This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
The evening of Saturday, September 14 is going to be special. The Orillia Silver Band has a concert happening at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Yeah, yeah, you’ve seen me type all kinds of praise about the Silver Band and how magnificently they play, and how great the concert repertoire’s are that Neil Barlow chooses for them to play.
You might recall what I wrote about a little concert they had last fall with their guest performer Kyung-A Lee and how she played Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. It wasn’t just she got all the notes out in the right places. A great musician knows exactly how they want their music to sound. Most great musicians can pick up any instrument and make it sound how they wish it to. From the cheapest guitar, or K-mart drum set, to a production model piano, or a Bosendorfer piano; in their hands whatever they are playing sounds better than even their owners believe those things can sound.
In the review of that concert I said, “The piano at the Opera House is a fine instrument. The room itself has won praise from a multitude of performers for its acoustics (including Kyung-A Lee), but there is a quirkiness about the sound of the piano. The bottom half is dominant. I think Kyung-A Lee picked up on this and the balance of sound between the upper and lower keys was the best I’ve ever heard anyone get out of the piano.”
That’s not to say none of the other great pianists I’ve heard use that instrument are not as good. Musicians come in many flavours, some are more focused on their technical expertise and some are focused on fitting in with the sound of the other musicians on stage. In the case where there is amplification used, the final sound is not often up to the musician. As a soloist without amplification, Kyung-A Lee can listen and adjust her playing according to what she is hearing on stage. Sometimes it’s a luxury. Still, in my book, that’s the mark of a musician who is performing on another level. Regardless of what is in one’s hands, or what one is sitting at, you are playing the instrument, not operating it.
Then there were the pieces the OSB played without her on stage. A couple tunes from operas by Verdi and Gershwin, stuff outside the brass band book of tunes. And then there were the tunes for which the band accompanied the piano, which Neil wrote the arrangements for. I’ve said before the blend, balance and execution of the OSB is on another plane, but it was just ridiculous to expect what I heard.
Then they pulled a rabbit out the hat when Kyung-A Lee’s husband, Parres Allen was invited on stage to sing Ella Fitzgerald’s Cry Me A River and brought the house down.
Will this Saturday’s concert be a repeat? We do have a casino in the area? I know how I’d bet. They won’t be repeating the same repertoire as last fall. The band will play, among other tunes, Vince Guaraldi’s Linus and Lucy. If you want a jazz musician to get excited about a gig, tell them that tune is on the dance card, same for those observing who know a thing or two about jazz music.
Lee will also so some solo playing on tunes by Rachmaninoff, Bach, and Chopin. Allen has a larger role in the concert than last time. With everyone on stage, he will sing Anthony Newly’s Feelin’ Good, and Procul Harem’s A Whiter Shade of Pale.
The centerpiece is a tune that’s being floating around in the jukebox between my ears since 1975, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. You know this tune, I guarantee if you play this video, you won’t get more than one bar into it and think, ‘oh, that tune.’ I can’t wait to hear how this comes off with such a pianist and such a band doing it.
We are lucky to have this calibre of musicians play in our town. There are few comparators to the OSB; you’d have to go to Europe to find equal quality. If you’ve never been before, you might as well take the plunge with something truly amazing. You can get tickets online or at the door.
John Jefferies, June 20, 1943 – September 13, 2024
As I was putting this thing together I learned John Jefferies died on Friday. He was such a wonderful man.
John sang with the Cellar Singers for many years, and in the choir at St. Paul’s. He also was in many Mariposa Arts Theatre plays (I have the image of him from when he was in Man of LaMancha in mind right now) and organized two benefit concerts for Ukrainians suffering at the hands of Russian war.
He also participated in many other concerts and fundraisers in the community. John always had a smile, liked a good laugh, and I will always remember the times we met at various events.
I will miss seeing him, and I’m sure the arts community will miss him more. So long John.
