festival and the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival. She holds a MMUS and BMUS (Composition) from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Production Credits

For the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra:

Farshid Samandari – Artistic Director
Melanie Thompson – Managing Director
Miriam Davidson – Operations Manager
Gina Hernandez Sanchez – Marketing & Production Coordinator

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The Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO), founded in 2001, is a contemporary classical music ensemble – one of the world’s first concert orchestras devoted specifically to performing new intercultural music on a grand scale. It is currently the only professional ensemble of its kind in Canada. The ensemble includes Western strings and winds (violin, viola, cello, contrabass, oboe, flute, clarinet) alongside Chinese erhu, pipa, sanxian, zheng, and sheng/suona; Persian kamanche, tar/setar, oud, and tombak; percussion from many world music traditions; and a variety of other instruments as required. Through composition, performance and educational outreach to both music professionals and the general public, the VICO supports the development of BC composers and musicians of diverse backgrounds (including Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Indian, Persian (Iranian), Latin and South American, Vietnamese, North American and European). Since repertoire for the VICO’s novel instrumentation does not already exist, creating new works (150+ new Canadian compositions since 2001, and counting!) is an integral component of all our programming – providing a framework for bringing musicians and composers together to learn from each other, in a uniquely collaborative process. The VICO’s programming includes standalone concerts and our biannual Global Soundscapes Festival; public educational events; a biannual Summer Academy, professional development workshops for established and emerging musicians and composers; the creation and distribution of educational materials (video, audio, text) via the web; outreach and collaboration with other artists and organisations in the contemporary and world music scenes of Vancouver, Canada, Europe and Asia; and more. https://www.vi-co.org 

 Acknowledgements

The VICO extends grateful thanks to the following funders for their support of this project:

• The Canada Council for the Arts
• The Province of BC (Community Gaming)
• The City of Surrey