Ottawa Mayor wants big bang on Canada’s 150th birthday
Postmedia News
Canada Day festivities in 2017 should be turned into a weeklong “Canadian Cultural Festival,” says Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.
The city should work with the National Arts Centre, National Capital Commission, provincial and territorial governments and the private sector to create the event between June 25 and July 1 in the year of Canada’s 150th birthday, Watson said in prepared remarks to an Ottawa Kiwanis Club luncheon.
Full story at Canada.com Ottawa Mayor wants big bang on Canada’s 150th birthday
Capital culture
Taking a closer look at local artists in the Capital Region
Sarah Brown
Tour the world’s great capitals, and it becomes apparent that they share two key traits. First, their residents are unselfconsciously proud of their culture. Second, these capitals are bold in showcasing art and ideas, in supporting artists who celebrate their nation and in allowing them the stage when they wish to question the “sacred tenets” of what that nationhood means. Great capitals engage their artists and citizens, celebrating the diversity of their creations.
In the past 20 years, the population of Canada’s capital has reached a critical mass that makes it possible for cultural entrepreneurs to develop world-class blues, jazz and chamber music festivals; the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Civilization can count on crowd support for blockbuster international exhibitions; the National Arts Centre has outdone itself with its ongoing “Scene” series of regional artistic exhibitions; and our key cultural buildings are architectural showpieces. Yet, in 2011, our capital city still lacks a certain zing.
Read more on the Canadian Geographic website: Capital culture
Culture Days kicks off a cross-Canada arts celebration
All that was needed for this weekend’s massive eruption of arts across Canada was a green light. And it’s called Culture Days.
The national open-house arts festival includes everything from putting yourself into famous movies (by way of green-screen technology) at Toronto’s Bell Lightbox to live-band karaoke at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. From improv workshops in Vancouver, even to caribou-hair tufting, a traditional native art form, in Flin Flon, Man.
More than 5,500 public art and cultural offerings, up from around 4,400 for Culture Days’ debut last year, will take place Friday to Sunday across the country. And all-night events, such as Nuit Blanche in Toronto and Winnipeg, will turn downtowns into street-level art parties.
So what exactly is this overarching Culture Days banner? “We felt that we needed to find a way of celebrating the role of the arts in society,” said Antoni Cimolino, general director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and chair of Culture Days’ national steering committee.
Read more on the The Globe and Mail website: Culture Days kicks off a cross-Canada arts celebration
Capital culture
Taking a closer look at local artists in the Capital Region
Sarah Brown, The Canadian Geographic
Tour the world’s great capitals, and it becomes apparent that they share two key traits. First, their residents are unselfconsciously proud of their culture. Second, these capitals are bold in showcasing art and ideas, in supporting artists who celebrate their nation and in allowing them the stage when they wish to question the “sacred tenets” of what that nationhood means. Great capitals engage their artists and citizens, celebrating the diversity of their creations.
In the past 20 years, the population of Canada’s capital has reached a critical mass that makes it possible for cultural entrepreneurs to develop world-class blues, jazz and chamber music festivals; the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Civilization can count on crowd support for blockbuster international exhibitions; the National Arts Centre has outdone itself with its ongoing “Scene” series of regional artistic exhibitions; and our key cultural buildings are architectural showpieces. Yet, in 2011, our capital city still lacks a certain zing.
Since its creation in 1959, the National Capital Commission (NCC) has worked with other federal agencies as well as municipal, provincial and other counterparts to handle signature events in a solidly proficient way. I think of this as the “macro” level of our capital’s culture. Remembrance Day is sombre and moving; February’s winter festival Winterlude is a blast of fun in an otherwise miserable month; and Canada Day gathers everyone on Parliament Hill to celebrate together. “Christmas Lights Across Canada” showcases the city’s beauty, and the “Mosaika” sound and light show on the Hill provides visitors with a visually stunning Coles Notes version of our history.
Read more on the Canadian Geographic website: Capital culture
Magnetic North Fundraising Auction
Show your support for Canada’s national festival of contemporary Canadian theatre in English – plus get some amazing prizes!
[Source: Magnetic North press release]
Like its polar namesake, the Magnetic North Theatre Festival roves around the country, visiting a new Canadian city every second year and returning to its hosts at the National Arts Centre in between. Designed to raise the profile of contemporary English Canadian theatre at home and abroad, Magnetic North is truly one of Canada’s great artistic success stories.
Meet Private Eye Jake Doyle on set in colourful St. John’s, NL
Flight and hotel accommodations included
A return trip to beautiful St. John’s Newfoundland from anywhere in Canada, where you will visit the set of the popular Canadian television series the Republic of Doyle. Enjoy the opportunity to meet the cast and co-star Allan Hawco, Private Eye Jake Doyle, and perform as an extra on the show. Flight and hotel accommodations are included in this auction package.
Private Eye Jake Doyle returns for a raucous third season of CBC’s Republic of Doyle, solving cases, dodging punches and chasing criminals through the hilly, colourful streets of seaside St. John’s. Allan Hawco stars as the charming and irreverent detective who struggles daily to navigate the complications of running the family P.I. business while keeping his very tangly private life in check.
A Taste of Newfoundland!