Lightfoot Days
Things are developing for November’s Lightfoot Days Festival. Last week I told you Linda Leatherdale was emceeing the Memories of Gordon Lightfoot; Stories and Music event at Creative Nomad, and that Gord’s drummer Barry Keane and Steve Eyers are panelists. This week Rick Haynes, Gord’s long-time bassist, is joining the party, as is Bernie Fiedler and Ronnie Hawkins wife, Wanda. I will also be telling a story.
A little bird told there is a very special guest attending (more on that later). Music is by Don James, Steve McEown and Steve Porter. This event is free to attend (though the festival will have a donation box).
The committee also nailed down some sponsors. Both the Best Western Mariposa Inn and the Champlain Waterfront Hotel have a 10% discount for festival goers. So if you have friends coming, make sure they use the code Light for the Mariposa and LGFL for the Champlain when booking. The festival also got a major festival sponsor in Tim Corney of RBC Wealth Management.
The kickoff event, October 31 at the Opera House is with Gord’s band and the new singer, Andy Mauck. Ticket sales are picking up. There are only about 70 tickets left on the main floor and the balcony is half full. You can get those online.
The Future is… In Two Weeks
Arts Orillia has a series of events happening under the banner Future Fest. It starts September 23 with an evening with Bob McDonald at St. Paul’s Centre. The Orillia Hall of Famer and host of the CBC’s Quirks and Quarks is one of the most interesting speakers and due to the nature of his work, I’m pretty sure he’s got something interesting to say about the future, though I suspect election predictions are not in his wheelhouse. You can get tickets here.
September 25 at St. Paul’s they have something called Tall (Third Age Learning Lakehead) Talks happening. This is with 4 local experts who each get 15 minutes on their subjects; Kate Hilliard on art, Jacob Kearey Moreland on food literacy, Sean Rees on AI as a creative tool, and choreographer Heidi Strauss on human behavior. This one is pay what you can at the door.
September 26 Arts Orillia has an exhibit, Your World Soon, of ecologically inspired art; paintings, collage, film and augmented reality and a performance by Bare Nerve of Hard Wire. You can get tickets online. You can also get a pass for all of it here.
Arts Orillia also has the Orillia Jazz Festival coming up in October. The headline event is October 19 at the Opera House with singer Caity Gyorgy and the Thompson Egbo-Egbo Trio. Those tickets are here. October 19 Brassworks, Autorickshaw, The Orillia All-Star Jazz Band and the All-Star Vocal Ensemble have a concert at the Opera House. Get those tickets here.
Fall Fairs
Orillia Fall Fair at ODAS Park has been moved and has a new name. The 174th version is now called the Severn, Orillia and District Fall Fair and it’s happening October 18 to 20. It’s still at ODAS Park and it will still have a midway, tractor pulls and a demolition derby.
The 160th Oro World’s Fair is September 14. It’s held at the fairgrounds on the 15/16 Sideroad at Oro-Medonte Line 7.
On the same days the Ramona Fall Fair happens at the Ramona Agricultural Society on fairgrounds Road.
The Coldwater Fall Fair is September 22 to 24. They have a midway and a demolition derby too (the Friday at 7 p.m.)
The Shorts
- Registration for the 5th annual Trunk Or Treat Halloween fundraiser for the Orillia Youth Centre is open and you can do so here. You can get tickets online for your kids starting Oct. 1. The date of the event is Saturday October 26 and it’s at ODAS Park.
- One webpage, many concert tickets available for the Orillia Youth Centre fundraising events in September. Skye Wallace, Ronnie Douglas, Matchedash Parish, Steve Poltz and Danny Michel – so many musicians (that’s not even half the list) – and a variety of dates and times.
- There are a few other gigs at the Opera House to be aware of. Mariposa Arts Theatre is doing Gypsy in November, which has Josh Halbot directing for the first time. Get tickets here. Second City is coming Oct. 4 (tickets) and guitarist Johannes Linstead has a concert Oct. 18 (many tunes and albums on various Billboard charts over the years – tickets).
- Mariposa Arts Film Night is starting again. All shows (4 and 7 p.m.) are at the Galaxy. Sept. 18 see Queen of My Dreams; Wilfred Buck plays Sept. 25; and Crossing plays Oct. 4. Ticket prices have dropped to $10 this year, and students pay $5 – at the door.
