The season of over-spending is upon us, and the next few days will see many late-season shoppers descend on their favourite mall or outlet centre to shop 'till they drop in order to make people happy this holiday season.
Or so they think.
Since today was arguably the busiest Christmas shopping day yet, I thought it would be a good time to take a step back, think about what we're doing, and maybe change things up a bit. After all money can't buy happiness, they say, so what about saving some of that money instead and still making people on your Christmas list happy anyway?
Let's explore the possibilities.
Years ago my life companion and I agreed to keep our Christmas gift-giving to a minimum and whatever we would exchange would have to be in some way consumable. We both met later in life and had much of what we need to make our way in the world anyways, so no need to add to it any more than necessary we thought. So gifts that are edible, drinkable or in some other way usable to achieve the same would fit the bill.
Gift cards, though thought by some to be impersonal, are really quite practical. Especially if they are for a service such as dining out, for example. We've done a lot of those over the years as we try to discover new and interesting places in and around Niagara to dine.
But we can go further than that and really make a difference, not just with each other but with countless others as well.
Let's face it. Most of us have more than enough stuff at this point in our lives, but others in the community perhaps do not. So a few years ago I started a tradition of making a monthly donation to Community Care of St. Catharines & Thorold on behalf of my wife. She would get the tax receipt, Community Care would get a monthly contribution to help those in need, and I had one less gift to buy.
Simple, right? But look at the good that small contribution does on a monthly basis. Think about what could happen if several more people, say 10 each month, did the same thing and donated just ten dollars to Community Care. They would have $100 more per month to work with, or $1,200 more per year.
Doesn't sound too difficult, does it? Just think of the people you could help by doing this one simple little thing.
Similarly, you could make a monthly or even a lump-sum contribution in that person's name to any number of charitable organizations. Don't be afraid to ask your special someone what charity they like to support and then just go ahead and do it in their name. The good that can come from this simple act of kindness can help others so much, and not just at Christmastime.
The problem with charitable donations at this time of year is you feel good about filling a need right now, at Christmas. But the need goes on year-round, so a monthly contribution ensures your charity of choice benefits year-round, which helps them immensely.
How about a membership to a worthwhile organization such as the Garden City Food Co-op? If they are not already members, why not introduce them to the value of such a facility in our downtown core and then buying a membership in that person's name and presenting it on Christmas day? Doing so will help expand the food co-op's membership at a time when they could really use your help to achieve their goal of a 2016 opening in downtown St. Catharines.
Is your special someone a lover of the arts? We now have a grand new facility downtown in the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, with a calendar full of great performances by any number of artists including our own Niagara Symphony and Chorus Niagara. Why not surprise them with a pair of tickets to a performance in the New Year by one of the arts organizations that call the new PAC home? Make it a package deal with dinner at a nearby restaurant as well if your budget allows, and voila, your Christmas gift is done and you can sit back and accept the accolades.
This next idea could be problematic if you don't know the person's preferences beforehand, but some careful investigation on your part could reveal the necessary information and make your choice that much easier.
How about saving a life this season by adopting a new lifelong companion from a local animal shelter or your local humane society? It need not be a dog or cat if that doesn't work for the person you are buying for, but perhaps a bird, gerbil or other small animal in need of a home could fit the bill.
If a dog or cat is on your radar, you especially want to be careful the person you are buying for is prepared for the commitment beforehand and if not aware of your intentions, at least aware of the growing need to rehome a large pet population in the area.
Adopting a new pet will make a world of difference to both the recipient and the pet you choose. But keep in mind that pet is a living being, too, and deserves to be treated properly and fairly.
Unlike a lot of presents given these days, a pet is not disposable. It is a lifelong commitment that can reap benefits for both the recipient and the pet for years to come, if handled properly.
Our shelters are full of animals in need of a good home, and if your gift recipient is happy about the idea, why not present them with a gift certificate to a local shelter and after Christmas go down with that person and take the time to choose the right pet?
Finally, you could offer to provide some kind of service for your intended recipient such as snow shovelling if they are elderly, or in the nicer weather cutting their grass if they cannot do it themselves.
Again, write up a personal gift certificate yourself and present it to them, highlighting the intended service to be provided, and stick to it. Do what you say you will and all will be fine.
So there you go, a few ideas that involve just a little preparation but can reap great rewards for all concerned. What better way to show how special Christmas is to you and how meaningful that person's presence in your life really is.
Merry Christmas!
December 19th, 2015.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Celebrating a couple of musical centenaries this weekend
December is a busy time for most people, so I wanted to take a break from the busy holiday schedule and offer up some thoughts on a couple of musical milestones we are observing this week, both involving singers who defined their particular genre and generation.
The first is the 100th anniversary of the birth of German soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, who was born December 9th in 1915. She passed away in 2006.
Her body of recorded work, conceived with her husband, the legendary producer Walter Legge, was extensive. From operas and operettas such as Lehar's The Merry Widow to the still-classic Christmas album Stille Nacht, recorded with Sir Charles Mackerras in 1957, to the wide variety of recital discs she recorded, Schwarzkopf did it all. Her voice is still remembered for a richness and texture you just don't hear anymore.
It is perhaps the aforementioned Christmas album that brought her the most fame and for many of us, introduced us to the sound of an opera voice interpreting traditional Christmas music. Now it is almost routine to hear the popular opera singers today record Christmas albums, but hers was a bit of a groundbreaker. Growing up in the 50s and 60s, Schwarzkopf and Dame Joan Sutherland were two of the biggest opera stars around and both produced extraordinarily popular Christmas albums.
Happily, both of these Christmas albums are still in print and available through www.finemusic.ca, or just email me directly at music@vaxxine.com if you want to get a copy of either or both for the holidays.
In fact, Warner Classics has just released a lavish 31-disc box set of all of Schwarzkopf's recital recordings dating from 1952 to 1974. Each of the discs comes in a sleeve with the original artwork, all housed in an elegant box. It, too, is available now through www.finemusic.ca
The second singer we salute this weekend is none other than Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, who would have turned 100 today if he had lived that long. He in fact died in 1998 at the age of 82.
I became a huge fan of Sinatra years ago when I first started in radio and he was just launching his post-retirement comeback with the now-famous album "Old Blue Eyes is Back", arranged and conducted by longtime Sinatra colleague Gordon Jenkins.
I wasn't necessarily a fan of much of Sinatra's post-retirement recordings, as I found his voice had simply deteriorated far too much by then to be enjoyed fully. Oh sure, Sinatra the consummate professional masked the shortcomings with his voice as he got older for as long as he could, but there came a time I really wish he had in fact quit while he was ahead.
The concert-stage for many entertainers is intoxicating and the thrill of the crowd at your feet is admittedly hard to walk away from. But Sinatra didn't need to prove anything at that point and couldn't possibly have needed the money, so why risk his great legacy with an inferior voice after he returned from retirement?
We'll probably never know the real answer to that question.
What I do know is I have my most and least favourite Sinatra recordings, many of which are in my extensive record and CD collections and played regularly.
My least favourite Sinatra recording was 1984's Some Nice Things I Missed, which was basically a Sinatra take on many of the hits of the previous decade along with some new material. The absolute worst track of all was "Satisfy Me One More Time" - yes, it is as bad as the title suggests. Cringe-worthy Sinatra to be sure.
On the other hand, my favourite Sinatra recordings come from his justifiably celebrated Capitol era in the 50s. Sinatra exited the 40s as a crooner with lots of "bobby-sox" fans but a damaged voice and no recording contract. His Columbia years made him a star, but now he was at risk of being labelled a "has been".
Sinatra knew better, and set out to prove his critics wrong. He wanted to act, and fought for the straight acting role in From Here to Eternity to show what he could do. About the same time, he signed a recording contract with Capitol Records, founded a decade earlier and featuring a roster of largely faded 40s-era singers. But Sinatra quickly rose to the top of the roster with a string of exceptional "concept" albums still revered today for their sound and innovation.
Of all the arrangers Sinatra worked with during the 50s, ranging from Axel Stordahl to Billy May to Gordon Jenkins, by far his definitive recordings had him paired with the esteemed arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle.
In fact, my two favourite Sinatra recordings from that era were arranged by Riddle, who just knew how best to showcase Frank's voice. The first was the magical Songs For Swingin' Lovers, recorded in 1956. Each and every arrangement is a gem, beautifully supporting Frank every step of the way, with the orchestra cutting loose every now and again as on the now classic recording of I've Got You Under My Skin. Nelson's ground-breaking arrangement set the standard for orchestral arrangements, and you still hear his arrangement today as other singers emulate Sinatra on this Cole Porter classic. There simply is no better arrangement of this song. Period.
The second Sinatra/Riddle pairing I love is 1958's brooding Only The Lonely. Here is Riddle paring the arrangements down to the bare minimum, but still backing Sinatra every step of the way. His now-famous recording of One For My Baby (And One More for the Road) is exceptional in its simplicity, clarity and heart-wrenching loneliness. Riddle used the same formula when he recorded with Linda Ronstadt in the 80s, and in fact both her and Frank's recordings of What's New? share much the same arrangement.
Sinatra's 60s recordings for his own Reprise label produced some gems as well, including his 1965 Grammy winner September of My Years, arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins. But he also released his fair share of much more pop-oriented albums with mixed results. He was often on the pop charts during the 60s, but many of those albums I personally don't find as satisfying as his earlier Capitol recordings.
By the 90s, Sinatra was back at Capitol and recording his popular Duets albums, sharing the spotlight with a host of popular entertainers of the day, each basking in the glow of recording with The Voice. Or, what was The Voice at one time. By this point, Sinatra was a shadow of his former self, voice-wise.
He also recorded the now-classic Theme From New York, New York with a big, brassy arrangement and lots of swagger, but his vocal limitations were becoming quite obvious at this point. He knew how to interpret the song better than anyone else, of course, and that is what made the recording the definitive version of the song, in spite of the fact he couldn't hold those notes at the end.
I remember years ago in my radio career when I produced a lot of Blue Jays radio broadcasts locally and one night they were playing at Yankee Stadium. During the entire post-game show, the stadium loudspeakers were blaring Sinatra's ode to the Big Apple as they always do, and after about the 10th consecutive airing of the Theme from New York, New York, I was about ready to scream...but I digress.
Sinatra was without question the pre-eminent singer and interpreter of the Great American Songbook, with many of his recordings unequalled even today. Almost all of them are still in print, and many have a special place in my personal CD collection. If you want to remember any part of his storied career, email me your preferences at music@vaxxine.com and I will see about getting any and all of your favourite Sinatra recordings for you.
Beyond Sinatra the singer, there was Sinatra the larger-than-life Hollywood and Vegas star, always in the news for one reason or another, and causing gossip columnists to fall over each other for the latest juicy tid-bit on his personal life. One wonders how this social-media driven world today would handle his many celebrated exploits.
I loved Sinatra the singer, and I loved Sinatra the style setter. I still wear a fedora from time to time as a tribute to the man who practically lived in one as he hid his receding hairline from public view.
Perhaps the most interesting tribute to Sinatra late in his career was the Chrysler Imperial Frank Sinatra Edition. Remember that? A baby-blue over-the-top luxury boat with a stash of Sinatra recordings on cassette ready to pop into the cassette player when you were behind the wheel. Who says previous generations didn't know the power of marketing?!
Sinatra was one of the best and most popular singers of his generation and his recorded output may never be equalled. This weekend we celebrate the lanky lad from Hoboken, New Jersey who made it to the top and stayed there for such a long time.
Happy 100th, Frank. You continue to do it Your Way.
Have a great weekend!
December 12th, 2015.
The first is the 100th anniversary of the birth of German soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, who was born December 9th in 1915. She passed away in 2006.
Her body of recorded work, conceived with her husband, the legendary producer Walter Legge, was extensive. From operas and operettas such as Lehar's The Merry Widow to the still-classic Christmas album Stille Nacht, recorded with Sir Charles Mackerras in 1957, to the wide variety of recital discs she recorded, Schwarzkopf did it all. Her voice is still remembered for a richness and texture you just don't hear anymore.
It is perhaps the aforementioned Christmas album that brought her the most fame and for many of us, introduced us to the sound of an opera voice interpreting traditional Christmas music. Now it is almost routine to hear the popular opera singers today record Christmas albums, but hers was a bit of a groundbreaker. Growing up in the 50s and 60s, Schwarzkopf and Dame Joan Sutherland were two of the biggest opera stars around and both produced extraordinarily popular Christmas albums.
Happily, both of these Christmas albums are still in print and available through www.finemusic.ca, or just email me directly at music@vaxxine.com if you want to get a copy of either or both for the holidays.
In fact, Warner Classics has just released a lavish 31-disc box set of all of Schwarzkopf's recital recordings dating from 1952 to 1974. Each of the discs comes in a sleeve with the original artwork, all housed in an elegant box. It, too, is available now through www.finemusic.ca
The second singer we salute this weekend is none other than Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, who would have turned 100 today if he had lived that long. He in fact died in 1998 at the age of 82.
I became a huge fan of Sinatra years ago when I first started in radio and he was just launching his post-retirement comeback with the now-famous album "Old Blue Eyes is Back", arranged and conducted by longtime Sinatra colleague Gordon Jenkins.
I wasn't necessarily a fan of much of Sinatra's post-retirement recordings, as I found his voice had simply deteriorated far too much by then to be enjoyed fully. Oh sure, Sinatra the consummate professional masked the shortcomings with his voice as he got older for as long as he could, but there came a time I really wish he had in fact quit while he was ahead.
The concert-stage for many entertainers is intoxicating and the thrill of the crowd at your feet is admittedly hard to walk away from. But Sinatra didn't need to prove anything at that point and couldn't possibly have needed the money, so why risk his great legacy with an inferior voice after he returned from retirement?
We'll probably never know the real answer to that question.
What I do know is I have my most and least favourite Sinatra recordings, many of which are in my extensive record and CD collections and played regularly.
My least favourite Sinatra recording was 1984's Some Nice Things I Missed, which was basically a Sinatra take on many of the hits of the previous decade along with some new material. The absolute worst track of all was "Satisfy Me One More Time" - yes, it is as bad as the title suggests. Cringe-worthy Sinatra to be sure.
On the other hand, my favourite Sinatra recordings come from his justifiably celebrated Capitol era in the 50s. Sinatra exited the 40s as a crooner with lots of "bobby-sox" fans but a damaged voice and no recording contract. His Columbia years made him a star, but now he was at risk of being labelled a "has been".
Sinatra knew better, and set out to prove his critics wrong. He wanted to act, and fought for the straight acting role in From Here to Eternity to show what he could do. About the same time, he signed a recording contract with Capitol Records, founded a decade earlier and featuring a roster of largely faded 40s-era singers. But Sinatra quickly rose to the top of the roster with a string of exceptional "concept" albums still revered today for their sound and innovation.
