Festival Updates and News
News about Ottawa Festivals and our Member festivals, special events and fairs.
Ottawa StoryTellers Presents the Following Events for March, 2011
March 3
Ottawa StoryTellers Story Swap: Open Stage Night
7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington Street, Room 156.
March 8
Wild Women
Ruthanne Edward and Lisa Virtue
7pm – 8:45pm
The Tea Party, 119 York St
March 17
On the Heels of the Hound
Clare Muireann Murphy
7:30 pm
NAC 4th Stage
March 22
L’amour, toujours l’amour (In English)
Jo Maple
7pm – 8:45pm
The Tea Party, 119 York St.
March 25
Once Upon a Slam
Featured Performer: Klyde Broox
7:00 pm
Mercury Lounge Underground (aka Bar 56) 56 Byward Market
Announcing Prairie Scene!
Full programming details of Prairie Scene were announced by Heather Moore, Scene Producer and Executive Director.
The festival lineup is staggering, and includes 500 of the best theatre, music, dance, film, visual arts, literature and culinary artists from Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Prairie Scene kicks off with SWARM, the talk-of-the-town gallery-crawl/arts happening/celebration on April 26, and this opening night party is absolutely free!
Some of the highlights of Prairie Scene:
- music legends Bachman & Turner, Colin James, and Buffy Sainte-Marie; dance performances by Robin Poitras and Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers;
- 14 visual and media arts exhibitions featuring work by Wanda Koop, Wally Dion, Daniel Barrow, and Adrian Stimson;
- plays by leading prairie playwrights and theatre companies, including Winnipeg Jewish Theatre’s provocative Talk and La Troupe du Jour’s Rearview;
- concerts with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, violinist Erika Raum, Library Voices, Chic Gamine, The Wailin’ Jennys, The Waking Eyes, Michelle Grégoire, Little Miss Higgins, and Saskatoon rockers The Sheepdogs;
- the world premiere of a new film event by Guy Maddin and screenings of work by more than 40 filmmakers; literary events with authors Dianne Warren and Duncan Mercredi;
- a cooking demonstration with chefs Alexander Svenne and Dan Walker.
TICKETS TO ALL EVENTS ON SALE NOW
BY PHONE 1.888.991.2787 (ARTS)
IN PERSON NAC Box Office 53 Elgin Street
PRAIRIE SCENE PASS ON SALE NOW
6 shows for $49!
Choose from more than 30 performances!
Music, theatre, dance, literary, visual arts
Prairie Stars invade the Capital
Colin James, Brent Butt, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Bachman & Turner – this is your special sneak peek at some of the Prairie Scene festival highlights. On February 28, full programming details of Prairie Scene will be announced at a launch in the Fourth Stage at the National Arts Centre.
She’s the One . . . and she’ll launch her career at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest!
Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest organizers today announced a call for submissions for their She’s the One Emerging Female Artist Competition. The contest will be sponsored by Ottawa’s EZ Rock 99.7.
The competition is a cross-Canada talent search for the best in emerging Canadian female music talent. With the help of EZ Rock 99.7, Bluesfest is looking for promising female Canadian singers/songwriters or bands with female lead-members of any age.
“We already know that there’s an incredible amount of undiscovered female musical talent in Canada,” says Bluesfest’s executive and artistic director, Mark Monahan. “The She’s the One competition will not only prove it, it will go a long way to providing a boost for the careers of some very deserving musicians.”
The competition will include two categories: One is ‘Solo’, which means a female lead singer who also plays an instrument, and the second is ‘Band’; two or more people in an act or group, with a female lead singer (or lead performer, if it’s an instrumental band).
Ottawa Bluesfest organizers will gather submissions, with three finalists selected from each category. These six finalists will have a 20-minute slot to perform at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest for a professional jury, on Saturday July 16, 2011. One winner will be chosen from each category. Judging will be based upon various criteria, including performance, stage presence/showmanship, originality, musicality, audience reaction, and the ever-important ‘It’ factor.
Up for grabs are cash prizes: Band Category winner will receive $5,000; Solo Category winner will receive $2,000. There’s also the bragging rights and exposure that go along with performing at one of North America’s pre-eminent music festivals.
