It may be the end of April and still not quite warm enough for some, but the arts in Niagara are alive and well and thriving in the cool spring air. Just this weekend, in fact, there is no shortage of things to see and do right here in your own backyard, so let's take a look at a few of the events happening.
Starting this evening (Friday), the annual In The Soil Arts Festival takes over many venues in downtown St. Catharines with three days of entertainment ranging from music, theatre and dance to film and even a street party downtown on St. Paul Street.
The street party is new this year and I suspect it will be a great hit with families this weekend providing the weather cooperates. The block between James and Carlisle is closed to vehicular traffic, so keep that in mind if you will be driving downtown over the weekend. St. Catharines Transit buses are being rerouted onto King Street for the weekend to accommodate the festivities, which I am told even includes a ferris wheel. I don't know if it is an artistic ferris wheel or not, but I aim to find out over the weekend.
Beyond the street party, there are over 100 events spread out over 15 venues in downtown St. Catharines, including original plays, music, dance and so much more. Events are either free or very affordable to accommodate families, so make some time this weekend to come downtown and dig the arts.
Just one of the many musical acts performing this weekend is young Chloe Rabideau, performing at Mahtay Cafe & Lounge on St. Paul Street Saturday evening at 6 pm. I was surprised to find a poster for the concert today and realized this was the little girl who grew up next door to us not that many years ago. Well, things have changed! All the best to Chloe as she chases her musical dream. But that is what makes In The Soil so special. You never know who - or what - will be programmed each year, and there are usually some surprises.
In The Soil has been around for about six years now and I remember attending some of the events in the early years before it really started to take off. It is a spring ritual for many now and I think it has the potential to become one of our premiere events in Niagara in the future as it expands both in variety and reach. For more information, log on to www.inthesoil.on.ca.
If you like your weekend entertainment to be a little more, uh, sedate, may I suggest the annual spring concert with The Avanti Chamber Singers, entitled "How Sweet and Fair" Saturday evening at 7:30? The concert is at the acoustically-wonderful St. Barnabas Church on Queenston Street in St. Catharines, and features guest artists Michelle Jacot on clarinet and Karin Di Bella on piano.
Conductor Harris Loewen has programmed choral settings of poetry by the likes of Robert Herrick, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Frost and E. E. Cummings, among others, with much of the music inspired by nature in all its springtime splendour.
Tickets for the concert are available from any Avanti Choir member, at Thorold Music on Glendale Avenue, Booksmart in the Scott-Vine Plaza, or tomorrow evening at the door.
Finally, this weekend the Niagara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) will present their final Family series and Pops! series concerts at the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre at the Centre for the Arts, Brock University. The Family series concert is Saturday afternoon at 2:30 with Laura Thomas conducting the orchestra along with guest artist Chris McKhool of Fiddlefire! fame.
Sunday afternoon at 2:30 the NSO joins forces with Sultans of Swing, again conducted by Laura Thomas, and a concert of world rhythms featuring guest artists Chris McKhool, Kevin Laliberte, Eddie Paton, Drew Birston and Chendy Leon. It should be a fun concert and a rousing end to the Pops! season.
I will be in the lobby once again before, after and at intermission on Sunday with a table full of musical selections available for purchase, so be sure to stop by and say hello and see what I have with me this time. For tickets to the concert, contact the Brock box office at 905-688-5550, ext. 3257 or pick them up at the door for either concert.
Enjoy the arts in Niagara this weekend!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment