This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
It’s Jazz Festival weekend. Things start Friday evening at the Opera House in the Studio Theatre featuring new music created by students mentored by Alondra Vega, Jacob Thompson and Cole Mendez. Students performing their own work are Cassia Stoodley, Alida Tomasini, and Nico Christie.
There’s more, guitarist James Brown and his trio, The Art of Anthems, with bassist Clark Johnston, and Hannah Barstow on keyboards will perform next. James will be in town all week as an Artist In Residence and will have the use of the Studio Theatre to develop new work, which he will then perform at the concert. The residency is in partnership with the Canadian Music Centre. Nate Robertson will then be the entertainment at the after concert party. You can get tickets online.
Arts Orillia took over stewardship of the festival a few years ago and put all of its effort into having two shows, and focus the attention on one venue, rather than being spread out all over town.
So Saturday night’s program at the Opera House but in Gord’s Room, is with Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, Jane has been to the Jazz Fest before. Jane’s band is all Cuban and all female playing contemporary jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms. The program also features Cuban dancer Melissa Noventa. You can also get tickets online.
Sunday its jazz in church when Cole Mendez, Jacob Thompson show up. They’ll start playing at 10:15.
Orillia Concert Band
The Orillia Concert Band has a fundraising concert for the North Simcoe Victim Services Oct. 17 at St. Paul’s Centre. Their dance card is shared with the Orillia Big Band.
The concert band will be playing a medley Carole King tunes (which I understand includes Jazzman – and any King medley should), Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez a piece, Grooveitude, by a composer who has become quite popular in the last ten years, Randall Standridge, Music for a Darkened Theatre a medley of Danny Elfman’s tunes and a medley of music by George Gershwin (which I’m guessing does not include Cuban Overture because everyone forgets that great piece of music).
When it’s the Orillia Big Band’s turn they will be playing Smooth Operator, Nat King Cole‘s Unforgettable, How Sweet It Is, Witchcraft, Begin The Beguine, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and Somewhere. Milli Kent will sing some of those and if you haven’t heard her do big band staples, what have you been doing with your life?
You can get tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert online.
Writing Is Not Dead
The Orillia Public Library a Local Author Fair Saturday, October 24, from 2 to 4 p.m. The list of authors who will be on hand is strikingly long. It includes:
Barb Bissonette, Millie Blake, Erin Brown, Tristan Douglas, Jackleen Givens, Stacey Hewitt, A.N. Jones, Ashley Kaplan, Susan Langlois, Wendy Maclean, Wendy Morgan, Lori Oschefski, Heather Paul, Tristan Quesnelle, Lucy Sharon Robson, Melanie Rodgers, Don Ross, Chris Tomasini, and David Town. Of course they’ll have copies of their books for sale.
New Music
Bonnie Milne has a new recording out. Glimpses will be part of a new album she hopes to complete soon. Even classical record labels these days are pushing musicians to put out singles way ahead of an album. Bleeker went through this releasing a string of songs over many months before their album came out a few weeks ago.
Bonnie is especially adamant to highlight Dave Hewitt’s work on the recording. Dave hits things for several bands and has recorded with Bonnie before. On this song he only plays bass drum (but it doesn’t sound like a bass drum, and cymbals, but Bonnie calls him a feature player and said his contribution makes the tune.
Bonnie makes what I would call New Age, Classically influenced music, she calls it Light Classical. We’ll go with that, especially since one of her previous recordings, Perception, went to number one on classical charts in the U.K. Another song of hers, New Beginnings, made it to Canadian Classical charts.
Other musicians playing on the recording are Kevin Fox on cello and Drew Jurecka on violin. Both have mention of Junos on their resumes.
You can find all of her music on her Youtube page.
How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall?
The road for many area young musicians is through the Orillia Kiwanis Music Festival. It’s where Gord started. So get practicing because it’s time to register for the festival. Most people think it just a kid’s thing, but you can play too, not just your kids or grandkids.
The festival happens April 3 to 16, mostly at St. Paul’s Centre and the deadline to enter is December 31. If you live in Orillia, the surrounding townships, Rama or the District of Muskoka you can enter. They even have their list of adjudicators set and I think for the first time in decades there is an Orillian making notes, Autumn Debassige.
You can find all the details on the Kiwanis website.
Gord, Gord and More Gord
The annual celebration of Orillia’s favourite son is sooner than you think. . The main attraction is a performance by Gord’s band Oct. 29 at the Opera House. There are only a few tickets left.
Friday night at Creative Nomad, Choir Revolution will be in to lead a sing-a-long of Gord’s music. There will be video shot and posted online, so comb your hair, put on a clean shirt and brush your teeth. There will also be performances by selected artists.