Of all the arrangers Sinatra worked with during the 50s, ranging from Axel Stordahl to Billy May to Gordon Jenkins, by far his definitive recordings had him paired with the esteemed arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle.
In fact, my two favourite Sinatra recordings from that era were arranged by Riddle, who just knew how best to showcase Frank's voice. The first was the magical Songs For Swingin' Lovers, recorded in 1956. Each and every arrangement is a gem, beautifully supporting Frank every step of the way, with the orchestra cutting loose every now and again as on the now classic recording of I've Got You Under My Skin. Nelson's ground-breaking arrangement set the standard for orchestral arrangements, and you still hear his arrangement today as other singers emulate Sinatra on this Cole Porter classic. There simply is no better arrangement of this song. Period.
The second Sinatra/Riddle pairing I love is 1958's brooding Only The Lonely. Here is Riddle paring the arrangements down to the bare minimum, but still backing Sinatra every step of the way. His now-famous recording of One For My Baby (And One More for the Road) is exceptional in its simplicity, clarity and heart-wrenching loneliness. Riddle used the same formula when he recorded with Linda Ronstadt in the 80s, and in fact both her and Frank's recordings of What's New? share much the same arrangement.
Sinatra's 60s recordings for his own Reprise label produced some gems as well, including his 1965 Grammy winner September of My Years, arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins. But he also released his fair share of much more pop-oriented albums with mixed results. He was often on the pop charts during the 60s, but many of those albums I personally don't find as satisfying as his earlier Capitol recordings.
By the 90s, Sinatra was back at Capitol and recording his popular Duets albums, sharing the spotlight with a host of popular entertainers of the day, each basking in the glow of recording with The Voice. Or, what was The Voice at one time. By this point, Sinatra was a shadow of his former self, voice-wise.
He also recorded the now-classic Theme From New York, New York with a big, brassy arrangement and lots of swagger, but his vocal limitations were becoming quite obvious at this point. He knew how to interpret the song better than anyone else, of course, and that is what made the recording the definitive version of the song, in spite of the fact he couldn't hold those notes at the end.
I remember years ago in my radio career when I produced a lot of Blue Jays radio broadcasts locally and one night they were playing at Yankee Stadium. During the entire post-game show, the stadium loudspeakers were blaring Sinatra's ode to the Big Apple as they always do, and after about the 10th consecutive airing of the Theme from New York, New York, I was about ready to scream...but I digress.
Sinatra was without question the pre-eminent singer and interpreter of the Great American Songbook, with many of his recordings unequalled even today. Almost all of them are still in print, and many have a special place in my personal CD collection. If you want to remember any part of his storied career, email me your preferences at music@vaxxine.com and I will see about getting any and all of your favourite Sinatra recordings for you.
Beyond Sinatra the singer, there was Sinatra the larger-than-life Hollywood and Vegas star, always in the news for one reason or another, and causing gossip columnists to fall over each other for the latest juicy tid-bit on his personal life. One wonders how this social-media driven world today would handle his many celebrated exploits.
I loved Sinatra the singer, and I loved Sinatra the style setter. I still wear a fedora from time to time as a tribute to the man who practically lived in one as he hid his receding hairline from public view.
Perhaps the most interesting tribute to Sinatra late in his career was the Chrysler Imperial Frank Sinatra Edition. Remember that? A baby-blue over-the-top luxury boat with a stash of Sinatra recordings on cassette ready to pop into the cassette player when you were behind the wheel. Who says previous generations didn't know the power of marketing?!
Sinatra was one of the best and most popular singers of his generation and his recorded output may never be equalled. This weekend we celebrate the lanky lad from Hoboken, New Jersey who made it to the top and stayed there for such a long time.
Happy 100th, Frank. You continue to do it Your Way.
Have a great weekend!
December 12th, 2015.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Looking for great entertainment in Niagara this weekend?
If you are sick and tired of hearing all about "Black Friday" sales and the related hoopla, you might be ready for a step back from the mass-consumerism brink and take in some entertainment instead. That's what I plan to do this weekend, after changing my "Black Friday" evening to a "Snack Friday" evening. I didn't accomplish much of anything last evening, but in the overall scheme of things, it was a roaring success.
But I digress...
Okay, lots to see and do this weekend in Niagara, and the variety is literally endless. For example, tonight at 7:30 Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre will be rocking when Darlene Love returns to town to play the new venue. In fact, this will be the first HOT TICKET presentation at the new hall and the 60s tunes will be flowing freely for the entire evening.
Since it is already the end of November, you can count on some holiday favourites thrown in for good measure, too.
Meantime, I will be at Robertson Hall at the FirstOntario PAC for the next-to-last performance of Essential Collective Theatre's premiere presentation at their new home, Gary Kirkham's Falling: A Wake. The show starts at 7 pm, with a matinee performance tomorrow afternoon at 2 to wrap up the fall run for ECT.
The play is being directed by ECT's Artistic Director, Monica Default, who suggests the play reaffirms our ability to care for one another. Kirkham is an Ontario-based writer who premiered the play at Kitchener's Lost & Found Theatre in 2007. It was later produced by the Blyth Festival.
The story involves Elsie and Harold, owners of a small Niagara farm who are awakened on a very quiet, star-lit autumn night by a very strange occurrence. They meet a young man who has just literally "dropped in" on them.
Falling: A Wake stars the real-life husband-and-wife team of Patricia LaRiviere and Alex Guard, both based here in St. Catharines and each of them sporting a lengthy resume of Canadian theatre, film and television credits.
Tomorrow afternoon at 2:30, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra presents their second Masterworks concert of the season, entitled Blaze of Glory. The concert will be their first Masterworks performance in their new home, the acoustically-perfect Partridge Hall.
Canadian violinist James Ehnes joins Music Director Bradley Thachuk and the NSO for Lalo's ever-popular Symphonie espagnole, which Ehnes recorded years ago with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. If you are interested in getting a copy of that performance for your own collection, email me at music@vaxxine.com and I will see what I can do.
Ehnes will be bringing along his beloved 1715 "Marsick" Stradivarius violin for the performance, which will also feature Canadian composer Kevin Lau's Heroes and Angels and Ravel's vivid orchestration of Mussorgsky's epic Pictures at an Exhibition.
Tickets to all three of these performances are available through the FirstOntario PAC box office, or by calling 905-688-0722. You can also purchase online by going to www.FirstOntarioPAC.ca.
Next door at the equally impressive Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture presents Her Voice in Black: Black Female Narratives in Opera by Carla Chambers at the DART Theatre.
This talk will take place Sunday afternoon at 3 pm and is open to the public and free of charge.
I really like what the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts has compiled in their ongoing Art is in the City series. It is interesting, thought-provoking and covers literally all aspects of the arts.
I encourage you to explore more of the offerings they have planned for this season. You can find out more by going to www.brocku.ca/finearts/imagining-the-city.
So there you go. Lots of reasons to avoid shopping this weekend in Niagara. After all, you can always do that some other time, right?
Have a great weekend!
November 28th, 2015.
But I digress...
Okay, lots to see and do this weekend in Niagara, and the variety is literally endless. For example, tonight at 7:30 Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre will be rocking when Darlene Love returns to town to play the new venue. In fact, this will be the first HOT TICKET presentation at the new hall and the 60s tunes will be flowing freely for the entire evening.
