This Week In Art/Culture/Entertainment
By John Swartz
Can everybody hold their events on the same day? Absolutely, Saturday September 19 is chock full of choices.
The Orillia Silver Band kicks off their concert season at 2:30 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church who will start the program solo playing some Chopin. The menu continues with duets, piano and Cornet, piano and sax, and piano with her husband Parres Allen singing, then another solo piano piece, Beethoven’s Two Movements from Pathetique Sonata, before the OSB makes an appearance to play Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso along with piano.
The second half has more of the band playing before closing with Kyung-A being featured on the Warsaw Concerto.
The OSB also has a contest happening. When you arrive for the 2:30 p.m. concert at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church – and you also had lunch at a downtown restaurant beforehand – show your receipt and you are entered into a draw for a $100 gift certificate for you next meal.
You can get tickets online, or at the door.
In Tribute
If there is one thing to say about the metal community, the musicians and fans are family. On that count there is an afternoon and into the evening remembrance of Chuck Swire (Rellikdog) and his brother, Ronnie September 19. There are 7 bands playing with Copper James starting at 1 p.m. followed by Mark Boddy and the Flying Turtles, Raised By Giants, Pauper’s Grave, Wicker Ditch, Nodevillivedon, and Lethal Mayhem.
This takes place at ODAS Park and it’s a pot luck. They are collecting donations to the Salvation Army Food Bank as well.
Make Some Noise
Charlie Angus is bringing his Resistance Tour to town Saturday night at St., Paul’s Centre. I won’t say much here because there is a story here, but it’s just another thing to fit in.
The legion has an open mic hosted by Ian Zinn Sunday September 20 from 2 to 5 p.m. The genre is country and rock. Admission is 45.
Next Week And Beyond
The Orillia Youth Centre has two fundraising events happening. One is at St. Paul’s Centre September 24 with the Subhumans, Bad Waitress and Brat Stepson. It’s all ages. You can get tickets online. A little further along, November 6 and 7 they have several musicians (Kevin Seconds, Lenny Lashley, Nixon Boyd, Roger Harvey and Alex Kaye Black) performing as a songwriter’s workshop at Creative Nomad Studios – three times! So Friday evening, Saturday Afternoon and evening. Friday night’s show has all onboard; Saturday’s splits the line up between the two shows. Tickets are available online.
Something different is happening at the legion Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. called Life is Sad. The blurb says, “(an) evening devoted to the beauty of melancholy through folk music” and if you know Nate Mills is involved, then you know it won’t be all tears. He’s performing along with Ellis, Dogmouth, Dylan Court, and Wm. Matt Miller and video by Tyler Grace. Admission is $15.
Some concerts happening at the Opera House include the Orillia Jazz Fest with two events in October; on the 16th a showcase of original compositions developed by Orillia high school students during Arts Orillia’s youth jazz workshop with Alondra Vega and Jacob Thompson and other performances, happens (tickets); and October 17 Jane Bunnett and Maqueque play Cuban jazz (tickets), and the Lightfoot Band is in October 29 (tickets).
Culture Days happens in one place at one time October 2 at Creative Nomad Studios. The main attraction is a storytelling event, but it comes with some strings (activities) attached, such as:
- Creative Youth Lab: Explore animation, 3D modelling and digital collage with Arts Orillia from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
- Something From Home: Explore an exhibition featuring visual representations of what home means to Lakehead University’s international students from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
- Bookmarks & Buttons: Create a custom bookmark or button using materials from the Orillia Public Library’s Makerspace from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
- Mosaic Mural: View a community mosaic mural created by North Simcoe Arts and community members from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
- Opening remarks will take place at 6:30 p.m.
- The Threads That Bind Us: Enjoy a mini fashion walk featuring Afro-Caribbean styles and stories, presented by the Orillia & Area Black Community Association, from 6:50 to 7:05 p.m.
- Season Sneak Peek: Enjoy a monologue from Macbeth and a song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, presented by Mariposa Arts Theatre, from 7:10 to 7:25 p.m.
- Stories and Open Mic: Experience personal stories, spoken word, music, dance, art and more from 7:40 to 8:30 p.m.
Last year’s storytelling event won a Spotlight Award for Best Participatory Program from Culture Days Ontario. You need to register to tell a story and you can do that online. Admission to the event is free.
The Shorts
- The Cellar Singers are getting ready for their concert season and starting rehearsals Wednesdays at St. James’ Anglican Church at 7:15 p.m. they invite people to try out to join the choir.
- 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.
- North Simcoe Arts is looking for people to serve on its bursary review committee. Interested parties with some experience in arts can email communications@northsimcoearts.ca.
- Nominations for the annual Art and Culture Awards (November 25 at Creative Nomad Studios) are now open and you can find nomination forms now online.
- Bleeker another new tune they’ve made a video for in advance of a full album coming soon. You can find Feel It Again on their Youtube page. They have been making some very good videos for the new batch of tunes they’ve put out in advance of their new album debuting Sept. 8. I suspect the album is going to be huge. They will also be opening for The Trews at Casino Rama for a Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital Foundation fundraiser in October. You can get tickets for that show here. The foundation is also running a 50/50 draw in conjunction with the concert and you can get a ticket online.
- Paso Por Paso has a fundraiser with comedian Martha Chaves Sept. 27 at St. Paul’s Centre. This comes with a light lunch. The show is at 3 p.m. and all proceeds go to supporting Maya communities in Guatemala. Call 705-955-7760 for tickets.
- Congrats to Rebekah Hawker who has been selected as a songwriter fellow for the MusiCounts Fellowship for Emerging Songwriters & Composers. Her tune, Quit My Habit, will be transformed into a choral piece of music and used in music classrooms across the country.
- 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… Cloud Gallery hasHolly Ann Friesen in for a meet and greet Sept. 19 from noon to 2 p.m.; and Mark and Blake Fletcher just announced they bought Butter Gallery in Collingwood, adding 45 more artists to their catalogue. … Peter Street Fine Arts had a collection of work from the Bayside Artists up this month.
- Quayles has My Missing Piece playing Sept. 19; Darcy Windover is ins Sept. 20; a comedy night with Chris Robinson, Patrick Hakeem, Kyle Patan, and Daniel Shaw is Oct. 3… The Hog ‘N Penny has the Kempencelts playing Sept. 19; and a jam Sunday afternoons… the ANAF club has KlasiK playing Sept. 19; DNA plays Sept. 20… Studabakers has live music Thursday nights… Kensingtons has an open mic every Tuesday evening… Even Steven plays Lake Country Grill Sept. 19.
(Images Supplied)
