Busy weekend in the arts in Niagara!

Some weekends are busier than others around here in Niagara, and this is a particularly busy one for those of us who follow the arts in Niagara.  So today, let's take a quick look at what is going on.

One of the most-anticipated events of the year is the annual STRUTT Wearable Art Weekend, which got underway last evening and continues through tonight with the big grand finale, the STRUTT Runway Show at the WS Tyler warehouse in St. Catharines.  Doors open at 8 pm and the runway show begins at 9.  Given the popularity of the show, mind you, I would suggest getting there earlier than 8 if you possibly can.

The STRUTT Runway Show showcases over 40 unique wearable artworks by artists from Windsor, Toronto, here in Niagara of course, and as far away as Sault Ste. Marie.  I have heard rave reviews about this event, as it celebrates the most absurd creative creatives people can come up with.  It also happens to be the signature annual event for NAC, Niagara Artists Centre, a not-for-profit, charitably registered, member-driven collective formed by and dedicated to serving the working artists and community of Niagara.  How local?  Well, my own neighbour Sandy Middleton is involved again this year and I hear her costume is stunning this year!

Tickets start at $ 35 per person and tables start at $ 400, with all tickets exclusive of taxes and gratuities.    For tickets and information, call 905-688-5550, ext. 3257 or go to www.struttwearableartshow.ca.

This weekend Chorus Niagara kicks off their 50th anniversary season, tonight as part of the Welland & Port Colborne Concert Association season, which is completely sold out.  But Chorus Niagara returns tomorrow afternoon for their own concert season opener, and tickets are still available for that performance.  Titled Our Favourite Things - An Afternoon of Rodgers and Hammerstein, the concert will feature some of the greatest and most memorable Broadway hits by a team that redefined the genre in their day.  Some of their box-office hits included Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King & I, The Sound of Music, and many more.

Joining the Chorus Niagara ensemble this time will be members of the Niagara Symphony conducted by Chorus Niagara Artistic Director, Robert Cooper, and soloists for the performance include soprano Allison Angelo, tenor Adam Fisher and baritone Philip Kalmanovitch.

Both peformances this weekend are at the Dr. J.M. Ennis Auditorium at Centennial Secondary School in Welland, and tickets for Sunday afternoon are still available from any chorus member, or through the Brock Centre for the Arts box office, at www.arts.brocku.ca or by calling 905-688-5550, ext. 3257.  It promises to be a great way to kick off the 50th anniversary season for Chorus Niagara!

Finally on Sunday in Niagara Falls, opera will be front and centre at the historic Seneca Theatre on Queen Street in downtown Niagara Falls.  I received an email earlier this week from Dr. Mary-Lou Vetere, a musician in her own right, who along with the Vetere Studio in Niagara Falls is presenting the legendary Metropolitan Opera soprano Aprile Millo and a number of local opera singers in a concert titled Opera Grandissima.  Mary-Lou has been a gifted singer and accompanist herself for many years, and her fellow singers will all help to celebrate all things opera on Sunday.  Aprile Millo was dubbed in one article I read this week as the "Lady Gaga of Opera" and she seems fine with that rather interesting nickname.

For tickets and more information, call 289-213-5626 or pick them up at the door on Sunday.  The performance begins at 7 pm.

So there you go - we've filled your weekend with music and fun and you don't even have to leave Niagara; everything you need is right here!  Oh, and don't forget we also get an extra hour of sleep Saturday night as we return to Standard Time, so remember to set your clocks back one hour before going to bed tonight.

November 3rd, 2012.