Festival Updates and News
News about Ottawa Festivals and our Member festivals, special events and fairs.
OTTAWA FOLK FESTIVAL AUDITION FINALS and AWARDS
OTTAWA – Ottawa Folk Festival will select the winners of two major music awards at an Audition Finals event on Thursday, June 10th at Library & Archives Canada. Six emerging talents will perform in competition for the Galaxie Rising Star Award and the One Fret Less Award. Winners will receive a $1000 cash prize and a performance slot on a daytime stage at this summer’s festival.
Preliminary auditions were held in March, when finalists were chosen from a slate of 25 competitors in each category (Youth and Open 25+.)
Chosen to compete for the Galaxie Rising Star Award are three Ottawa-based artists: Acorn Trail, the stage name of Travis Lefebvre, who cites Ryan Adams and Patsy Cline as influences; Kara Askwith, who plays atmospheric, jazz-tinged folk; and The Musettes, a trio of graduates from Canterbury High’s vocal program.
Finalists in the Open Category are all out-of-towners: Montreal-based Gabrielle Papillon (with Simon Honeyman) loves the journey of a song, and will be touring by train this summer with Halifax’s John Bryant; Guelph’s Ambre McLean has been compared to Tori Amos and Fiona Apple, and will also be performing on-board VIA rail; and Clarksdale Moan, named for the “B” side of a lost 1930 blues recording, features the vocals of Dewittville, Quebec’s Kevin Harvey with Kenny Pauze on “Stella” the steel guitar.
This event is also a fundraiser for the Ottawa Folk Festival and begins with a reception and silent auction at 6:00 pm. The showcase starts at 7:30 with host Bob LeDrew, perennial host of Show Tune Showdown, joined by CBC’s Alan Neal pounding the gavel for a live auction. Tickets can be purchased in advance through www.ticketbreak.com, at ticket outlets The Ottawa Folklore Centre, Ten Thousand Villages on Richmond Road, all CD Warehouse locations, or at the door. Tickets are $20.00 for adults and $15.00 for youth (ages 16-25.)
The One Fret Less Award is sponsored by Ottawa arts enthusiasts and philanthropists Louise & Harvey Glatt, who will also be members of the selection jury. Joining the Glatt’s on the jury will be Dean Verger, founder of Ottawa’s legendary Rasputins’ Folk Café.
Galaxie supports emerging Canadian music talent through its Galaxie Rising Stars Program, which sets out to discover, encourage, promote and champion new up-and-coming Canadian artists and to support the best of this talent with cash bursaries to advance their careers.
BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR AND EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PREVIEW OF MOSAIKA
THE NEW SOUND AND LIGHT SHOW ON PARLIAMENT HILL
NEW TIME – MEDIA INVITATION
The National Capital Commission (NCC) wishes to invite the media to a special “behind the scenes” technical briefing, tour, and sneak preview of Mosaika: Canada through the eyes of its people. Two years in the making, get a privileged look at how this custom-designed show was developed, tested and adapted to the unique environment and acoustics of Parliament Hill.
DATE: Tuesday, June 8, 2010
TIME: ***8 pm***
LOCATION: The technical briefing will be held at the Capital Infocentre (90 Wellington Street, 2nd floor), followed by a tour of technical installations on Parliament Hill, and a special screening at sundown
Media will be treated to a short sneak preview, and hear more about the creative process involved in putting together this version of the NCC’s popular sound and light show. See how new technology is being used to wrap Parliament Hill’s Centre Block in high-definition video, transforming it into a screen more than 143 metres (470 feet) long and six storeys high. Discover the many forums that, for the first time, will give Canadians from coast-to-coast the opportunity to contribute to the show. BONUS: Be the first to see the show! Media will get a special sneak preview of the show.
Set to launch on July 8, 2010, Mosaika, will be a free, bilingual show presented nightly on Parliament Hill, from July through September (weather permitting).
Emma, At Home: Behind the scenes with the director of Six: At Home
Ottawa Tonight, by Andrew Snowdon
Emma Zabloski makes it look easy. She was sitting in a sliver of shade on the concrete steps of Laurier House as I arrived for our appointment.
“I was just thinking about going to lie in the grass,” she said.
This is hardly the picture of nervousness and stress one would expect from the director of a production less than two weeks before opening night—especially when the show hasn’t even seen its first full group rehearsal.
Director Emma Zabloski on the set of Six: At Home
Emma is directing Six: At Home, a collaborative effort consisting of six solo performances taking place throughout the halls and rooms of Laurier House. Located in Ottawa’s Sandy Hill neighbourhood, Laurier House was once the residence of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, and later William Lyon Mackenzie King, and is now a National Historic Site operated by Parks Canada.
Read more: Emma, At Home: Behind the scenes with the director of Six: At Home
CANADA DANCE FESTIVAL 2010 Sylvain Emard Danse – Fragments-Volume 1
paulacitron.ca
Montreal’s Sylvain Emard has managed to stay true to himself while creating a universal appeal for his dances. Unlike some of his Québecois colleagues, he has not prostituted his talent to the European presenters. Rather, he made them notice his choreography for the fine craftsmanship that it is. The hallmark of an Emard piece is that his dancers dance.
Read more: CANADA DANCE FESTIVAL
The best of the Canada Dance Festival
Brian Webb is the artistic director of the event.
The fest spans genres and inspirations, from ballet to b-boy to Beijing
Paula Citron, Globe and Mail
Twenty-eight programs in nine venues over nine days. It’s hard to beat Ottawa’s annual Canada Dance Festival for an overview of what’s au current among those in the unitard set.
Read more: The best of the Canada Dance Festival
Un ajout au Festival franco
Antonine Maillet animera une matinée «conférence et brunch musical»
Pour son 35e anniversaire, le Festival franco-ontarien a annoncé l’ajout d’une activité, soit une conférence et brunch musical, qui aura lieu le 18 juin à 11h.
Antonine Maillet, écrivaine acadienne de renommée internationale originaire de Bouctouche, sera sur place pour parler de l’organisation de sa vie après le travail et de la manière dont la littérature meuble sa vie de retraitée. Suivra ensuite un brunch où le public pourra apprécier un spectacle musical en plein air.
Navas bonds with Venice
Overcoming illness, Montreal dancer wins hearts and mindsof audience
By VICTOR SWOBODA, The Gazette
In a Judy Garland piece, José Navas uses long black gloves to accent his pleas.
It was Saturday night fever at the Venice Biennale last weekend -literally as well as figuratively -when Montreal dancemaker Jose Navas performed his solo show, Miniatures, at the small Teatro Fondamenta Nuove. Running a temperature and suffering from bronchitis, Navas danced, whistled and lip-synched his way into the hearts and minds of about 200 people. Their prolonged ovation was like a noose tightening around public and performer, bringing them closer together the longer it went on.
Read more: Navas bonds with Venice
TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival adds two new series
Ottawa Performing Arts Examiner, Dan Lalande
The more the merrier! When it comes to the upcoming TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival, truer words were never spoken.
The fest, in celebration of its 30th anniversary, has announced the addition of 2 new series, making this years’ run – from June 24 to July 3 – an even denser musical affair.
Read more: TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival adds two new series
Performing arts fest joins summer lineup – Summer Fling — A Theatrical Affair! is latest festival for Ottawa
By Patrick Langston, The Ottawa Citizen
Summer in Ottawa not steamy enough for you? Try a romantic fling, suggest Ottawa Arts Court Foundation and the Downtown Rideau Business Improvement Association.
On Thursday, the two organizations launched Summer Fling — A Theatrical Affair!, a new performing arts festival running July 14 to Aug. 28 in the downtown core. The festival, with the BIA as the presenting sponsor, features nine plays, from comedies to a murder mystery and a musical cabaret.
Read more: Performing arts fest joins summer lineup
REDISCOVER THE NCC DURING “DOORS OPEN OTTAWA” ON JUNE 5 AND 6
The National Capital Commission (NCC) is opening its doors, at 40 Elgin Street, during the “Doors Open Ottawa” event on June 5 and 6, from 10 am to 4 pm. The public is invited to come and rediscover the NCC, while admiring the beautiful architecture of the Central Chambers Building.
The public will be able to learn more about the NCC’s projects, which aim to conserve, improve, plan and enrich Canada’s Capital Region.
This is also an opportunity for the public to review the NCC’s three creative concepts for branding Canada’s Capital. Visitors are invited to share their thoughts on how the concepts reflect a Capital for all Canadians and inspire Capital pride.
Other subjects and activities include the following:
• The official gardener of the NCC for the official residences will share frugal gardening tips with visitors.
• The public will have the opportunity to try a water station to refill their water bottles like the ones that will be used at the different Canada Day sites.
• The NCC’s Archaeologist will be onsite to show artefacts from Canada’s Capital Region.
• The public will have the chance to be part of the pre-show for Mosaika, the new sound and light show on Parliament Hill that will be launched in July.
• As part of the development of the Plan for Canada’s Capital, the NCC will ask the public to share its long-term vision for the Capital.
• A one-minute calculator will be available to determine your carbon footprint and better understand the impact of your lifestyle on the environment.
For more information about “Doors Open Ottawa” at the NCC, the public may contact the NCC at 613-239-5000, 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free), 613-239-5090 (TTY) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit the NCC’s website at www.canadascapital.gc.ca/doorsopenottawa.
For more information about “Doors Open Ottawa”, visit www.ottawa.ca/doorsopen.
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