- St. Paul’s is doing Anne of Green Gables next April, but auditions start Sept. 20. See all the details here.
- Brent Mayhew has a piano recital happening Sept. 28 at 2 p..m.. He’ll play pieces by Grieg and Liszt. It’s a house concert and you’ll get directions when you get tickets, which you can do by calling texting 705-326-6999, or by emailing brentmayhew@rogers.com
- The City is hosting Culture Days this year at the Orillia Recreation Centre Sept. 28. The day starts at 9:30 and Arts Orillia, Georgian College, the Orillia and Area Black Community Association, ODAC, OMAH and the Orillia Native Women’s Group are participating.
- The Sharing Place Food Centre has their 2nd annual Harvest Hoedown happening Sept. 27 at ODAS Park. The band is Muskoka River. You can get tickets online.
- The Leacock Museum has a new exhibit, Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative Fiction and has a Ghost Walk happening opening day, Oct. 5, At 7:30 p.m. The walks will also happen Oct. 18, 19, 25 and 26. You can get tickets online. The museum also has author Jeremy John (Robert’s Hill (or the time I pooped my snowsuit) and other Christmas stories, as well as The Strange Grave of Mikey Dunbar, and other stories to make you poop your pants -long titles, yes, but they both have the word poop in them – reading from his work Sept. 22 at 1 and 3 p.m.
- Downtown Orillia is putting on a parade. The Monster March is Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. Anyone can enter, but you have to dress up, or if you are like me, come as you are. This one is going up the hill on Mississaga Street. There will be Trick or Treating for the kids at some downtown businesses after the parade.
- You can get tickets now for the Mariposa Folk Festival’s Mariposa-In-Concert event Nov. 23 at the Opera house with Matt Weidinger’s Van Morrison show. Matt is a member of Matchedash Parish and has appeared in many of Lance Anderson’s tribute show bands.
- Bonnie Milne has a new tune, Eloquence, she recorded at St. Paul’s Center (by Nixon Boyd) with Dave Hewitt, Alyssa Wright, and Dawn Ellis playing along. You can hear it here. She tells me it was #3 on a classical chart in the U.K. at the end of August. Zachary Lucky also has new music to hear. You can listen to Ramblin’ Kind here.
- The Orillia Museum of Art and History has Jeanette Luchese’s solo show, The Process Informs Me: Contemporary Abstract Frescoes; Stacey Tyrell’s Backra Bluid photography exhibit; Pawtraits and Reflections Of Our Roots Orillia From 3,000 BCE To 2024; OMAH’s annual gala is Jan. 18 and is also their 25th anniversary party; it’s at Hawk Ridge and the keynote speaker is Adam Shoalts; get tickets online; the monthly Speaker’s Night is starting soon; Dr. Chris Decker will speak about the history of the Opera House Sept. 18; this event is online and you can register online; OMAH and the Orillia Animal Centre of the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society are running a fundraiser for the OSPCA; taking a page from Pawprints, bring your pet to OMAH September 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. for your own photo… St. Paul’s Centre has the Call to Action 83 Art Project in the Ogimaa Miskwaaki Gallery… Hibernation Arts has a display of the art chosen for Sustainable Orillia’s annual calendar … Cloud Gallery still has their Great Big Show up… ODAC artists have a new show in the Green Room at the Opera House.
- Couchiching Craft Brewing has The Station playing Sept. 14; Tamica and Cotton are in Sept. 20… Quayle’s Brewery has Jared Stafford playing Spet. 14; Alex barber Sept. 15; Meredith Warboys Sept. 20… The Hog ‘N Penny has an Open Mic Sunday afternoons with Sean Patrick, Michael Martyn John MacDonald, Jessica Martin and whoever else shows up… St. Paul’s Pub Night returns Sept. 28 with Upbeat Groove playing; $10 at the door… the Orillia Big Band plays dance music for a fundraiser for food programs at St. James’
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied) Main: The stage is set for Saturday night’s concert by the Orillia Silver Band with guests Kyung-A Lee and Parres Allen at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian
