There is never a shortage of things to see and do in Niagara when it comes to the arts, and that is especially so in the summer months. So a few notes on things happening this week to get you up to speed as July speeds along to an end next week.
Yesterday, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre released its 2015-16 Inaugural HOT TICKET season for the new downtown venue, set to open this fall. In all, there will be over 75 performances in the four state-of-the-art spaces in the Centre.
Highlights include some tried-and-true favourites from the old Centre For The Arts mix at Brock University, which of course is now replaced by the season downtown at the FirstOntario PAC, and some new acts that should help to bring in some new audiences as well. Familiar returnees include Cape Breton fiddler Natalie MacMaster, singing legend Darlene Love, flamenco guitar virtuoso Jesse Cook and of course, the John McDermott Christmas show in December.
In the new act department, some of the names announced yesterday include Jamaican reggae performers The Wailers, opera soprano Marie-Josee Lord, organist Cameron Carpenter, blues singer and guitarist Ruthie Foster and the comedy team of Tom Green and Stephen Wright.
In addition to the HOT TICKET series announced yesterday, other groups using the new facility include of course the Niagara Symphony, Gallery Players of Niagara and Essential Collective Theatre, among others, which all told will bump the entire PAC performance schedule to about 400 in the first season. Add the film series expected to be announced in January and that will push the total even higher.
That's good to see, as some in the community were fretting the spanking new venue might be dark far too many nights in the first season, but that appears not to be the case, thankfully. We want to see people downtown taking it all in, and that is good for the PAC, for downtown merchants, and for the city and Region as a whole.
Tickets are on sale now for Seat Owner Members, those who made a one-time donation of $500 per seat, and that exclusivity runs through to the end of the month. Renewing Centre for the Arts Members then get their crack at tickets starting August 8th, and New Members on August 22nd. For the general public, tickets will be available starting September 12th.
For more information on becoming a Seat Owner Member, you can visit the box office at 101 King Street, email them at BoxOffice@FirstOntarioPAC.ca or call them at 905-688-5601, ext. 3700. For more detailed information on Membership and the full lineup for the HOT TICKET season, go to www.FirstOntarioPAC.ca.
This weekend, the Second Annual Niagara Jazz Festival kicks off at several venues in and around Niagara, running Thursday through Sunday. Over the four days, over forty bands and hundreds of musicians will perform at about 20 venues at both free and ticketed events.
Thursday evening the Launch Party kicks things off at Stratus Vineyards with the Gord Sheard Quintet; the Flagship Event on Friday evening features headliner Michael Kaeshammer at Jackson-Triggs in Niagara-on-the-Lake; on Saturday the Free Fiesta Stage events happen at Simcoe Park in the heart of the Old Town during the day and at the Mill Street Market Stage in downtown St. Catharines during the evening; on Sunday things kick off with a Dixieland Jazz Brunch at White Oaks and there's the Village Family Stage events at the Niagara Easy Market all day long.
Both Saturday and Sunday there will be informative "Live, Learn Jazz" sessions at the Niagara-on-the-Lake library, and throughout the Niagara Region there will be Dinner Jazz and Club Series events right through the weekend.
Weekend passes and packages are available if you really want to immerse yourself in the Niagara Jazz experience, so check out their website at www.NiagaraJazzFestival.com for all the details.
You can also access complete listings for the entire weekend on the Calendar page of my website at www.finemusic.ca, along with many other summer events. I've been updating the listings weekly as there is simply so much going on, so be sure to check it out soon.
And I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to let you know of the new Facebook page for A Web of Fine Music. Yes, I thought it was about time to add Facebook to the Finemusic portfolio, so we had a soft launch of the new page earlier this week, and invitations went out to my Facebook friends to Like the page. If you have not received an invitation through Facebook, just search for A Web of Fine Music and it should come up.
I hope to add material almost daily to the page, from interesting musical articles from around the globe to local concert updates and the latest classical and jazz CD releases you can order through the website. By all means, check it out and I hope you will Like my new Facebook page.
Have a great week!
July 22nd, 2015.
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