Ottawa welcomes the Junos with art exhibits and a celebrity basketball game
Tony Lofaro, The Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa will host several arts and cultural events related to the Juno Awards as the city gears up to welcome the best of Canada’s musical performers. The events include an exhibit of album cover art and a celebrity basketball game.
At a press conference Tuesday to announce the Juno nominees, some details emerged about four Ottawa events that will be held as part of the Juno festivities. They include the Juno Tour of Canadian Art at the National Gallery of Canada; an exhibition of original pastel drawings in celebration of Gordon Lightfoot’s Canadian Railroad Trilogy to be held at the Canada Science and Technology Museum; and an exhibit of album cover art from 1975 to the present, to be held at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.
And a celebrity basketball game called Juno Hoops will be held March 29 at the The University of Ottawa’s Montpetit Hall in support of MusicCounts, Canada’s national music education charity.
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Ottawa welcomes the Junos with art exhibits and a celebrity basketball game
Photo Courtesy of, Tony Lofaro, The Ottawa Citizen
from the National Gallery of Canada’s Canadian collection
Five Ottawa-area activities added to Signature Experiences Collection
OttawaStart
The Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) has named five Ottawa Tourism member organizations to the prestigious Signature Experiences Collection:
- Stimulating the Senses! – National Gallery of Canada
- Aboriginal Voyageur – Aboriginal Experiences
- Exploring Canada’s flavours in a unique culinary destination – Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa
- Lost Ships of the 1000 Islands Cruise – Gananoque Boat Line Ltd.
- The Grand Hall Tour – Canadian Museum of Civilization
The Signature Experiences Collection currently lists 115 activities that are authentic, that represent Canada’s nature, people and/or culture and that are immersive and engage a variety of senses. The Collection is used by the CTC to promote travel to Canada from its key foreign markets, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, the United States, Mexico, Brazil and India. The next round of applications will begin November 15 and end December 15, 2011.
Read more on the OttawaStart website: Five Ottawa-area activities added to Signature Experience Collection
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
OIAF on now
Melanie Provencher, EMC News
EMC News – The Ottawa International Animation Festival, (OIAF) announced on Wednesday, Sept. 7 the details of its line-up of special presentations for this year’s festival, happening from Wednesday, Sept. 21 to 25 at ByTowne Cinema, National Gallery of Canada, Empire Theaters Rideau Centre and Arts Court Theatre.
According to the media release, the OIAF received more than 2000 entries with only 100 entries being selected for official competition. An additional 51 showcase films were chosen to represent the efforts of the Canadian, Canadian TV, International and Student communities.
The OIAF is the largest animation festival in North America attracting film and art lovers, filmmakers and cartoon fans from around the world to the nation’s capital.
Chris Robinson, artistic director of the OIAF, said if you don’t have a film in the festival in a competition, there would be a screening of the 51 showcase films.
There not only will be Canadian films being broadcast, a wide range of films have been selected from countries such as the United States, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, Iran, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Juries from each category of films are professional animators from different countries.
Read more on the EMC News website: OIAF on now
Festival changes its finale
Steve Mazey, The Ottawa Citizen
MUSIC and BEYOND CLOSING CONCERT
When and where: Sunday July 17, 8 p.m., Dominion-Chalmers Church
Tickets: Included in festival pass. For those without a pass tickets are $20 general; $10 students.
Information: 613-241-0777; www.musicandbeyond.ca
OTTAWA — The Music and Beyond Festival will be offering a new finale with a more familiar ring to it.
In reponse to slow ticket sales for an innovative multi-performance closing event the festival had scheduled for the National Gallery of Canada Sunday, the classical music festival will now close with a concert at Dominion-Chalmers Church involving more than a dozen musicians and music by Debussy, Liszt, Vaughan Williams and others.
Some of the musicians who were to perform at the gallery will still perform, including Montreal Symphony harpist Jennifer Swartz, guitarist Daniel Bolshoy and violinist Philippe Djokic, his violinist son Marc and cellist daughter Denise.
Unlike the event at the National Gallery, which required festival passholders to purchase an additional ticket, the new concert is included in the festival pass. For those without passes, single tickets will be $20 general, $10 students.
