This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
The Rotary Aqua Theatre in Couchiching Beach Park is the place to be on weekends for free entertainment. Starting July 11, every Friday night there will be live music, a vendors market, and a barbecue (July 11 & August 29) starting at 6:30 p.m.
Jakob Pearce and Dave Hewitt are the first musicians to play. In the weeks to come Turbo Street Funk and Zachary Lucky will perform. Did I mention this is free?
Then on Saturday nights starting July 26 you can watch a movie for free. Derick Lehmann floated the idea a couple weeks ago by asking the question, ‘what happened to movies in the park?’ So he rounded up enough sponsors (he said it costs about a thousand dollars per night) decided to organize a schedule of five weeks at the Aqua Theatre. The movies will start at dusk.
The Sunday evening band concerts have already been happening. The Orillia Silver Band plays July 13 starting at 6:30 p.m.
The folks at the Port of Orillia didn’t want to feel left out. Their Orillia’s Got Talent started last Saturday. Round two is July 12 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the port building. July 26 the top five acts from each week will perform July 26.
Also at the Port is a market on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Midweek the noontime organ recitals return on Wednesdays to St. James’ Anglican Church. The concerts last one hour, you can bring your lunch, the church has some lemonade, and it’s free (but you can leave a donation). This year the program has expanded to include more than just organ playing.
July 16 Dan McCoy (of St, Paul’s Centre) and friends are performing. July 23 Cadence Brassard plays. The rest of the program pairs organists with vocalists (mostly)
Brass (You Thought I Was Going To Type Something Else)
Sunday June 29 Brassworks, the 4th Street Jazz Project and the Dixieland band from Orillia Secondary School had a concert at the Salvation Army Citadel.
This concert happens every year and it’s great. Two things stood out for me, 4th Street’s sax section play exceptionally well together. The kids from OSS are fantastic, with Abby Howard’s voice leading trumpet playing outstanding. The students wrote all their arrangements too.
Josh Young’s clarinet playing and stage presence reminds me of Pete Fountain. He’s the real deal, for a teenager. He played bass with 4th Street too. He’s going to school for engineering. I know a few engineers who are also good musicians, I told him I hope he concentrates on swing bridges.
Alex Dean played with Brassworks and with the Dixieland band. There were a few times his eyebrows went up with the solo work from the kids.
The closer of Sir Duke with all hands on deck was really well done.
The Shorts
- Steph Dunn made a short video of the repainting of the Letter M which stand in front of OMAH. You can watch it here.
- The Orillia Silver Band and OMAH are teaming up for a presentation at St. Paul’s Centre for Lake University’s Third Age Learning program. It’s called, Brass Roots: Music, Memory and Community and he band will play a lot of music and there will be stories about the people who have shaped Orillia’s cultural community. It’s Thursday July 17 at 7 p.m. You can get tickets online.
- The 47th annual Orillia Scottish Festival starts July 18, but now is the time to get tickets for the Friday night Ceilidh at the legion with Fully Licensed (Cyndi Devereux, John Mac Donald, Sean Patrick, Don Wood) supplying the music.
- The Orillia Museum Of Art And History has the 28th annual International Women’s Day Show in the main floor gallery. also see Orillia: Then And Now a collection of historical photos of Orillia landmarks and buildings contrasted with recent photos of the same by Samantha Vessios; and don’t miss two exhibits related to Gordon Lightfoot – a permanent exhibit of their acquisitions of items from Gord’s estate, Gordon Lightfoot: Turning Back The Pages, and an exhibit of photos taken over the years by Edwin Gailits (1970s era) and, Deb Halbot, at the Mariposa Folk Festival called Voices Through Time: A Mariposa Journey; now is the best time to get tickets for OMAH’s Music For The Museum event, November 1; Jacquie Dancyger Arnold, Hugh Coleman, Ross Arnold, Blair Bailey, Laura Kelly, and Gail Spencer are performing… Cloud Gallery’s has their group show, My Happy Place, up to see…Hibernation Arts has fibre art by Kathryn Andrews featured this month (reception July 12 from 1 to 4 p.m.) … Peter Street Fine Arts has photos by Mike Bailey featured this month (some fantastic shots taken in Africa).. Starry Night is Aug. 23
- Quayle’s Brewery has Dave Shaw playing July 11; Jacob Pearce is in July 12; July 13 Chris Lemay plays the afternoon, Paul Morgan the evening – and there’s fireworks at 9:30 for their 5th anniversary; Jamie Drake is in July 17; My Missing Piece is in July 18 … the Hog ‘N Penny has an afternoon jam session every Sunday with Sean Patrick and others.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied)