Since it is already the end of November, you can count on some holiday favourites thrown in for good measure, too.
Meantime, I will be at Robertson Hall at the FirstOntario PAC for the next-to-last performance of Essential Collective Theatre's premiere presentation at their new home, Gary Kirkham's Falling: A Wake. The show starts at 7 pm, with a matinee performance tomorrow afternoon at 2 to wrap up the fall run for ECT.
The play is being directed by ECT's Artistic Director, Monica Default, who suggests the play reaffirms our ability to care for one another. Kirkham is an Ontario-based writer who premiered the play at Kitchener's Lost & Found Theatre in 2007. It was later produced by the Blyth Festival.
The story involves Elsie and Harold, owners of a small Niagara farm who are awakened on a very quiet, star-lit autumn night by a very strange occurrence. They meet a young man who has just literally "dropped in" on them.
Falling: A Wake stars the real-life husband-and-wife team of Patricia LaRiviere and Alex Guard, both based here in St. Catharines and each of them sporting a lengthy resume of Canadian theatre, film and television credits.
Tomorrow afternoon at 2:30, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra presents their second Masterworks concert of the season, entitled Blaze of Glory. The concert will be their first Masterworks performance in their new home, the acoustically-perfect Partridge Hall.
Canadian violinist James Ehnes joins Music Director Bradley Thachuk and the NSO for Lalo's ever-popular Symphonie espagnole, which Ehnes recorded years ago with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. If you are interested in getting a copy of that performance for your own collection, email me at music@vaxxine.com and I will see what I can do.
Ehnes will be bringing along his beloved 1715 "Marsick" Stradivarius violin for the performance, which will also feature Canadian composer Kevin Lau's Heroes and Angels and Ravel's vivid orchestration of Mussorgsky's epic Pictures at an Exhibition.
Tickets to all three of these performances are available through the FirstOntario PAC box office, or by calling 905-688-0722. You can also purchase online by going to www.FirstOntarioPAC.ca.
Next door at the equally impressive Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture presents Her Voice in Black: Black Female Narratives in Opera by Carla Chambers at the DART Theatre.
This talk will take place Sunday afternoon at 3 pm and is open to the public and free of charge.
I really like what the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts has compiled in their ongoing Art is in the City series. It is interesting, thought-provoking and covers literally all aspects of the arts.
I encourage you to explore more of the offerings they have planned for this season. You can find out more by going to www.brocku.ca/finearts/imagining-the-city.
So there you go. Lots of reasons to avoid shopping this weekend in Niagara. After all, you can always do that some other time, right?
Have a great weekend!
November 28th, 2015.
Saturday, November 21, 2015
I love the new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre. But...
It has been a week since the splashy opening concert with Serena Ryder followed by the Community Open House at our new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, so I thought I would offer up my impressions on the new facility this weekend.
First of all, I think a tremendous round of applause is very much in order for everyone connected to making this a reality. From former St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan and his council colleagues past and present to present Mayor Walter Sendzik and the current council, to workers, dreamers, planners, doers and general make-it-happeners, I thank you all for your dedication to a worthy cause.
There were doubters from the very beginning, I know. But there were far more believers, all of whom were more vocal than the doubters, and collectively they made it clear this project simply had to be completed. And you know what? I hear far more believers than doubters now that the PAC is open for business.
Okay, the short review is I love the place. Who wouldn't? The longer review to follow here reveals some nit-picking because, well, my esteemed colleague Doug Herod can't carry that onerous load all by himself...
From the street, the new PAC looks impressive, even though all the finishing touches to the exterior still have to be completed. The huge expanse of glass both front and back is what really sets the building apart, in my mind. From behind, if you are travelling along Westchester or on the northbound 406 you cannot help but glance over at the graceful lines of the building, especially when lit up at night.
Inside, I love the clean, modern look and clearly marked signage. Going from theatre to theatre last week at the Open House, the excitement over the design was palpable. The use of wood, concrete and other materials is both creative and functional to provide an ideal acoustic ambience.
I love seeing the local art displayed throughout the PAC. I love the view out into the valley from Robertson Hall. I even love the idea of the drink transfer station, so you can transfer your beverage from a glass served at the bar to a plastic cup to take into the theatre with you. That's assuming you don't finish your beverage before intermission ends, of course.
The overall impression is even with the scaling back to trim $10 million from the construction bid that resulted in a redesign, the facility just looks right. I heard from one or two people who have said yes, the public areas are great, but the cost savings came in the back of house areas which are not nearly as well laid out as originally planned.
The cost savings had to come from somewhere, and this way although not perfect, means the public won't really be aware of the scaling back that was done.
Last evening, I finally had a chance to actually hear what Partridge Hall sounds like, as I attended the very first concert in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts ENCORE! Professional Concert Series. The concert featured Southern Exposure, featuring local musicians Timothy Phelan, Gordon Cleland, Patricia Dydnansky and Niagara Symphony violist Andree Simard.
The concert featured music of South American composers such as Piazzolla, Pujol, Villa-Lobos and Antonio Carlos Jobim, all arranged for guitar in combination with flute, viola and cello. The music was inventive and beautifully played, and I especially enjoyed the North American premiere of Maximo Diego Pujol's Buenos Aires color pastel. More, please...
Timothy's informative introductions heightened the enjoyment level considerably, making the music even more accessible for many in the audience there as part of their music courses at Brock University.
It was nice to see a good-sized crowd out for this performance, as I have lamented in the past up at Brock, few members of the public attended or even knew of these concert performances. Now with more advertising and the highly-visible new venue downtown, hopefully that will change. I didn't see
anyone in the upper balcony last evening, but since there was only general admission seating, there was really no reason to go up that far if you didn't want to.
The sound, in short, is impressive. Every note, every word, every detailed musical passage can be clearly heard in Partridge Hall, which is exactly why we spent the money we did on the place. This hall, along with the smaller Cairns Recital Hall, Robertson Hall and the still unnamed film studio all have their own unique qualities to contend with when it comes to acoustic tuning, and from what I have heard so far, the designers got it right in all the venues.
There are still some details inside the PAC that need to be finished before the end of the year including some doors and other details, but overall, the inside is as impressive as the outside.
Okay, so what's my nit-picking about? Well, I found the steps leading down into Partridge Hall already look a little shabby, although that could be part of the detailing yet to come. I felt last night someone forgot to turn the heat on. It was so cool inside I almost reached for my overcoat, and for a $60 million facility that shouldn't happen. Oh, I've been to many theatres where cooler temperatures are required because ballet dancers were performing for example, but here, I could not see the justification for the cool climate indoors last evening.
I thought at intermission I would warm myself up with a warm beverage at the bar. That's when the grim reality of the drink list reared its ugly head. There, I saw coffee...but no tea. Yikes! No tea?! What year is this? According to our new Prime Minister it is 2015. But in this day and age, you can only get coffee at the bar, not tea?
As a die-hard tea drinker, I find this deplorable. Even discounting the questionable quality of commercially-produced tea just about anywhere short of Tim Hortons, I still would like to make that choice.
No tea in the PAC. The mind boggles...
But then, considering the details they got right, I think I can wait for saner heads to prevail on this one point. After all, if the only casualty is my not being able to order tea at intermission, I would say the cost of such a fine new performance venue was justified and, I might add, well spent.
