I received an email from the Guelph Youth Music Centre earlier this week about a special event coming up tonight, so I thought I would share it with you this weekend in this space in case you happen to be in the Guelph area and would like to take part in a fun fundraiser for a great organization.
First, a couple of confessions to make, both of which drew me to this information when it arrived. I confess first and foremost, I am probably the poster boy for clumsy, inarticulate dance moves. Never been good at it and never will. My far better half and I toyed with taking ballroom dancing lessons years ago but before long, common sense took over and we (well, I mostly) got cold feet regarding the matter.
That said, there is no denying the attraction of watching couples gracefully waltzing, fox-trotting or jitterbugging around the dance floor. Witness the phenomenal success of television shows such as Dancing With The Stars, for example. Granted, I think a lot of the attraction for some is the tendency to watch in case a train wreck makes an epic failure on prime-time television. Perhaps that takes me back to my first comments about my own abilities (read, inabilities) on the dance-floor.
Secondly, I have a strong affinity for Guelph, dubbed The Royal City, dating back to when my sister attended University there and I spent a lot of time exploring the area while visiting on weekends. Later, while working part-time on weekends at a local classical music shop, I got to know more about the local arts and culture elements in the city, which is truly significant. I mean, this city knows how to celebrate the arts more than many others, and people are happy to embrace that enthusiasm whole-heartedly.
Many a weekend evening I would make my way to Guelph to attend a performance by the Guelph Chamber Choir or even earlier, attending performances by the long-gone and much lamented Guelph Spring Festival. I spent many a pleasurable evening at venerable War Memorial Hall where on one happy occasion, I had the pleasure and honour to interview Canada's famous Queen of classical comedy, Anna Russell, who appeared at the Festival back in the 80s.
From there, it was falling headlong in love with such local attractions as the Saturday morning farmer's market downtown or even the Biltmore Factory Outlet store where I purchased many a stylish fedora or homburg over the years.
That brings me, admittedly via a circuitous route, to the Guelph Youth Music Centre. I first visited the centre, located at 75 Cardigan Street with a beautiful view of the greenery in downtown Guelph, many years ago when it was the location of a season announcement for the Guelph Spring Festival. I was amazed this artistic jewel was right there under our collective noses, tucked away in the heart of such an artistically vibrant city.
The GYMC was established in 1992 as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to education, enrichment and fostering the development of youth through music and the arts. The Centre acts as a cultural hub for children of all ages and backgrounds in the community, providing a variety of programs and space availability to partner organizations as well as outreach in the community. Executive Director Gabriella Currie-Ziegler is justly proud of the outreach element the Centre provides within the community on many levels.
So what's all this got to do with dancing tonight, you ask? Well, after a lengthy absence, the Guelph Youth Music Centre's gala evening "Bella Serata" or, beautiful evening, returns tonight at 7 pm with the theme "We Could Have Danced All Night!" Organizers have kept many of the traditional gala features people were familiar with in the past, including food provided by some of the area's best restaurants and caterers, as well as splendid desserts, wine, beer and an exceptional Silent Auction. There will also be classical music performances in the acoustically radiant Recital Hall.
New this time out will be jazz music provided by the Nick Maclean Trio, plus a demonstration and group lesson by professional ballroom dance teachers, offering the chance to dance to live music by the jazz trio. Toronto-based Maclean founded his Quartet in 2016, inspired by the hard-swinging New York City style he was so familiar with in his formative years, and the Trio has grown out of that Quartet.
Classical music performances will feature "Concorde", the senior string ensemble of the Suzuki String School of Guelph, a founding resident organization of the GYMC, as well as Toronto violinist Tak Kwan, concert performer and director of the GYMC's orchestra programmes, soprano Marion Samuel-Stevens and pianist Ken Gee, Artistic Director of Guelph Musicfest.
There will certainly be the requisite food and wine vendors, and I am happy to report Niagara will be represented by Vineland Estates Winery.
This year's gala is generously sponsored by the Chyc Family Foundation, with additional support offered by a host of local, artistically-minded organizations including Linamar.
Tickets are offered at a special price of $75 each for two or more adult tickets, or singly at $100 each, with a tax receipt issued for a portion of the ticket price. You can order them online, call the Centre at 519-837-1119 or even pick them up in person at the Centre on Cardigan Street if you are in the area.
This looks like a great evening and I hope all goes well. As for me, I really have to plan a visit back to Guelph soon and perhaps even revisit the Guelph Youth Music Centre sometime. I think I hear the city beckoning once again...
Have a great weekend!
June 23rd, 2018.
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