There has been some news on the arts front this week in Niagara regarding the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines, so we'll address that in my column this evening as well as weekend events you might very well want to enjoy.
On Monday morning, through the RBC Emerging Artists Project, RBC announced a $ 675,000 donation to Brock University's Campaign for a Bold New Brock. This will help to make the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts a world-class hub for arts education and community programming.
The announcement was made at the site of the new facility, part of the old Canada Hair Cloth building complex being redeveloped just below St. Paul Street. Francine Dyksterhuis, the Regional President for Southwestern Ontario for RBC, joined Brock President Jack Lightstone to make the announcement, saying, according to the news release: "RBC is proud to support Brock University and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts", adding "We believe it is critical to identify, nurture and reward the next generation of Canadian talent, and are excited to help provide students with the space, tools and resources to pursue professional arts careers."
The donation will see $ 500,000 of the gift go towards the new school, with the remaining $ 175,000 used to permanently endow funding for the school's long-running Music@Noon series, which has been running for about ten years now, providing on average, 18 public performances a year. I often want to go to these but with them presently being up at Brock, the parking situation prevents me and I suspect many others from bothering to attend.
But to have them downtown over the noon-hour once the facility is open means the performances will be open to a whole new audience. Just imagine walking over to the School of Fine & Performing Arts Centre on your lunch-hour to catch a free performance. That can't help to make the downtown a more interesting place to be!
The popular lunchtime recital series will be renamed the RBC Foundation Tuesdays@noon music series immediately, and when the new centre opens up downtown, a suite of music performance rooms, labs and classrooms on the first floor will be named the RBC Foundation Music Performance Suite for the lifetime of the building.
President Jack Lightstone praised RBC's contribution as "a bold investment in the future of the fine arts in Niagara, Ontario and Canada." It is indeed, and I hope other corporate entities will be stepping up to the plate to show their support for not only the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts but also the next-door tenant, the St. Catharines Performing Arts Centre. There are still plenty of naming opportunities for both facilities, and investing in the arts and culture sector will always pay big dividends for any organization. Congratulations to RBC for being a trail-blazer in Niagara!
Speaking of RBC and the arts in Niagara, RBC Wealth Management are sponsoring RBC Affiliate Composer Kevin Lau at the season kickoff of the Niagara Symphony (NSO) this weekend at the Centre for the Arts, Brock University. The first Masterworks concert of the season will feature a performance of Mr. Lau's composition Artemis by the NSO, conducted by Music Director Bradley Thachuck Sunday afternoon at 2:30 at the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre.
Also on the programme will be the Sibelius Violin Concerto and the ever-popular Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, both featuring special guest artist Andrea Tyniec. This should be a great kickoff for the new season, which promises to be the next-to-last season for the NSO before moving into the new St. Catharines Performing Arts Centre in the fall of 2015.
This weekend I will also be in the lobby before, after and during intermission, manning the table overflowing with great music available for purchase from A Web of Fine Music. Of course I can take special orders as well, if I don't happen to have what you want on hand. You can also go to the website, www.finemusic.ca for a complete selection of Mike's Picks that are always available, by the way.
Tickets for the concert and indeed the full NSO season are available in person at the box office or by calling 905-688-5550, ext. 3257.
Finally, this weekend marks the start of another season for one of my favourite theatre companies in Niagara, Lyndesfarne Theatre Projects at their downtown Niagara Falls home at the Seneca Queen Theatre. Saturday evening at 7 LTP presents their fundraiser, The Niagara Fallies, featuring some pretty high-powered talent on stage, including Thom Allison, Nora McLellan, Jenny L. Wright, Travis Seetoo, Harveen Sandhu, Kyle Golemba and Karen Wood.
There will also be silent and live auction items and a cash bar, with tickets only $ 20.00, in support of Lyndesfarne's 9th season of theatre in Niagara. This will be a great opportunity to show your support for this company, consistently providing quality theatre during the winter months when you really need an escape the most.
Tickets are available by calling the box office at 905-374-7469, or emailing ltpboxoffice@gmail.com. The Seneca Queen Theatre is located at 4624 Queen Street in downtown Niagara Falls.
Enjoy your weekend!
September 26th, 2013.
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