Bif Naked heads Westfest lineup
Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen
When you hear that Westfest plans to get naked this year, try not to jump to any conclusions. It’s intended to draw your attention to the fact that Bif Naked is headlining the eighth annual edition of the free Westboro festival that bills itself as a celebration of music, art and life. It takes place June 10 to 12. Clothing is required.
Bif Naked anchors the Saturday night lineup at Westfest, while Mighty Popo will do the honours Sunday. To kick off the festival Friday night, Martin has assembled an all-star bill representing the best of the Inuit arts scene, including rocker Lucie Idlout, the breakdance troupe Kaiva, throat-singing artist Tanya Tagaq and writer Taqralik Partridge, to name a few.
“It’s going to be an intimate, amazing night,” says Martin, who’s working hard to attract the Inuit community in Ottawa. The co-hosts will perform in English and Inuktitut and shuttle buses will serve the Inuit community centres in the city. “This isn’t just about teaching white people the Inuit culture, but it’s also about celebrating the Inuit in Ottawa. We’re working really hard to make this night very, very special.”
Full story on the Ottawa Citizen website: Bif Naked heads Westfest lineup
Blaine knows how to play SuperEx crowd: Lots of classic-rock cover songs mixed in with his own fine material
Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen
Pembroke native Jason Blaine returned to home turf on Friday to deliver a concert at SuperEx that included songs by John Mellencamp, Tom Petty, Trooper, Eric Clapton and Bryan Adams.
No, it wasn’t karaoke night on the outdoor stage. Blaine is one of Canada’s fastest-rising country singer-songwriters, and has three albums’ worth of his own material.
So why all the classic-rock cover tunes?
Perhaps he was trying to stretch an hour-long show into a 90-minute one without having to play a bunch of slow songs. If so, the technique worked. The familiar tunes kept the small but lively crowd of young country fans engaged, even during Blaine’s solo acoustic turn at the mike.
Full review: Blaine knows how to play SuperEx crowd
White Cloud weaves Mongolian folk with American rock
David Bohatyretz, The Epoch Times
Photo: Pam McLennan of the Epoch Times
As dusk settled on Saturday August 14, Namgar thrilled the crowd at the Ottawa Folk Festival with its amplified versions of traditional folk songs.
Namgar (“white cloud” in Tibetan) was founded in Buryatia, a republic of Russia, by Namgar Lkhasaranova, from whom the band takes its name.
Possibly among the most obscure bands to appear in festival history, Namgar was well-received in the capital city, as it was nights previous in Vancouver, where it sold the last of its CDs. For this reviewer this came as a blow, which was softened greatly however when Bulat Gafarov, the violinist, gave me his own disk, which features an intriguing blend of hand percussion, strings, and vocals.
Read the full review @ The Epoch Times online: White Cloud weaves Mongolian folk with American rock
Fifth-graders make the cut at international film festival
Kate Hammer, Globe and Mail
Image: Still from the movie, “The Bright, the Bad and the Ugly”
For proof of what a group of preteens can accomplish over two months of lunch breaks with the help of some popsicle sticks, a few light bulbs and a camera, see this year’s Ottawa International Animation Festival.
One official selection, a stop-motion short film called The Bright, the Bad and the Ugly was written, shot and directed by a Grade 5 class at Grosvenor Wentworth Park School in Halifax. Their tale of the town of Squander, a tumbleweed-infested homestead populated by energy-wasting light bulbs, beat out more than 70 other entries from across the globe to win one of five spots in the high-school category.
Chris Robinson, the festival’s artistic director, said they are the only grade-school class to ever win a spot in that category.
Full story on the Globe and Mail website: Fifth-graders make the cut at international film festival
The Musical Accounting of Julian Armour
Mike Levin, UnFolding
This is why Armour ransacked his Rolodex to assemble a world-class lineup for Music and Beyond and then begged, borrowed or stole whatever was needed to make the event more accessible. “People today are looking for artistic experiences, and an arts organization’s main purpose is to make people feel comfortable in that experience. Some in classical music love the elitist feeling, and that’s the worst thing for the art world.” He’s speaking in much broader terms than just music.