The busy weekend continues at the PAC of course, with a Guitar Extravaganza concert this evening in the Cairns Recital Hall, while the Niagara Symphony opens their new Pops! concert season in Partridge Hall with a musical tribute to the Beatles. The symphony repeats the Beatles concert again tomorrow afternoon at 2:30, by the way. In Robertson Hall, Essential Collective Theatre presents their season opener, the play Falling: A Wake. That play continues until November 29th, so there is still plenty of time to catch a performance.
That's what makes this new venue so special and vital to the rebuilding of our downtown: three of the four theatres are in use tonight, and that translates into hundreds of people coming downtown for a performance. It wasn't that long ago you had no reason to do that. Get the picture?
Now, if they only served tea at intermission...
Have a great weekend!
November 21st, 2015.
First of all, I think a tremendous round of applause is very much in order for everyone connected to making this a reality. From former St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan and his council colleagues past and present to present Mayor Walter Sendzik and the current council, to workers, dreamers, planners, doers and general make-it-happeners, I thank you all for your dedication to a worthy cause.
There were doubters from the very beginning, I know. But there were far more believers, all of whom were more vocal than the doubters, and collectively they made it clear this project simply had to be completed. And you know what? I hear far more believers than doubters now that the PAC is open for business.
Okay, the short review is I love the place. Who wouldn't? The longer review to follow here reveals some nit-picking because, well, my esteemed colleague Doug Herod can't carry that onerous load all by himself...
From the street, the new PAC looks impressive, even though all the finishing touches to the exterior still have to be completed. The huge expanse of glass both front and back is what really sets the building apart, in my mind. From behind, if you are travelling along Westchester or on the northbound 406 you cannot help but glance over at the graceful lines of the building, especially when lit up at night.
Inside, I love the clean, modern look and clearly marked signage. Going from theatre to theatre last week at the Open House, the excitement over the design was palpable. The use of wood, concrete and other materials is both creative and functional to provide an ideal acoustic ambience.
I love seeing the local art displayed throughout the PAC. I love the view out into the valley from Robertson Hall. I even love the idea of the drink transfer station, so you can transfer your beverage from a glass served at the bar to a plastic cup to take into the theatre with you. That's assuming you don't finish your beverage before intermission ends, of course.
The overall impression is even with the scaling back to trim $10 million from the construction bid that resulted in a redesign, the facility just looks right. I heard from one or two people who have said yes, the public areas are great, but the cost savings came in the back of house areas which are not nearly as well laid out as originally planned.
The cost savings had to come from somewhere, and this way although not perfect, means the public won't really be aware of the scaling back that was done.
Last evening, I finally had a chance to actually hear what Partridge Hall sounds like, as I attended the very first concert in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts ENCORE! Professional Concert Series. The concert featured Southern Exposure, featuring local musicians Timothy Phelan, Gordon Cleland, Patricia Dydnansky and Niagara Symphony violist Andree Simard.
The concert featured music of South American composers such as Piazzolla, Pujol, Villa-Lobos and Antonio Carlos Jobim, all arranged for guitar in combination with flute, viola and cello. The music was inventive and beautifully played, and I especially enjoyed the North American premiere of Maximo Diego Pujol's Buenos Aires color pastel. More, please...
Timothy's informative introductions heightened the enjoyment level considerably, making the music even more accessible for many in the audience there as part of their music courses at Brock University.
It was nice to see a good-sized crowd out for this performance, as I have lamented in the past up at Brock, few members of the public attended or even knew of these concert performances. Now with more advertising and the highly-visible new venue downtown, hopefully that will change. I didn't see
anyone in the upper balcony last evening, but since there was only general admission seating, there was really no reason to go up that far if you didn't want to.
The sound, in short, is impressive. Every note, every word, every detailed musical passage can be clearly heard in Partridge Hall, which is exactly why we spent the money we did on the place. This hall, along with the smaller Cairns Recital Hall, Robertson Hall and the still unnamed film studio all have their own unique qualities to contend with when it comes to acoustic tuning, and from what I have heard so far, the designers got it right in all the venues.
There are still some details inside the PAC that need to be finished before the end of the year including some doors and other details, but overall, the inside is as impressive as the outside.
Okay, so what's my nit-picking about? Well, I found the steps leading down into Partridge Hall already look a little shabby, although that could be part of the detailing yet to come. I felt last night someone forgot to turn the heat on. It was so cool inside I almost reached for my overcoat, and for a $60 million facility that shouldn't happen. Oh, I've been to many theatres where cooler temperatures are required because ballet dancers were performing for example, but here, I could not see the justification for the cool climate indoors last evening.
I thought at intermission I would warm myself up with a warm beverage at the bar. That's when the grim reality of the drink list reared its ugly head. There, I saw coffee...but no tea. Yikes! No tea?! What year is this? According to our new Prime Minister it is 2015. But in this day and age, you can only get coffee at the bar, not tea?
As a die-hard tea drinker, I find this deplorable. Even discounting the questionable quality of commercially-produced tea just about anywhere short of Tim Hortons, I still would like to make that choice.
No tea in the PAC. The mind boggles...
But then, considering the details they got right, I think I can wait for saner heads to prevail on this one point. After all, if the only casualty is my not being able to order tea at intermission, I would say the cost of such a fine new performance venue was justified and, I might add, well spent.
The busy weekend continues at the PAC of course, with a Guitar Extravaganza concert this evening in the Cairns Recital Hall, while the Niagara Symphony opens their new Pops! concert season in Partridge Hall with a musical tribute to the Beatles. The symphony repeats the Beatles concert again tomorrow afternoon at 2:30, by the way. In Robertson Hall, Essential Collective Theatre presents their season opener, the play Falling: A Wake. That play continues until November 29th, so there is still plenty of time to catch a performance.
That's what makes this new venue so special and vital to the rebuilding of our downtown: three of the four theatres are in use tonight, and that translates into hundreds of people coming downtown for a performance. It wasn't that long ago you had no reason to do that. Get the picture?
Now, if they only served tea at intermission...
Have a great weekend!
November 21st, 2015.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Lots to see and do in Niagara this weekend...
As far as fall weekends in Niagara go, this has to be one of the busier and high-profile weekends you'll ever see. And if you follow the arts at all, you know at least one of the events we'll be highlighting in this space this weekend.
It was a week ago tonight Chorus Niagara and the Niagara Symphony launched the new season at Partridge Hall in the new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines. By all accounts it was an auspicious opening with congratulations all around for a job well done.
But the real celebration is this weekend, and in fact it is going on right now. Serena Ryder is performing at Partridge Hall this evening, at a swishy gala concert designed to show off the new venue to some of the movers and shakers in Niagara society as well as just us plain folk who want to go and see the show.
Tomorrow afternoon, though, the Community Open House will be the highlight of the day at the PAC, and everyone is invited. Needless to say, I will be one of those streaming through the doors to catch a glimpse of what everyone's been talking about the last little while.
Tomorrow from 2 to 7 pm, Chorus Niagara's Niagara Sings! offers lots of music, guided tours of the facility, door prizes as well as a Community Art Fair. It's all free, and I imagine the event will be very well attended.
Niagara Sings! connects six Niagara-based choirs and over 300 voices performing throughout every room of the new PAC. Chorus Niagara will be joined by Womenchant, Queenston Ladies Choir, Choralis Camerata, Robert Wood Singers, and Sing Niagara. All of these voices will be simultaneously tuning each performance venue.
The day wraps up with a grand finale massed choir in Partridge Hall at 5 tomorrow afternoon.