Saturday afternoon things shift to Qualye’s Brewery where things start with a showing of, a documentary by John Corcoran. This was shown last year and it follows a group touring the U.K. alongside Gord and company during his first performance tour in the U.K. in 30 years. It also has interviews with band members and Gord.
Then it’s time for more music by Don James and Jack Nicolle, The High Steppin’ Strutters, Samantha Windover, and Mauck (as in Andy) and Martin (his guitar), plus the winners of the student competition and some cake. You can get tickets for each event online.
The Shorts
- Green Haven Shelter for Women’s annual fundraiser, A Christmas Carol, is happening December 16 at the Opera House. The lineup of readers includes Patrick McKenna, Colin Mochrie, Aurora Browne (CBC’s Baroness von Sketch Show); Neil Crone (Little Mosque on the Prairie); Linda Kash (Kraft’s Philadelphia Cream Cheese Angel); and Debra McGrath (Colin Mochrie’s wife, Women Fully Clothed, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Sunshine Sketches of a Small Town)That should do it for prompting ticket orders, but there’s more. Bruce Pirrie (Red Green) is directing and music is by Jim Clayton You can get tickets online.
- The Opera House has a number of concerts happening; a fundraiser for Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital and The Sharing Place Food Centre with Bad Dog Theatre Company doing improv comedy is Oct. 23; The Stampeders play Oct. 28; the Jim Cuddy Band is in Nov. 19; Susan Aglukark plays Nov. 20; the Great Canadian Road Trip with Doc Walker, Jason McCoy, and Michelle Wright happens Nov. 22; Derek Edwards performs Nov. 27 – you can get tickets for any of those online.
- Mariposa still has a few, and only a few, tickets on sale now for the Nov. 21 stupendous concert at the Opera House with Lance Anderson, Matt Weidinger and Cole Mendez, along with two members of Matt’s band, The Tonewheels, Chris Latta (guitar) and Mike Rajna (drums). Lance, Matt and Cole will be fighting over who gets to play Hammond B3, there will be tow of those on stage. Get tickets here.
- The Orillia Concert Association has their season lined up. The Toronto Brass Quintet performs Oct. 25 at the Opera House; the Toronto Concert Orchestra is in Jan. 17 at St. Paul’s Centre; Payadora plays March 14 at the Opera House; and Spirit 20 performs Apr. 18 at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian. All show times are 2:30 p.m. You can get tickets ($90, best deal in town) online, and there’s a lower price ($30) for students of all types up to grad school. It says nothing about reform school.
- Mariposa House Hospice has a fundraiser happening at Braestone Farm with Kelly Davies and the Devin Cuddy Band playing Oct. 25. Email autumnconcert@mariposahousehospice.com for tickets.
- The 7th annual Trunk or Treat is happening Oct. 24 at ODAS Park. Registration for those bringing their trunks is open now online. Tickets are available at the same URL starting Oct. 5. This is a fundraiser for the Orillia Youth Centre.
- The Cellar Singers open their concert season Nov. 1 at St. James’ Anglican Church with Anton Bruckner’s Mass in F Major. You can get tickets online, and you might want to get tickets now for The Messiah on Nov. 28..
- The Orillia Museum of Art and History has the annual Franklin Carmichael landscape show, Tradition Transformed opening Sept. 26 at 1 p.m.; they will also open a collection of art from the museum’s holding called Chasing the Light and Homegrown; The Story of Orillia at the same time; don’t forget to see the permanent exhibit of Gordon Lightfoot’s personal effects… Peter Street Fine Arts has the work of Catherine Brassard featured all month; the gallery also has boards for the annual 6×6 show available for pick up now, they are $20 for two boards and a artists get all the proceeds from each sale.
- Quayles has Andrew Walker playing Oct. 16; Hayden Ryann Oct. 17 and Ron Whitman Oct. 18… The Hog ‘N Penny has Dav Dickenson playing Oct. 16; the Kempencelts are in Oct. 17… the ANAF club has the Tres Hombres playing Oct. 17; Tyler French in Sunday afternoon… Studabakers has live music Thursday nights… Kensingtons has an open mic every Tuesday evening… the Washago Lions Hall has a jam night Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. … Lake Country Grill has their annual Halloween Dragtacular Oct. 17; it’s organized by Three Birds Salon and you can get tickets online… Samantha Windover and Brad Emmons play the St. Paul’s Pub Night Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. admission is $10; Samantha has new album out soon – I’ve heard it and it’s exceptional, maybe she’ll be doing some tunes form it.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia and Images Supplied) Main: The Orillia Concert Band has a program Saturday night at St. Paul’s Centre
