Festival Updates and News
News about Ottawa Festivals and our Member festivals, special events and fairs.
Bluesfest and RBC Royal Bank Partner to Ensure the Music Plays On in the Nation’s Capital
[Source: Bluesfest press release]
Ottawa, December 2, 2011 – North America’s premier music festival, Bluesfest proudly announced its long-term partnership with RBC Royal Bank at a media event earlier today. The partnership ensures the music plays on for another five years in the Nation’s Capital and further strengthens RBC commitment to culture in Ottawa.
RBC Royal Bank has always shown a keen interest in cultural initiatives, supporting numerous organizations and events at a grassroots, national and global level. The new five-year partnership with Bluesfest further enhances their rich calendar of cultural and customer driven initiatives in Ottawa and its surrounding communities.
“RBC Royal Bank is proud to partner with North America’s premier music festival because we have two great things in common: we both continue to evolve to provide our customers with the best possible experience, and we are 100 per-cent committed to Ottawa from both a business and cultural perspective,” said Jeff Boyd, Regional President, Ontario North and East, RBC Royal Bank. “This is great news for our customers, for Ottawa and for RBC Royal Bank. We are delighted that RBC Royal Bank and our customers will now be able to benefit from this new partnership and we look forward to growing and enhancing the festival over the coming years.”
“This new partnership will ensure the festival can continue to operate as one of the biggest festivals in North America for many years to come.” said Mark Monahan, Executive Director, Bluesfest. “RBC Royal Bank’s long-term commitment to Bluesfest now allows Cisco to focus its sponsorship on technology enablement.”
Bluesfest was founded in 1994 and remains one of North America’s premier music festivals, continuing to play a prominent role in promoting the Capital Region on a global stage. The 2012 line-up will be announced on April 24th at the official launch event.
Awards bring a folk feast to Toronto
Greg Quill, thestar.com
It’s a big weekend for folk music in Toronto, host city for the first time since its inception seven years ago of the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
The CFMAs pack in numerous events over the next three days — including the premiere of the documentary A Walk in My Dream, about Canadian harmonica virtuoso Mike Stevens (Friday, 8 p.m., Bell Lightbox) and a star-studded nominees showcase at Hugh’s Room Saturday night, featuring Dave Gunning, Janet Panic, Qristina and Quinn Bachand, Ashley Condon, Massiel Yanira, Lizzy Hoyt, Ouzo Power and Raz-de-Marée/Tidal Wave.
They culminate in the awards presentation and gala concert at the Isabel Bader Theatre Sunday at 8 p.m., hosted by CBC Radio’s Shelagh Rogers and Benoit Bourque from Quebec folk outfit La Bottine Souriante.
Read more on the Star.com website: Awards bring a folk feast to Toronto
Ottawa Fringe Festival announces winners of its 2012 lottery
Trevor Pritchard, OpenFile
It’s not too early to start thinking about the 2012 Ottawa Fringe Festival, is it? Next year’s Fringe could feature international productions from Australia and the United States—as well as Canadian productions from B.C., Quebec, and southern Ontario—after the festival announced the winners of its annual lottery earlier this week.
Local theatre reviewer Andrew Snowdon was on-hand when the 36 lucky production companies were announced Tuesday at Patty Boland’s. He told us over email a bit about the philosophy behind the lottery system:
Read more on the Open File website: Ottawa Fringe Festival announces winners of its 2012 lottery
Bluesfest scales down plans for former Westboro church
Neco Cockburn, The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — A 98-year-old church in Westboro might be converted into a Bluesfest office space and a community centre, but the project would not include a 400-seat music hall that was presented in previous plans.
Bluesfest executive director Mark Monahan said the concept for the former Westboro United Church has changed.
“We actually did all of the drawings and costed it out, and it just in our opinion was too ambitious a project,” Monahan said on Tuesday.
“It wasn’t clear to me that it would be viable or sustainable.”
Council’s planning committee is to discuss on Monday a zoning amendment that would allow the church to be used by the Ottawa Music Foundation as office space for Bluesfest and other music organizations, as well as for a community centre and community health and resource centre.
The church, at 450 Churchill Ave. North, near Byron Avenue, was built in 1913. Under the plans, additions at the back of the church building would be demolished and the rest of the site filled with 16 three-storey townhouse units and four “live-work/office/townhouse units” in a three-storey building, says a staff report to go to the committee.
The Free Thinking Film Society Needs Your Help!
[Source: Free Thinking Film Festival]
Dear Free Thinking Film Society Supporter:
I want to thank everybody for making our 2nd Annual Free Thinking Film Festival 2011 a tremendous success.
We had very big audiences for Angryphone and for our documentary on the CBC. After our film on the velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, I met a woman who was in Prague in 1968 and she brought her snap-shots to show people. She was very moved by the film and she moved me! The film, The 10 Conditions of Love, about the Uyghur people brought tears to the eyes of my friend Rukiye who was representing the Uyghurs of Canada. And, who can forget Rev. Majed El Shafie and his inspirational talk after his film “Freedom Fighter?”
And, Irwin Cotler’s speech after the film “Unmasked: Judeophobia and the Threat to Civilization” was just amazing.
The Canada Dance Festival hires new artistic leader
Following a national search, Jeanne Holmes has been named the new Artistic Producer of the Canada Dance Festival (CDF).
Currently the Producing Director of Dancemakers and the Centre for Creation in Toronto, Ms. Holmes has over 20 years of experience in the performing arts. After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Windsor she immediately started her career in dance, and has built an extensive background in performance, production, programming, and arts management.
“I am both excited and honored by this opportunity to join the CDF,” said Ms. Holmes. “I am not only inspired by the organization’s long-standing commitment to the creation and commissioning of dance in Canada, but to its dedication to ensure that Canadian dance evolves, thrives, and remains relevant to dancers, dance makers, artists and audiences from coast to coast to coast.”
Acclaimed singer-songwriter returns to Waterloo
Record staff, The Record.com
WATERLOO — Matthew Barber is returning to Waterloo to introduce his new self-titled album.
The acclaimed singer-songwriter performs Wednesday at the Original Princess Cinema.
The concert, which starts at 7:30 p.m., is his third visit to the Princess in as many years. It’s his first performance with his full band.
Barber is a finalist for the 2011 Canadian Folk Music Awards in the contemporary singer of the year category.
Matthew Barber is the artist’s sixth album, following last year’s True Believer and the Juno-nominated Ghost Notes, released in 2008.
Like the two previous releases, the album is a stripped-down, bare-bones affair recorded on analog eight-track equipment at his Toronto home.
In addition to producing, Barber plays all the instruments. Guest artists include sister Jill Barber and Sarah Harmer.
Read more on The Record website: Acclaimed singer-songwriter returns to Waterloo
NCC, Occupy Ottawa protesters heading for Winterlude showdown over Confederation Park
Mohammed Ahmad, The Ottawa Citizen
The National Capital Commission and the Occupy Ottawa movement are likely heading for a showdown at Confederation Park over plans for Winterlude.
Considering the Occupy movement as a never-before-seen worldwide phenomenon, the NCC allowed the protesters to set up shop at Confederation Park to demonstrate against what they see as economic inequities in Canada and the world — even though it was in violation of regulations.
But speaking for the first time since the occupation began Oct. 15, NCC chief executive Marie Lemay said that with Winterlude — which takes place in February — fast approaching, the NCC will need to get the park back. Site preparations for Winterlude often start in December.
“One thing that we do want is to be able to return the land to its usual public use, and that is something we’ll have to discuss with the folks out there,” Lemay told the Citizen Tuesday.
“We do have important programming coming up with Winterlude and there’s a number of other programs that take place on this land. We want to be able to let the rest of the public use it.”
Military debate kicks off Free Thinking Film Festival
The Ottawa Citizen (Movie Guide)
Ottawa’s Free Thinking Film Festival kicks off Nov. 11 not with a film but with a debate about the future of Canada’s military featuring historian Jack Granatstein and international law expert Michael Byers. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at Bronson Centre, 211 Bronson Ave. Other events include: The Biases of the CBC, a documentary that examines whether the CBC is biased against Israel and conservatives, 2 p.m., Nov. 13, Library and Archives Canada ($15 or included in the $75 festival pass, available at the door, Compact Music, Collected Works and the society’s website), and the Canadian premiere of Unmasked: Judeophobia and the Threat to Civilization, about the current political assault against Israel; in all the festival will screen more than 20 films, 7 p.m. Nov. 13, Bronson Centre. For a full list go to www.freethinkingfilmfest.ca.
Kellylee Evans to play Jazz Festival fundraiser Dec. 8
Dan Lalande, Ottawa Performing Arts Examiner
Looking to get away this winter?
Then your first trip should be to the Ottawa Jazz Festival’s annual fundraiser, December 8 at the Library and Archives of Canada.
The annual event, in which items of all kinds are auctioned off, regularly offers travel packages fit for a snowbird – not to mention getaways to Europe and New York. It’s a great way to bag a bye-bye bargain.
And if your winter getaway plans are already secured, no worries: there’s still the great food and good company of the pre-auction reception, plus the post-bidding concert by Ottawa’s own rising star, Kellylee Evans.
Read more on the Examiner.com website: Kellylee Evans to play Jazz Festival fundraiser Dec. 8
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