The Community Art Fair will showcase some of the PAC's partnering organizations, including The Foster Festival, The Gallery Players, Niagara Symphony, Chorus Niagara, Essential Collective Theatre and others.
It will be nice to finally walk through those doors and bask in the glory of 95,000 square feet of cultural space purpose built in the heart of downtown St. Catharines. I along with many others were at that first public information session several years ago when architects Diamond + Schmitt unveiled the original design for the PAC. It had to be downsized later on though, but the redesign looks just as impressive from the street if not more so than the original.
So plan to walk a bit tomorrow, both inside and outside the new facility, as parking in downtown St. Catharines is expected to be at a premium during the afternoon.
Also tomorrow afternoon, Gallery Players of Niagara will launch their new season, not at the PAC but in their familiar confines at Silver Spire United Church on St. Paul Street. The 2 pm concert is entitled, appropriately enough, Hello Cello! as it features no less than eight cellists along with the voice of Charlotte Knight.
For the record, the eight cellists are Sandra Bohn, Gordon Cleland, Grace Coveney, Margaret Gay, Keanna Hoffe, Helen Kopec, Mark Russom and Grace Snippe. Collectively they'll be performing music by Villa-Lobos (the Bachianas Brasileiras #5) as well as arrangements of works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Also featured will be a setting of Rilke by Canadian composer Michael Oesteerle.
Tickets should be available at the door, or in advance by calling 905-468-1525. Incidentally, Gallery Players will be performing one of their upcoming concerts this season in the Cairns Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on Valentine's Day, February 14th. It's the concert entitled From The Heart and will feature Canadian baritone Brett Polegato with Gallery Players and musical guests performing music by Schumann, Schubert and Beethoven.
This weekend also sees the first MainStage presentation of the inaugural season for the new Dramatic Arts Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, located right next door to the PAC.
The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, in an English translation by Arnold Weinstein and Lys Symonette, opened last evening at the new venue in the school complex, and additional performances include tomorrow afternoon at 2 as well as next Friday and Saturday evening and an early matinee performance Friday at 11:30 am.
Virginia Reh, tempted out of retirement to direct the new show (who wouldn't be with a new venue to play in!?) is joined by assistant Elizabeth Amos, designer David Vivian and music director Daniel Turner, and the cast is made up of students in the Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University.
The opera/musical's title refers to the colour "mahogany", which is Brecht's reference to the German 'Brown Shirts.' This production sets the action in 1957 on the Gulf Coast, close to Pensacola.
The epic tale follows the lives of the residents of Mahagonny as they are consumed by the power of money, winning out against all other motivating forces such as friendship, family, morality and philosophy.
If you want to catch one of the remaining performances of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, call the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office at 905-688-0722.
Next week, I'll offer my thoughts and impressions on the new PAC after joining everyone else at the big Open House tomorrow afternoon.
Enjoy your weekend!
November 14th, 2015.
It was a week ago tonight Chorus Niagara and the Niagara Symphony launched the new season at Partridge Hall in the new FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines. By all accounts it was an auspicious opening with congratulations all around for a job well done.
But the real celebration is this weekend, and in fact it is going on right now. Serena Ryder is performing at Partridge Hall this evening, at a swishy gala concert designed to show off the new venue to some of the movers and shakers in Niagara society as well as just us plain folk who want to go and see the show.
Tomorrow afternoon, though, the Community Open House will be the highlight of the day at the PAC, and everyone is invited. Needless to say, I will be one of those streaming through the doors to catch a glimpse of what everyone's been talking about the last little while.
Tomorrow from 2 to 7 pm, Chorus Niagara's Niagara Sings! offers lots of music, guided tours of the facility, door prizes as well as a Community Art Fair. It's all free, and I imagine the event will be very well attended.
Niagara Sings! connects six Niagara-based choirs and over 300 voices performing throughout every room of the new PAC. Chorus Niagara will be joined by Womenchant, Queenston Ladies Choir, Choralis Camerata, Robert Wood Singers, and Sing Niagara. All of these voices will be simultaneously tuning each performance venue.
The day wraps up with a grand finale massed choir in Partridge Hall at 5 tomorrow afternoon.
The Community Art Fair will showcase some of the PAC's partnering organizations, including The Foster Festival, The Gallery Players, Niagara Symphony, Chorus Niagara, Essential Collective Theatre and others.
It will be nice to finally walk through those doors and bask in the glory of 95,000 square feet of cultural space purpose built in the heart of downtown St. Catharines. I along with many others were at that first public information session several years ago when architects Diamond + Schmitt unveiled the original design for the PAC. It had to be downsized later on though, but the redesign looks just as impressive from the street if not more so than the original.
So plan to walk a bit tomorrow, both inside and outside the new facility, as parking in downtown St. Catharines is expected to be at a premium during the afternoon.
Also tomorrow afternoon, Gallery Players of Niagara will launch their new season, not at the PAC but in their familiar confines at Silver Spire United Church on St. Paul Street. The 2 pm concert is entitled, appropriately enough, Hello Cello! as it features no less than eight cellists along with the voice of Charlotte Knight.
For the record, the eight cellists are Sandra Bohn, Gordon Cleland, Grace Coveney, Margaret Gay, Keanna Hoffe, Helen Kopec, Mark Russom and Grace Snippe. Collectively they'll be performing music by Villa-Lobos (the Bachianas Brasileiras #5) as well as arrangements of works by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Also featured will be a setting of Rilke by Canadian composer Michael Oesteerle.
Tickets should be available at the door, or in advance by calling 905-468-1525. Incidentally, Gallery Players will be performing one of their upcoming concerts this season in the Cairns Recital Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre on Valentine's Day, February 14th. It's the concert entitled From The Heart and will feature Canadian baritone Brett Polegato with Gallery Players and musical guests performing music by Schumann, Schubert and Beethoven.
This weekend also sees the first MainStage presentation of the inaugural season for the new Dramatic Arts Theatre at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, located right next door to the PAC.
The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, in an English translation by Arnold Weinstein and Lys Symonette, opened last evening at the new venue in the school complex, and additional performances include tomorrow afternoon at 2 as well as next Friday and Saturday evening and an early matinee performance Friday at 11:30 am.
Virginia Reh, tempted out of retirement to direct the new show (who wouldn't be with a new venue to play in!?) is joined by assistant Elizabeth Amos, designer David Vivian and music director Daniel Turner, and the cast is made up of students in the Department of Dramatic Arts at Brock University.
The opera/musical's title refers to the colour "mahogany", which is Brecht's reference to the German 'Brown Shirts.' This production sets the action in 1957 on the Gulf Coast, close to Pensacola.
The epic tale follows the lives of the residents of Mahagonny as they are consumed by the power of money, winning out against all other motivating forces such as friendship, family, morality and philosophy.
If you want to catch one of the remaining performances of The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, call the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office at 905-688-0722.
Next week, I'll offer my thoughts and impressions on the new PAC after joining everyone else at the big Open House tomorrow afternoon.
Enjoy your weekend!
November 14th, 2015.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Great music & things happening in Niagara and beyond this weekend
We're now diving head-first into the month of November, and the busy concert season schedule is upon us. But music is not all that's happening over the next little while. This weekend, in fact, you have your pick of any number of arts-related events in Niagara and beyond, so let's take some time to highlight some of the events you might like to partake in.