“We’re hoping that participation in this contest will create more awareness of female artists in Canada,” says Monahan.
Criteria for the competition and applications can be found at ottawabluesfest.ca. Deadline for submissions is midnight, March 28, 2011.
Thousands of area students benefit from Blues in the Schools
The Ottawa Bluesfest organization will launch the 13th edition of their award-winning Blues in the Schools program on Monday, February 28. The two-week residency program, which will see 30 professional artists/educators visit 24 area schools this year, will run through to Friday, March 11.
The 10-day program begins with a series of assembly-like presentations. A variety of musicians visit two different schools per day, performing a total of 98 presentations over the course of the first four days. The following phase involves classroom-size core groups, with students enjoying a more formal workshop approach. These sessions include a look at the heritage of blues music, while examining its influence on other genres. Song writing, singing, and exploring various instruments is also involved. The workshop phase culminates with students performing for their families, teachers and peers. Ultimately these students are offered an opportunity to perform at the Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, during the festival’s Blues in the Schools day in July.
Initiated in two Ottawa-area schools in 1999, Blues in the Schools has seen tremendous growth. This year, visiting artists/educators and local musicians will deliver the program to more than 10,000 students in Ottawa-area schools. “The intent of the program,” says Bluesfest executive director, Mark Monahan,” is to expose students from all backgrounds to music and to encourage them to use music as a positive outlet in dealing with the world around them.”
Blues in the Schools is a charitable undertaking, which is financially supported by the not-for-profit Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest organization, with essential support from its private-sector partners: Holiday Inn© Hotel & Suites; Steve’s Music Store; and the Ottawa Citizen.
LE BAL DE NEIGE DE LA CAPITALE DU CANADA : NOUVELLE APPROCHE RÉUSSIE
La famille Glamotte, les mascottes du Bal de Neige, sont parties dans un parc nordique et reviendront qu’aux premières neiges pour célébrer à nouveau la Capitale en hiver.
Le 33e Bal de Neige, la fête de l’hiver canadien dans la région de la capitale du Canada, s’est terminé aujourd’hui avec le traditionnel départ de la famille Glamotte vers le nord, vers le parc national Qutinirpaaq au Nunavut. La Commission de la capitale nationale (CCN), lors du bilan de l’édition 2011 du Bal de Neige, qui s’est déroulé du 4 au 21 février 2011, confirme que des centaines de milliers de visiteurs ont participé aux activités des trois week-ends et ont redécouvert comment la capitale du Canada sait refléter l’hiver dans tout le pays, cette saison qui définit nos façons diverses de vivre, de travailler et de célébrer.
La CCN souligne aussi avec fierté que le Bal de Neige 2011 a été l’occasion du coup d’envoi de l’année du centenaire de Parcs Canada. Les journées du Yukon, les célébrations du Nouvel An chinois, de nouvelles activités visant les jeunes ainsi que la 41e saison de patinage sur le canal Rideau, ont contribué au succès de cette 33e édition du Bal de Neige.
WINTERLUDE IN CANADA’S CAPITAL: NEW SUCCESSFUL FORMULA
The Ice Hog family, Winterlude’s mascots, left for a nordic park and will come back with the first snow to celebrate anew Canada’s Capital in winter
The 33rd edition of Winterlude, Canada’s winter celebration in the Capital Region, wrapped up today with the traditional farewell of the Ice Hog family. They are heading north, to Quttinirpaaq National Park in Nunavut. The National Capital Commission (NCC), assessing Winterlude 2011, which ran from February 4 to 21, 2011, confirms that hundreds of thousands of visitors participated in three weekends of activities and rediscovered how well Canada’s Capital reflects the whole country in winter, the season that most defines the way we live, work and celebrate.
The NCC notes with pride that Parks Canada’s centennial year was launched with Winterlude 2011. Yukon Days, Chinese New Year celebrations, new activities for youth and the 41st season of the Rideau Canal Skateway also added to the success of this 33rd edition of Winterlude.
The Empire Sports & Entertainment to Produce and Promote the “Capital Hoedown” Country Music Festival
The Empire Sports & Entertainment Holdings Co. (OTCBB:EXCX), a promoter of entertainment and sports events, today announced that the Company will be producing and promoting the “Capital Hoedown,” North America’s most exciting Country Music Festival.