Ten years ago he was selected for the Victor Tolgesy Award, for contributions to Ottawa’s cultural creativity, and the feeling was marvelous. His view has changed slightly: “We glow at awards, and then forget (what they really mean). It frustrates me because we know the economic return (of a vibrant arts sector) and the private-sector benefits. There is a responsibility to give back, to keep Ottawa a safe, clean, beautiful place to live. But this is a responsibility that’s not being met.”
Armour sours at the thought of that unmet obligation. “I feel the private sector needs to do a whole lot more than what they are doing,” he says. But the moment passes; he’s got a show to put on, and the only attitude he can afford to be concerned with is how people will react to a music festival that spills into literature, poetry, dance and film.
Full story via the UnFolding blog: The Musical Accounting of Julian Armour
Benson hits the groove where jazz meets soul
Lynn Saxberg, The Ottawa Citizen
The scattered showers and cool temperatures were a minor inconvenience for smooth-jazz master George Benson at Confederation Park on Wednesday. He’s such a pro, he made everyone feel like they were in a cushy seat in a posh casino instead of a damp lawnchair.
“It’s party time, people,” the good-natured musician said at one point. “The rain ain’t gonna get us.”
The 67-year-old singer-guitarist began with a couple of instrumental pieces, Collaboration and Weekend in L.A., that demonstrated his effortlessly fluid style on a hollow-body guitar. Cascades of notes tumbled from his fingers in the form of elegant melodies, showcasing a unique playing style that was flashy but, at the same time, restrained.
Full review on the Ottawa Citizen website: Benson hits the groove where jazz meets soul
Kathleen Battle, Peter Serkin, Menahem Pressler among headliners for Julian Armour’s Music and Beyond Festival July 5-14
Steve Mazey, The Ottawa Citizen
The founder and former director of the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival has unveiled the lineup for his first Music and Beyond summer festival, and it includes some international stars and the kind of wide-ranging and thoughtful programming for which he’s long been admired.
Read more: Julian Armour’s Music and Beyond Festival
32ND WINTERLUDE A RESOUNDING SUCCESS: Winter Fun Brings Out The Crowds
The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to announce that the 32nd Winterlude, Canada’s winter celebration, was a resounding success. Although no official survey was conducted this year, organizers estimate that over 600,000 visitors enjoyed the official sites over the three weekends of Winterlude, which took place from February 5 to 21, 2010.
“Winterlude offers residents and visitors from around the world a chance to enjoy a Northern experience that is typically Canadian. The NCC is proud to contribute to promoting Canada’s Capital Region across Canada and around the world,” said Jean François Trépanier, Executive Vice-President of Operations at the NCC, during the Ice Hogs’ farewell, Winterlude’s closing ceremony.
Winterlude 2010 highlighted the 40th season of skating on the Rideau Canal Skateway, the Olympic Winter Games and Canada’s solidarity with Haiti, through a special project with the Red Cross.
American Express® Winterlude Opening
The American Express® Winterlude Opening at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and Major’s Hill Park was a great success. More than 25,000 people attended the sports and cultural performances and watched the fantastic musical fireworks display.
The NCC is increasingly seeking federal partnerships to offer diversified cultural programming that highlights the treasures of the Capital Region’s federal institutions. The successful partnership with the Canadian Museum of Civilization demonstrated the potential of this approach.
Rideau Canal Skateway
The Rideau Canal Skateway, the world’s largest naturally frozen ice rink, was open from the National Arts Centre to Dows Lake, during all three Winterlude weekends. The quality of the ice surface allowed events and activities to take place along the full length of the Skateway. Today marks the 23rd day of consecutive skating on the Rideau Canal Skateway and the 40th season will continue while conditions allow.
An initiative that engaged youth, Urban Art, an exhibit expressing young local artists’ vision of the Rideau Canal Skateway through graffiti, drew large crowds to the outdoor gallery at Dows Lake. These works will remain on display throughout the entire skating season.
