Three for the show this weekend in Niagara

 It's a grey, dreary weekend in April, so by way of a diversion this weekend I have an arts-related menu of two performances to perhaps tempt you out of the house...

Tonight at 7:30 at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines the Bravo Niagara! TD Jazz Series continues their spring season with a performance by jazz/fusion band Yellowjackets in Partridge Hall.  

The group has been around for 43 years now and have recorded 26 albums, snagging 18 Grammy nominations along the way and winning two.  The group always seems to keep re-inventing themselves in order to move with the times, which is no doubt a major contributing factor to their longevity.

The current group comprises Russell Ferrante on piano and synthesizers, Bob Mintzer on woodwinds and EWI, Will Kennedy on drums and Dane Anderson on bass.

The performance tonight will feature a good measure of music from their latest Grammy-nominated album, Parallel Motion, released last year.

Tickets should be available through the PAC box office either in advance or at the door, or by going to the Bravo Niagara! website.

Over in Niagara Falls tonight, local theatre is alive and well with the current Firehall Theatre season well underway.  Last night was opening night for The Drowning Girls, written by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson and Daniela Vlaskalic.  Directed by Jerome Black, the play stars Claire Freel and Margaret, Daisy Hollohan as Alice and Heidi Nickel as Bessie.

The haunting play carries an important message while these three cast members tell their stories.  Based on the individual and shared histories of real-life women, The Drowning Girls tackles a number of very current topics including the violence and manipulation of women and by extension, the plight of missing and murdered indigenous women in our society.  The Drowning Girls won the Betty Mitchell Award for Best New Play.

The show continues tonight at 8 and performances continue until May 14th at the Niagara Falls theatre.  More details and tickets are available by going to www.firehalltheatre.com.

There you go...no reason to stay inside if you don't want to!

Have a great weekend.

April 29th, 2023.

A couple of events coming up this week in downtown St. Catharines

 At this time of year it is difficult to stay inside for any length of time, especially if you can't wait to get out into the garden, but if you need a break at some point over the next week I have a couple of arts events coming up you might be interested in.

First off, tomorrow afternoon at 3 Gallery Players of Niagara host "La Stravagante", an intimate ensemble drawn from Toronto-based baroque orchestra Tafelmusik.  Tafelmusik of course has gone on to international fame in their own right, first recording for the Sony Classical label back in the 90s.  Those heady days are now gone, as they are for many recording ensembles dealing primarily in classical music now, but Tafelmusik still performs and records regularly so quite frankly, they ain't going anywhere...

But the smaller ensemble is in Niagara this weekend, and it is made up of Patricia Ahern and Christopher Verrette on violin, Patrick G. Jordan on viola, Keiran Campbell on violoncello, Lucas Harris on lute and Charlotte Nediger on harpsichord.

The term "stravagante" means quite literally, "extravagant", and the the style was all the rage in 17th-century Europe, where performers were encouraged to embrace a, well, extravagant or exuberant style of playing of music.  It fit quite well the music produced during the Baroque era too, and can also be seen in the often elaborate costumers both male and female performers would don for the performance.  Not to mention the powdered wigs back in the day...

Anyway, the extravagant style will be on full display in The Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines at 3 pm tomorrow.  Tickets should be available at the box office on your way in or in advance by going on the Gallery Players of Niagara website.

Next Friday evening the Big Time Fundraiser will be held at the Oddfellows Hall on James Street downtown, in support of local charitable arts organization Suitcase In Point as they raise $5,000 as part of their $12,000 annual donor campaign.

The evening begins with a Silent Auction Reception from 6 to 8 pm which will feature music by Juno Award-winning artist Sammy Jackson beginning at 7.  The reception will be followed by a comedy show at 8 featuring performances by such people as Deanna Jones, Rob Feetham, Edwin Conroy Jr., and others. The evening will wrap up with DJs Dave Stiles and Chance Mutuku as the dance floor opens up.

Hosts for the evening will be Brian Foster and Natasha Pedros.

Tickets to the fundraiser are $50 and includes access to the Silent Auction Reception with light refreshments along with the comedy show and DJ Afterparty.  If you just want to attend the afterparty from 9:30 onwards it is a pay-what-you-choose event at that point.

Suitcase in Point heavily relies on the generosity of donors and contributors, and monies raised will go directly towards artists and arts workers tied to their original productions, which includes of course the annual In The Soil Arts Festival each June.

If you have silent auction items to donate email tamara@suitcaseinpoint.com.

As there is limited capacity it is recommended you get your tickets in advance by going to the Suitcase in Point website, and remember to dress for a party, whatever you might want to interpret that to be!

Have a great weekend.

April 15th, 2023.