The long-awaited official opening of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is next weekend, but this weekend you get your first chance to hear what music sounds like in the largest venue, Partridge Hall, as Chorus Niagara and the Niagara Symphony team up for a concert appropriately titled Celebrate!
Artistic Director Robert Cooper will be marshalling the forces of 160 voices on stage tonight at 7:30 for the concert, featuring his own choir, Chorus Niagara, along with the award-winning McMaster University Choir under Rachel Rinsing-Hoff and of course, the Niagara Symphony. Soloists include soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, mezzo-soprano Maria Soulis; tenor Adam Luther and the big voice of Niagara native and lyric baritone Brett Polegato.
Talk about star power. As my esteemed colleague Doug Herod would write, "Yowzers!"
The musical programme includes Finzi's Ode for St. Cecelia, Bruckner's Te Deum, the Coronation Anthem from Handel's Zadok the Priest, and a brand-new commission written especially for the opening of Partridge Hall tonight, Canadian composer Allan Bevan's Bow of Sound.
The rehearsals have been going well at the new venue and so far and everyone is thrilled with the sound, which is important. That's why we have a purpose-built venue just for this type of concert.
If you don't have tickets for tonight's performance you are out of luck, as it is completely sold out. But you can get tickets for the remainder of the Chorus Niagara season by calling the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office at 905-688-0722.
In the Cairns Recital Hall at the PAC tonight, East-coast singing duo Fortunate Ones perform at 8 pm, so that will make for a busy evening at the new facility.
On a somewhat smaller scale, next door at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, Harvest Time will be presented at 8 pm in Studio A at the new facility at 15 Artists' Common in downtown St. Catharines.
Harvest Time is a collection of four short plays directed by STAC instructor Renee Baillargeon written by local playwrights and scored and performed by Studies in Arts & Culture Students. This free event is part of the Art Is In The City series of events scheduled throughout the season at the beautiful new Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts.
Although this is not arts-related, the Niagara Ice Dogs host the Peterborough Petes tonight at 7 pm at the Meridian Centre, so this should give us the first test of all three major venues with events the same night. Considering the 406 is closed in both directions due to the final phase of the removal of the old span of the Burgoyne Bridge downtown, traffic promises to be a bit of a nightmare this evening, so all I can say is pack your patience and if at all possible, take public transit. You'll be glad you did.
Outside Niagara but not far we have the next concert for the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, a special Remembrance Day concert that welcomes back to the podium former HPO Music Director James Sommerville.
Entitled Remembrance: Songs of Courage & Honour, the HPO presents the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture and Hamilton Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson-Schulte's moving Songs of the Poets. Also featured will be one of my all-time favourite orchestral works, Ralph Vaughan Williams' exquisite The Lark Ascending with Associate Concertmaster Lance Ouellette making his solo debut tonight.
The concert is at 7:30 at the Great Hall of Hamilton Place, and you can call the box office for tickets at 905-526-7756.
A little further up the highway my friends at the Guelph Chamber Choir kick off their new season at the River Run Centre tonight at 7:30 with the ever-popular Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.
Certainly one of the 20th century's most enduring and popular choral works, Carmina Burana is essentially 24 dramatic poems set to music, sometimes rather satirical and bawdy. Quoting the choir's Facebook posting for the concert, the music was "written by 12th and 13th century students and clerics to express the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of spring, and the pleasure and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust."
What more could you want from a concert, eh? Personally, I would like to find out first hand about whether fortune and wealth are indeed fickle, but I digress...
If you want to hear a great chamber choir in a wonderful downtown setting in a city you'll quickly fall in love with, call the River Run Centre box office for tickets at 519-763-3000.
I have enjoyed many a concert with the Guelph Chamber Choir over the years, and their home at the River Run Centre is certainly a model for many other performing arts spaces in the country.
Enjoy your weekend!
November 7th, 2015
The long-awaited official opening of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre is next weekend, but this weekend you get your first chance to hear what music sounds like in the largest venue, Partridge Hall, as Chorus Niagara and the Niagara Symphony team up for a concert appropriately titled Celebrate!
Artistic Director Robert Cooper will be marshalling the forces of 160 voices on stage tonight at 7:30 for the concert, featuring his own choir, Chorus Niagara, along with the award-winning McMaster University Choir under Rachel Rinsing-Hoff and of course, the Niagara Symphony. Soloists include soprano Leslie Ann Bradley, mezzo-soprano Maria Soulis; tenor Adam Luther and the big voice of Niagara native and lyric baritone Brett Polegato.
Talk about star power. As my esteemed colleague Doug Herod would write, "Yowzers!"
The musical programme includes Finzi's Ode for St. Cecelia, Bruckner's Te Deum, the Coronation Anthem from Handel's Zadok the Priest, and a brand-new commission written especially for the opening of Partridge Hall tonight, Canadian composer Allan Bevan's Bow of Sound.
The rehearsals have been going well at the new venue and so far and everyone is thrilled with the sound, which is important. That's why we have a purpose-built venue just for this type of concert.
If you don't have tickets for tonight's performance you are out of luck, as it is completely sold out. But you can get tickets for the remainder of the Chorus Niagara season by calling the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre box office at 905-688-0722.
In the Cairns Recital Hall at the PAC tonight, East-coast singing duo Fortunate Ones perform at 8 pm, so that will make for a busy evening at the new facility.
On a somewhat smaller scale, next door at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts, Harvest Time will be presented at 8 pm in Studio A at the new facility at 15 Artists' Common in downtown St. Catharines.
Harvest Time is a collection of four short plays directed by STAC instructor Renee Baillargeon written by local playwrights and scored and performed by Studies in Arts & Culture Students. This free event is part of the Art Is In The City series of events scheduled throughout the season at the beautiful new Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts.
Although this is not arts-related, the Niagara Ice Dogs host the Peterborough Petes tonight at 7 pm at the Meridian Centre, so this should give us the first test of all three major venues with events the same night. Considering the 406 is closed in both directions due to the final phase of the removal of the old span of the Burgoyne Bridge downtown, traffic promises to be a bit of a nightmare this evening, so all I can say is pack your patience and if at all possible, take public transit. You'll be glad you did.
Outside Niagara but not far we have the next concert for the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, a special Remembrance Day concert that welcomes back to the podium former HPO Music Director James Sommerville.
Entitled Remembrance: Songs of Courage & Honour, the HPO presents the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture and Hamilton Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence Abigail Richardson-Schulte's moving Songs of the Poets. Also featured will be one of my all-time favourite orchestral works, Ralph Vaughan Williams' exquisite The Lark Ascending with Associate Concertmaster Lance Ouellette making his solo debut tonight.
The concert is at 7:30 at the Great Hall of Hamilton Place, and you can call the box office for tickets at 905-526-7756.
A little further up the highway my friends at the Guelph Chamber Choir kick off their new season at the River Run Centre tonight at 7:30 with the ever-popular Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.
Certainly one of the 20th century's most enduring and popular choral works, Carmina Burana is essentially 24 dramatic poems set to music, sometimes rather satirical and bawdy. Quoting the choir's Facebook posting for the concert, the music was "written by 12th and 13th century students and clerics to express the fickleness of fortune and wealth, the ephemeral nature of life, the joy of the return of spring, and the pleasure and perils of drinking, gluttony, gambling and lust."
What more could you want from a concert, eh? Personally, I would like to find out first hand about whether fortune and wealth are indeed fickle, but I digress...
If you want to hear a great chamber choir in a wonderful downtown setting in a city you'll quickly fall in love with, call the River Run Centre box office for tickets at 519-763-3000.