The Capital Hoedown is a three-day annual Country Music Festival held in Ottawa, ON and will take place on August 11 through 13, 2011, in association with Concert International Inc. Showcasing the finest performers in Country Music, the Capital Hoedown received incredibly positive reviews in its inaugural year of 2010. This year, the Capital Hoedown’s entertainment lineup will feature some of the biggest names in Country Music.
The Empire expects attendance of the Capital Hoedown this year to exceed 40,000 fans. The music festival will be held at the beautiful Rideau Carleton Entertainment Centre, which is just minutes from downtown Ottawa and provides the ideal scenic backdrop for this festival. Details regarding the superb lineup of artists performing at the Capital Hoedown will be announced shortly.
Legendary promoter and CEO of The Empire, Shelly Finkel, stated, “We expect this to be the year that the Capital Hoedown establishes itself as a showcase of the best that Country Music has to offer. In just its second year, the festival’s attendance is expected to significantly surpass that of 2010 and offers a lineup of performers that will completely thrill and entertain the audience. We are very proud and excited to promote such a large and successful event not only this year but for several years to come.”
For more information and ticket sales please visit www.capital-hoedown.com.
About The Empire Sports & Entertainment
The Empire Sports & Entertainment, Inc. is a promoter of sports-driven promotions and entertainment events such as concerts, music festivals, pay-per-view programming, as well as other exciting events. The company is led by CEO Shelly Finkel, a legendary promoter and member of The Boxing Hall of Fame. To learn more about “The Empire,” visit www.theempirese.com.
SAFETY ADVISORY: TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF THE RIDEAU CANAL SKATEWAY
The National Capital Commission (NCC) wishes to advise the public that the Rideau Canal Skateway will be temporarily closed as of tomorrow, Thursday, February 17, at 6 am because of the weather and its negative impact on the ice.
The Rideau Canal Skateway will remain closed until further notice.
The NCC urges skaters and the general public to refrain from venturing onto the Rideau Canal Skateway for personal safety reasons. They are also asked to respect barricades and signs installed at access points.
As soon as weather permits, crews will resume maintenance to reopen the Skateway as quickly as possible.
The skating season was launched on January 8. To date, hundreds of thousands of people enjoyed 40 consecutive skating days with near ideal skating conditions on most of the Skateway.
For more information about the Rideau Canal Skateway, please contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 613-239-5090 (TTY), 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the NCC’s website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca/skateway. Throughout the season, recorded information about skating conditions can be obtained by calling 613-239-5234.
Gord Grdina and the East Van Strings take Ottawa by storm
Following a sold out performance at the 2010 TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival, guitar and oud player Gord Grdina returns with a stunning project this Monday, February 21, 2011, 7:30pm at the National Arts Centre Fourth Stage.
“…harnesses progressive energy in ways that most cannot.” – Exclaim
After a 3-year hiatus Grdina will perform with the East Van Strings in this not to be missed concert which includes; violinists Jesse Zubot and Eyvind Kang and cellist Peggy Lee. The Vancouverites are touring in support of their release The Breathing of Statues (Songlines) which has received 5 stars out of 5 on amazon.com. The project led by Grdina is inspired by string quartets of Bartok and Webern, drawing on Arabic and Indian music, free jazz, as well as the music of Phillip Glass.
Grdina has taken the music world by storm with his fiery playing, wide range of influences and versatility, leading groups of the highest calibre with inspired ease. His initial vision back in 2005 was to assemble a dream band of string players making up the members of the East Van Strings. All of these musicians are brilliant improvisers in their own right, deeply respected and sought after for their unique and powerful voices.
General admission: $22 and Students: $15 (Students under 25 years of age with a valid i.d.).
Tickets:
Ottawa Jazz Festival office before 5pm on Friday, February 18: 294 Albert, Suite 602,
613-241-2633 (Fourth Stage concert series is not available through the Jazz Festival website, only by phone)
Ottawa Festivals office: (47 William Street, Ottawa)
Ticketmaster: (613) 755-1111 or www.ticketmaster.ca
At the door: Tickets will be available at the Fourth Stage after 6:30pm on the evening of the concert.
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