See also Books, Movies, Music for Chinese and other foreign films, as well as more recommended film and music websites.
Databases
Watch over 6,500 independent films from more than 50 countries, including dramas, comedies, documentaries, classic film and television, shorts, thrillers and more. There are no checkouts or holds to manage. Stream an unlimited number of films on your computer, tablet, smart phone, or web-enabled TV. Access IndieFlix through a browser first to sign up for an account before using the app.
IndieFlix app | IndieFlix help
Note: Due to distribution licensing, some content is unavailable for viewing within Canada.
In library and at home with your library card.
Kanopy is a video streaming service for quality, thoughtful entertainment. Find over 20,000 movies, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos that inspire, enrich and entertain. Content in over 100 languages is included. Kanopy can be enjoyed on your TV, mobile phone, tablet or online.
Each library member receives 10 checkouts (play credits) per month. This cap resets on the 1st of the following month. Kanopy Kids and the Great Courses require no play credits.
For Burnaby residents, in the library and at home with your library card.
Stream more than 200,000 tracks of jazz on your computer or mobile device, with thousands of CDs added every month. Over 20,000 CDs are available from over 250 labels, including contemporary, jazz, pop, rock, blues and instrumental music.
In the library and at home with your library card. Limited to three concurrent users.
Stream more than 150,000 music CDs and 2,300,000 tracks on your computer or mobile device. The music is mostly classical, including orchestral, operatic, instrumental and choral music, with some jazz and world music. Thousands of new recordings are added each month.
In the library and at home with your library card. Limited to six concurrent users.
Streaming video library of classical music performances, opera, ballet, live concerts and documentaries. Watch the world's greatest opera houses, ballet companies, orchestras and artists perform on demand.
In the library and at home with your library card. Limited to three concurrent users.
Recommended websites
Film | Music | Theatre | Tickets | Visual arts
Film
Non-profit society presenting independent and innovative documentaries to Vancouver audiences. Held annually in May.
Vast database of information about thousands of films, television programs, and DVDs. Includes cast and crew details, plot summaries, and user reviews.
Canada's public film producer and distributor. Watch many NFB films online.
Non-profit society screens films and offers educational programs and a library.
Hundreds of recent films for all ages from around the world, with guest appearances by selected directors. Held annually in October.
Music
Classical
Links to all of BC Choral Federation’s member choirs, mostly in the Lower Mainland; information about choir concerts and workshops, and how to join a choir.
Over 10,000 downloadable scores of free choral sheet music. Search for scores by composer, title, time period, number of voices, lyrics or nationality.
Downloadable scores of classical and contemporary sheet music. Browse by composer or instrumentation.
Vancouver Opera, the second largest opera company in Canada, is known for its mainstage productions, its educational and community programs, and its cross-cultural creative partnerships.
Vancouver’s professional symphony orchestra, offering concerts and educational programs. Free concert in Burnaby at Deer Lake Park every July.
Festivals
Greater Vancouver’s largest annual three-day festival of blues, jazz and related music, featuring artists from across North America and around the world. Held in Burnaby at Deer Lake Park every August.
Summer festival and courses as well as year-round concerts in music of the Middle Ages through the early 19th century.
Three-day annual festival in July, bringing renowned folk, blues, roots, and alternative rock artists from around the world to Vancouver.
Produces annual festival in June and jazz concerts throughout the year.
Popular
Comprehensive music information, including reviews, lyrics, samples, biographies, and recommendations.
UCLA Music Library's digital collection of popular sheet music in the United States, from 1790 to the 20th century. Songs in the public domain are available for download. Also offers extensive links to other digital sheet music collections.
Recommends music, videos and concerts based on what you like to listen to.
Non-profit society presenting concerts and workshops of Celtic, Folk and Roots Music in Vancouver.
Links to libraries that index titles of popular songs in their song book collections, as well as links to digitized sheet music collections in the public domain.
Nonprofit society offering folk song circles, open mics, and concerts, as well as extensive online song resources.
Theatre
Annual winter festival of local and international performing artists in theatre, dance, music, and multimedia. PuSh "expands the horizons of Vancouver artists and audiences with work that is visionary, genre-bending, multi-disciplined, startling and original."
Nonprofit association promoting community theatre throughout BC. Produces annual mainstage, new play and one-act festivals, as well as theatre skills workshops.
Vancouver Public Library's directories of websites about local and international theatre.
Overview and links to the major theatre companies in the Vancouver area, including Bard on the Beach, Vancouver Playhouse, and Arts Club Theatre.
Tickets
Regional theatre venue for amateur and professional dance, theatre, and music performances as well as community events. Named after Canadian actor Michael J. Fox, who grew up in Burnaby, the theatre is part of Burnaby South Secondary School.
Burnaby’s multi-purpose community arts facility, located at Deer Lake. Visual art, film, theatre, and music performances and classes for all ages.
Vancouver's outlet for same day, half price tickets. Pick up tickets in downtown Vancouver at Tourism Vancouver's Visitors Centres.
Georgia Straight newspaper's calendar of arts, music, movies, and other events in the Greater Vancouver area.
Visual arts
Books on the life and works of selected famous Canadian artists. Read online or download the free e-books.
Online index of over 8200 artists and 2300 art websites, with links to over 180,000 art works. Searchable by artist, artwork title, art museum, medium, subject, nationality, women artists, and art movements.
Vancouver Public Library’s research guides of websites on visual art, architecture, graphic arts and design, photography and images, and more.
Collects and presents contemporary and historical Canadian visual art works; offers educational art programs and classes for all ages. Also rents and sells artworks to the public.
Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art’s database of contemporary Canadian artists, with thumbnail images of their works and video portraits of some artists. Searchable by artist name, location, culture (Inuit, First Nation), and medium.
Nonprofit association of BC craft artists, with stores on Granville Island and Vancouver Airport. Online directory of members includes artists’ statements, images of artworks, and links to their websites. Also includes guides to BC craft fairs by region and month.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s timeline of world art from 8,000 B.C. to the present. Browseable by time period and geographic location, each section includes a general historical context and links to specific artworks listed chronologically. Also includes thematic essays on various aspects art history and techniques.
Online magazine guide to current exhibitions at galleries and museums in BC, Alberta, Washington and Oregon.
Presents exhibitions of work by artists ranging from historic masters to leading-edge contemporaries, including several touring shows each year as well as exhibits from the permanent collection.
“A unique interactive space that brings together Canadian museum collections†in virtual exhibits, an image gallery, and learning resources.
A “virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism periods (1100-1850), currently containing over 22,600 reproductions.†Searchable by artist name, school of art, time period, and profession (medium, including decorative arts). Includes short artist biographies and “guided tours†of specific artists or artworks.
California State University's database of over 75,000 images, including photographs, which may be freely used for non-profit educational purposes. Searchable and browseable by image depiction subject matter, as well as by name, art form, style, nationality, materials, technique and time period.
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