A private meal for 10 with special guests and music
Enjoy an evening hosted by Peter Herrndorf, President and CEO of the National Arts Centre, and Ann Connors, Executive Director of the Magnetic North Theatre Festival along with special guests. Let them entertain you and nine of your friends with authentic Maritimes cuisine, drinks and live music and see how they party on the Rock!
NAC creates fund to aid arts nationally
The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — The National Arts Centre is once again showing its love for Peter Herrndorf. The NAC Foundation — the fundraising arm of the federal institution — has created a $1.2 million “CEO’s National Fund” to support the centre’s performing arts programs across Canada.
The fund will support tours of the NAC Orchestra across Canada, and support artists from across the country through events such as the regional “Scene” series launched by Herrndorf eight years ago.
“Spearheaded by the generous contributions of lead donors Grant Burton, Kiki Delaney, Julia E. Foster and Gail O’Brien and thanks to the major contributions of more than 85 others across Canada, the CEO’s National Fund currently stands at $1.2 million to support performing arts and education initiatives from coast to coast,” says a statement says from the NAC.
Herrndorf has been CEO and president of the NAC for more than a decade, and recently had his position extended to 2013.
Fresh Canadian Choreography: The Canada Dance Festival announces its 2011 June program
Photo courtesy of Canada Dance Festival
Brian Webb, Artistic Director of the Canada Dance Festival (CDF) today announced the June 15-18, 2011 festival program “Fresh Canadian Choreography” taking place at Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC).
The six productions that make up “Fresh Canadian Choreography” represent the very best of contemporary dance in Canada. Two works are world premieres, while three of this year’s six choreographers have recently broken out on both the national and international dance scene.
“These artists’ creative powers are soaring. They are definitely ones to watch over the next few years,” said Mr. Webb. “They have already made names for themselves in their home towns and provinces,” he continued. “They have dedicated fan bases and I just know our audiences will fall in love with them, too!”
This year’s event showcases 20 highly energetic dancers whose work offers wildly imaginative yet thought-provoking snapshots of their personal experiences and the Canadian cultural landscape. “Contemporary dance is always evolving, and at this year’s Festival you will see dance full of passion and invention,” expressed Mr. Webb. “There are definitely some surprises in store for our audiences, too, which will extend beyond the traditional concept of the dance stage.”
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra pleases at Prairie Scene
Richard Todd, Ottawa Citizen
There aren’t many classical music events in the National Arts Centre’s current Prairie Scene festival, but last night’s Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra concert, at least, drew a good audience and featured a crowdpleasing program that included two major Tchaikovsky works.
But first there was a short Canadian piece, Io, by Winnipeg composer Randolph Peters. The composer describes the 11-minute piece as a “fanfare with a slow romantic theme in the middle.” It earns its name by being similar for a few measures here and there to Jupiter from Holst’s The Planets. It’s a nice curtain raiser, if not terribly memorable. It gave the orchestra a good warm-up, and was a showcase for the brass.
Full review on the Ottawa Citizen website: Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra pleases at Prairie Scene
Jeff Morton Bends Circuits And Rewires Minds
Created by Regina-based artist/performer Jeff Morton, this installation piece consists of multiple (6-12) small interactive stations for the creation of live, circuit-bent sound. Participants interact with push-buttons, sliders, dials, and other electronic controls to activate re-wired and modified toy electronic instruments. The installation is both a performable instrument and a composition written with physical objects, and is intended to communicate the impracticality of, and sometimes seemingly malicious intent of, electronic children’s toys that carry educational messages, particularly about music.
Jeff Morton will perform live in a showcase that encapsulates many of the ideas and concepts behind All The Horses and The Egg, using DIY modified instruments to produce new and unexpected musical forms.
Jeff Morton
Composer/performer Jeff Morton completed a Masters Degree in Music Composition at the University of Victoria. Jeff Morton performs as an improvising and electro-acoustic musician, and works with dancers, visual artists, and media artists across Canada and internationally. In addition to performing and composing, Jeff is a recording engineer, gallery technician, and graphic designer. He currently works out of Regina, Sk, Canada. See also www.nuthre.ca for recent activities and full CV.
Opening reception – Tuesday 26th, 6 – 9pm
Exhibition – Tuesday, April 26th 2011 – Saturday, May 7th 2011
Artengine – Arts Court, Room M70, 2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa Ontario
Gallery Hours: 12pm – 6pm, Wednesday to Sunday
Free admission
Performance – Thursday, April 28th 2011 at 9:00 PM
Club SAW – 67 Nicholas Street, Ottawa Ontario
Free admission
Presented in collaboration with the National Arts Centre’s Prairie Scene
Stars align in Ottawa for Genie Awards
CBC News
Canada’s movie industry takes the spotlight in Ottawa on Thursday for the 31st Genie Awards, the country’s annual celebration of homegrown films.
A star-studded lineup is set to walk the red carpet into the National Arts Centre for Canada’s version of the Oscars, with veteran actor William Shatner to host.
A pantheon of Canadian stars are expected to attend the Ottawa awards show, from younger faces such as Jessica Lucas and Jay Baruchel to established actors like Gordon Pinsent, Bruce Greenwood and Remy Girard.
The night will also see performances by rockers Melissa Etheridge and Karkwa, rapper Kardinal Offishall and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
The 31st annual Genie Awards air on CBC-TV Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
Full story on the CBC website: Stars align in Ottawa for Genie Awards