I have enjoyed many a concert with the Guelph Chamber Choir over the years, and their home at the River Run Centre is certainly a model for many other performing arts spaces in the country.
Enjoy your weekend!
November 7th, 2015
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Some collected weekend thoughts...
It is Halloween night, and after the trick or treaters have had their way, I will offer up a veritable potpourri of collected thoughts that have accumulated over the last few days...
Item: How was Halloween at your house? We live in a downtown St. Catharines neighbourhood that rarely sees a lot of trick or treaters, so buying for Halloween is a snap. Since I usually end up eating what is left, I make sure to buy something I want myself. This year, along with the Halloween-themed pencils, erasers, note-pads and such, I included those small boxes of raisins. Might as well, I figured, there are 14 boxes in the package and since we had all of eight visits this evening, I have plenty for my morning cereal this coming week.
This actually is a busier than usual year around here. Last year I think we had five and one year we actually had a total of one visit. So eight is pretty good. I know, those who have over a hundred kids come to the door have to shell out more money to shell out to the kids, but I am fine the way things are, thank you very much...
Item: Last evening a huge number of caring Niagara residents came out to support a member of the team at Henley Honda on Lake Street in St. Catharines. Owner and General Manager Alex Digenis put out the call earlier this month they were planning a fundraiser for Dawson and Joann Gruninger Trickett for the evening of October 30th at the dealership, from 7 pm to midnight.
When I arrived about 7:30 the place was already hopping and full to the proverbial rafters with supporters. For weeks people in Niagara had responded with great gifts for the raffle draws, and they responded again last night with a record-setting turnout for someone many had never met.
Dawson, you see, lost a leg in recent months and although OHIP will cover the necessary medical expenses, Dawson will have any number of other expenses to contend with as he adjusts to his new life with a prosthetic leg, which is still to come.
Alex knew this and so did the rest of the staff at Henley Honda and across the street at Subaru of Niagara. So everyone hunkered down to make this one-night fundraiser happen, and they did a stellar job.
From moving upwards of 150 cars out of the parking lot and even the showroom to make space, to catering by Antipastos to all the great raffle prizes supplied by the community, it all came together to make last night a night to remember in Niagara.
What I particularly enjoyed, outside of the obvious fact Alex and his team cared enough for Dawson to actually do this for him, is the fact the community responded big time. This is what we do in Niagara, and indeed in Canada. We look after our own.
From people to pets to any number of other worthwhile causes, Niagara residents know how to give from the heart and do their part to make this a community worth calling home. You don't see this everywhere, but you do regularly in Niagara, and last night was a stellar example.
To everyone involved, thanks for caring.
Item: As reported in this space a couple of days ago, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra kicks off their new season this weekend at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, in the Cairns Hall. Tonight's Beethoven Marathon with pianist Stewart Goodyear began at 6 pm, and tomorrow's afternoon performance begins at 2:30 pm. Both performances are completely sold out, which is nice to see.
Granted, many want to be there to see what all the excitement is about with the new PAC, but you can't ignore the fact this is a wonderful vindication for those who believe in our downtown. Just think: the last two nights the downtown was buzzing with Niagara Ice Dogs games at the nearby Meridian Centre; tonight and tomorrow afternoon the FirstOntario PAC packs them in with the first performances by the Niagara Symphony. That's four days in a row the downtown is abuzz with activity.
If these two facilities had not been built and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts had not been built, what would be happening downtown over those four days? Not nearly as much activity, I would suggest. See? Investing in infrastructure comes with a cost, no question. But the dividends are very much evident now as things ramp up this season.
Again, thanks to everyone involved.
Item: This is the weekend we fall back, and turn our clocks back an hour before going to bed. I already set the clock back in the car this afternoon, and it felt weird looking at the time after I did it.
I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to that extra hour to sleep tonight!
I only hope the cats cooperate in the morning...
Have a great weekend!
October 31st, 2015.
Item: How was Halloween at your house? We live in a downtown St. Catharines neighbourhood that rarely sees a lot of trick or treaters, so buying for Halloween is a snap. Since I usually end up eating what is left, I make sure to buy something I want myself. This year, along with the Halloween-themed pencils, erasers, note-pads and such, I included those small boxes of raisins. Might as well, I figured, there are 14 boxes in the package and since we had all of eight visits this evening, I have plenty for my morning cereal this coming week.
This actually is a busier than usual year around here. Last year I think we had five and one year we actually had a total of one visit. So eight is pretty good. I know, those who have over a hundred kids come to the door have to shell out more money to shell out to the kids, but I am fine the way things are, thank you very much...
Item: Last evening a huge number of caring Niagara residents came out to support a member of the team at Henley Honda on Lake Street in St. Catharines. Owner and General Manager Alex Digenis put out the call earlier this month they were planning a fundraiser for Dawson and Joann Gruninger Trickett for the evening of October 30th at the dealership, from 7 pm to midnight.
When I arrived about 7:30 the place was already hopping and full to the proverbial rafters with supporters. For weeks people in Niagara had responded with great gifts for the raffle draws, and they responded again last night with a record-setting turnout for someone many had never met.
Dawson, you see, lost a leg in recent months and although OHIP will cover the necessary medical expenses, Dawson will have any number of other expenses to contend with as he adjusts to his new life with a prosthetic leg, which is still to come.
Alex knew this and so did the rest of the staff at Henley Honda and across the street at Subaru of Niagara. So everyone hunkered down to make this one-night fundraiser happen, and they did a stellar job.
From moving upwards of 150 cars out of the parking lot and even the showroom to make space, to catering by Antipastos to all the great raffle prizes supplied by the community, it all came together to make last night a night to remember in Niagara.
What I particularly enjoyed, outside of the obvious fact Alex and his team cared enough for Dawson to actually do this for him, is the fact the community responded big time. This is what we do in Niagara, and indeed in Canada. We look after our own.
From people to pets to any number of other worthwhile causes, Niagara residents know how to give from the heart and do their part to make this a community worth calling home. You don't see this everywhere, but you do regularly in Niagara, and last night was a stellar example.
To everyone involved, thanks for caring.
Item: As reported in this space a couple of days ago, the Niagara Symphony Orchestra kicks off their new season this weekend at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, in the Cairns Hall. Tonight's Beethoven Marathon with pianist Stewart Goodyear began at 6 pm, and tomorrow's afternoon performance begins at 2:30 pm. Both performances are completely sold out, which is nice to see.
Granted, many want to be there to see what all the excitement is about with the new PAC, but you can't ignore the fact this is a wonderful vindication for those who believe in our downtown. Just think: the last two nights the downtown was buzzing with Niagara Ice Dogs games at the nearby Meridian Centre; tonight and tomorrow afternoon the FirstOntario PAC packs them in with the first performances by the Niagara Symphony. That's four days in a row the downtown is abuzz with activity.
If these two facilities had not been built and the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine & Performing Arts had not been built, what would be happening downtown over those four days? Not nearly as much activity, I would suggest. See? Investing in infrastructure comes with a cost, no question. But the dividends are very much evident now as things ramp up this season.
Again, thanks to everyone involved.
Item: This is the weekend we fall back, and turn our clocks back an hour before going to bed. I already set the clock back in the car this afternoon, and it felt weird looking at the time after I did it.
I don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to that extra hour to sleep tonight!
I only hope the cats cooperate in the morning...
Have a great weekend!
October 31st, 2015.
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