Winterlude visitors had many opportunities to enjoy winter fun and become more acquainted with Canadian traditions during activities such as the Great Canadian Beaver Cup Pond Hockey Classic, the Annual Bedzzz Bed Race, Subway® Learn to Skate lessons, and the Portrait Gallery of Canada’s exhibition of the portraits of Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
Rogers Crystal Garden at Confederation Park
Rogers Crystal Garden enchanted the thousands of visitors and those who love ice sculptures, during the three weekends of Winterlude.
The 23rd Rogers International Ice-Carving Competition, with 38 professional sculptors from 13 countries, included several competitions that took place in Confederation Park. Visitors could also take in a majestic sculpture celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy, an ice replica of HMCS Sackville, as well as the impressive six-tonne ephemeral ice sculpture of a polar bear.
Rogers Crystal Lounge was also the place to be for those who enjoy DJ music. The performance by well-known DJ Dan Desnoyers attracted a large crowd.
Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom
Sun Life Snowflake Kingdom in Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau was a paradise for children, youth and families. Thousands of visitors slid down the 30 slides, made their way through the Olympic-themed snow maze and tried their hand at ice fishing on the Ottawa River.
The NCC, in collaboration with the Ville de Gatineau, presented the National Snow Sculpture Competition, the theme of which was “Winter Fun.” The 10 teams, representing various Canadian provinces and territories, each had the task of carving a 40-tonne block of snow. The sculpture entitled Snow Skates, created by the team from Alberta received top honours, winning both the Jury’s Award and the People’s Choice Award.
Several performances, such as “Arthur L’aventurier,” also captured the attention of visitors to Snowflake Kingdom. The screening of the Québécois film La Guerre des tuques, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, was very popular, as were the walkabouts by the Ice Hog family, Winterlude’s famous mascots.
The NCC is proud of Winterlude’s success, and of the successful skating season on the Rideau Canal Skateway. The NCC gratefully acknowledges the support and collaboration of some 700 volunteers, and its many sponsors and partners, including the City of Ottawa, the Ville de Gatineau, OC Transpo, the Société de transport de l’Outaouais, Veterans Affairs Canada, the Government of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Canadian Forces, the Conseil régional de l’environnement et du développement durable, American Express®, Rogers, Sun Life Financial and WestJet.
The NCC is inviting the public to mark their calendars for the 33rd edition of Winterlude that will take place from February 4 to 20, 2011.
For more information about the NCC, please call 613-239-5000, 613-239-5090 (TTY), 1-800-465-1867 (toll-free) or 1-866-661-3530 (toll-free TTY), or visit www.canadascapital.gc.ca.
Free the Children’s Kielburger at Ottawa’s Writer’s Festival
Pam McLennan, Epoch Times
During the last 14 years Kielburger finished his education and founded Me to We, an enterprise that includes outreach trips and selling books and organic clothing. Fifty percent of monies raised by Me to We go to Free the Children and the other half to running the business.For his efforts Craig has received the Order of Canada, the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize), and numerous other awards from around the world including the Nelson Mandela Human Rights Award.
He is author of “Free The Children,” “Take Action!: A Guide to Active Citizenship,” “Take More Action,” and, the New York Times bestseller “Me to We: Finding Meaning in a Material World.”
Kielburger will be at the Ottawa Writers Festival on Oct. 24 to talk about “The World Needs Your Kid: How to Raise Children Who Care and Contribute,” his latest book that he co-authored with his brother Marc and Shelley Page, an award winning journalist and mother of two.
Full story on the Epoch Times website: Free the Children’s Kielburger at Ottawa’s Writer’s Festival
Imaginations inspired at fest
TIM WIECLAWSKI | METRO OTTAWA
Ottawa is a very, very smart city, says the artistic director for the Ottawa International Writers Festival.
“We’ve always heard from the authors that the audience questions and the level of interaction from the audience are second to none here,” said Sean Wilson. “We really are coming into our own as a world capital.”
That reputation for curious and interested audiences has turned the festival into a major draw for both the writers and the general public.
Read the full preview on the Metro Ottawa website: Imaginations inspired at fest