Read more on the Ottawa Citizen website: Festival changes its finale
Highlights from Music and Beyond
Pinnock, Kirkby, dining, dancing and a gallery crawl
The Ottawa Citizen
The July 7 concert with Christopher Plummer is one of seven performances at this year’s Music and Beyond Festival that will require pass holders to purchase an additional ticket. All other performances are included in the festival pass. Here is a quick rundown of the Festival-Plus concerts:
July 8: 8 p.m. Dominion-Chalmers Church. Trevor Pinnock and the National Arts Centre Orchestra: Bach Complete Orchestral Suites 1. The first of two concerts featuring the return of former NACO director Pinnock, the British conductor and star harpsichordist much admired by orchestra musicians for his exhilarating performances of baroque repertoire. Over two concerts, audiences will hear the complete Bach Orchestral Suites and music by Vivaldi. It’s a welcome chance to hear the orchestra in the intimate setting of Dominion-Chalmers Church. This concert will include Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major; Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major and Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major and Vivaldi’s Sinfonia, Alla Rustica. Soloists are NACO concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki and principal flute Joanna G’froerer. For those with festival passes, tickets are $20 general, $40 for reserved seats. For those without passes: $40 and $60.
Ottawa Fashion Week, March 18-20
From March 18-20 /2011, designers and models from across Canada and the world will gather in the Nation’s Capital for the fifth and most highly anticipated season of Ottawa Fashion Week (OFW).
This season, OFW promises to be bigger and better than ever, with runway shows exploding with sophistication, glamour, and creativity. The event aims to unite Ottawa in supporting the Nation’s growing fashion community.
OFW attendees will have the chance to preview the hottest trends for Fall and Winter on the runway presenting by talented international and national designers. In between shows, the public will also be able to browse through and purchase designer garments on-site in ‘The Ottawa Fashion Week Market’.
The event will be hosted inside the Great Hall of the National Gallery of Canada on 380 Sussex Drive. Tickets are $40 for the day or $80 for a full weekend pass.
To purchase tickets and for more information visit: www.ottawafashionweek.ca
WINTERLUDE PROMISES A SECOND WEEKEND OF EXCITING ACTIVITIES
Line-up includes: Yukon Celebrations, Giant Human Foosball, Great Canadian Beaver Cup Pond Hockey Championship a Sub-Zero DJ Series, and Roxy Paine at the National Gallery of Canada
The National Capital Commission (NCC) wishes to remind residents and visitors that the second weekend of the 33rd edition of Winterlude, Canada’s winter celebration, promises to be an exciting one. Winterlude continues in the Capital Region until February 21, 2011.
Here is a sampling of some of the activities taking place during the second weekend of Winterlude:
Inside Out Ottawa-Gatineau LGBT Film and Video Festival
Inside Out is pleased to announce programming for the fourth edition of the Ottawa-Gatineau LGBT Film and Video Festival, which will take place at the National Gallery of Canada. With films from 14 countries and a record number of community partners, Inside Out is ready to bring the world to the Nation’s capital. Inside Out is the largest queer film organization in the country. In addition to film festivals and touring programs, Inside Out nurtures the next generation of image-makers with a national scholarship program and the award-winning Queer Video Mentorship Program.
Inside Out has grown to become Ottawa-Gatineau’s largest queer event after Pride and the third largest film festival in the city. In only four years, the Ottawa-Gatineau LGBT Film and Video Festival has become a cultural force in the city, bringing to the screen our achievements, our struggles and our determination.
Read the full press release on Ottawa Start: Inside Out Ottawa-Gatineau LGBT Film and Video Festival
Gallery’s Pop Life exceeds expectations
Peter Kovessy, Ottawa Business Journal
Rabbit, by Jeff Koons (Image courtesy the National Gallery of Canada)
While that’s on par with other temporary exhibitions, Gallery officials say they only forecasted 45,000 visitors, adding the strong turnout is “encouraging.”
The exhibit was “front and centre” in tourism marketing materials this summer, says Jantine Van Kregten, director of communications at Ottawa Tourism.
The gallery also sponsored the Bluesfest stage in the ByWard Market, a partnership Mr. Shaughnessy calls “unprecedented.”
Ms. Van Kregten says she hopes the Pop Life exhibit raises the profile of the Gallery’s diverse offerings, as well as the abundance of smaller galleries and studios throughout the city.
Plase read the full story on the OBJ website: Gallery’s Pop Life exceeds expectations
