The Artists of the Okanagan-Similkameen are pleased to be painting en Plein air and participating in an Artisan Market in the vines between Liquidity and Noble Ridge Wineries, south of Okanagan Falls on Oliver Ranch Road. We invite Art enthusiasts and Wine lovers to pair these two favourite activities while strolling along the path between these two gorgeous vineyards, wine in hand. (Tickets $15, July 15&16) The Artists will also be showing more of their creations in the Winery /Barn at Noble Ridge Vineyard.
While indulging your taste palate with flavourful and sophisticated wines ranging from velvety to opulent why not also indulge your visual senses! The Artists of the South Okanagan-Similkameen are pleased to be showing a collection of member works utilizing a palette of hues ranging from bold to tranquil in their upcoming exhibit at Tinhorn Creek Vineyard.
Duration of Exhibit: July 21 to Aug 6/2017 Hours: daily 10:00AM -6:00 PM.
Who? The Anna Webber Trio with drummer John Hollenbeck and Pianist Matt Mitchell. MANZAP featuring Andrew Wedman and Stanley Zappa will open.
What? A evening of compositions and improvisation featuring top artists from Montreal and the Okanagan.
Where? The Frank Venables Atrium, Oliver, BC.
When? Wednesday, June 21st. Doors at 7pm, show starts at 7:30pm.
How Much? Entrance is by donation. Suggested donation of $15, $5 for students, free for visiting seasonal agricultural workers. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Originally from Kelowna, saxophonist / flautist and composer Anna Webber comes home with a case of New York Avant-Garde! With drummer John Hollenbeck on drums and pianist Matt Mitchell!
Ms. Webber plays flute and the saxophone. She has studied at the Jazz Institute Berlin, the Manhattan School of Music and at McGill University. She maintains a busy performing schedule both in Canada and the United States.
Drummer John Hollenbeck is currently a professor at McGill University Schulich School of Music, a former professor at The Jazz Institut Berlin and studied Jazz and Composition at the Eastman School of Music. Mr. Hollenbeck is perhaps best known for his work with the Claudia Quintet, for which he has earned 3 Grammy nominations.
Pianist Matt Mitchell, a recipient of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, has performed with Tim Berne’s Snakeoil band, Dave Douglas, Michael Attias, John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble and the Claudia Quintet.
The work of the Anna Webber trio features both notated composition and improvisation. The trio draws deeply from the history of “Jazz” and deftly employs poly-rhythms and complex harmonies for sophisticated yet accessible medium and long form pieces.
MANZAP is the duo of Andrew Wedman and Stanley Zappa (of OLIVER, BC). Like Ms. Webber, Mr. Wedman also studied at McGill (Music Theory). Wedman is, with Zappa, the creator of the Bass Piano and co-creator of UFDA or the Untempered Festival of Dissonant Arts.
Mr. Zappa studied music with Bill Dixon and Milford Graves. Since then he has been pursuing single reed instruments and improvisation. A fan of Microtonalist/Single Reed Player/Improviser Joe Maneri, he found the untempered sound of Wedman’s Bass Piano and his approach to it an inspiring partner for improvisation.
We’re ready for a bigger and better Back Alley Concert Series than ever before! The Beer Shop & Social, open daily on the lower level of the “Old Firehall” building, will be sprawling out past its newly-licensed outdoor patio to make enough room for a couple hundred people to come down and enjoy art, in all its forms. The Timbre Wolves from Summerland will be kicking off the concert season, this electrifying rock band will knock your socks off with their voices and hits from the 80’s to now, covering artists such as Heart, Starship and more! Our artisan ales, and Noteworthy Gin & Tonics, are always served fresh on-site everyday, but for this first concert on June 10th we’ll be welcoming Dubh Glas Distillery to come mix their Noteworthy Gin in fine craft-cocktail fashion, as well as Bartier Brothers Winery to pour us their estate wines. Oliver’s newest food-truck, Vagabond Kitchen, will be parking their shiny slick rig in the concert area, and we’ll also have our new daily Wine Crush “picnic station” inside the Shop.
If you haven’t been to one of our concerts, let’s paint you the picture. First, we brew beer with courageous flavour and alarming drinkability. Then, we narrow down the hordes of available musical talent until we’ve got the perfect musical groups booked. Next, we call up some friends in the wonderful world of wine and spirits to see who’s available to come pour their craft. And finally, we search out some local artists who’d be into dressing up our walls with their creations for the evening. We spend Saturday morning sprucing up the back alley area with tents, stage & sound, vibrant shade sails, and the cleanest porta-potties you’ve ever laid a cheek on. We open the gates at 6pm, the crowds settles in, music kicks off at 7pm, and echoes up and down the back alley until 9pm or so. Then folks duck into the Beer Shop for a pint, while us volunteers clean up the show as quick as possible.
Baskets and bags will be politely searched at the entrance, just to keep out glass and bad beer. Beer off-sales will be available after the show. Tickets are $15 + tax, pre-sold downstairs at the brewery’s Beer Shop & Social, and available at the gate (6pm).
This is a break-even event made possible through the energy of gracious volunteers (if you’d like to volunteer, please contact us at 778-439-2337 or info@firehallbrewery.com). We’re stoked to have you join the fun, as a volunteer or a guest, and savour the flavour!
Submitted by: Jim Ruhland, Event Coordinator, Firehall Brewery
The Ripoff Artists are cashing in on Canada’s 150th birthday! See them at work at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre July 11 through the 15 between 9 am and 3 pm. There will be a Confederation High Tea reception to open the show on Monday July 10 from 6 to 8 pm.
This year, the larcenous bunch decided to ransack the entire art history of this great country. Their challenge is right on the money! The entire group will use the ten-dollar bill with our first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, as their image. Then, because this cunning gang can never do anything simple, each Ripoff Artist will do it in the style of a different Canadian artist. Enid Baker will render Sir John in the style of Ken Danby, Tara Hovanes is inspired by abstract painter Guido Molinari, Kurt Hutterli will use Jack Shadbolt, Terry Irvine is moved by Tom Thomson, Barbara Levant will work in the style of Joane Cardinal Schubert, Norberto Rodriguez de la Vega is honouring Daphne Odjig, Marion Trimble will follow Emily Carr, JoAnn Turner will emulate Myfanwy Pavelic, Russell Work is excited by Greg Curnoe’s art, and our Guest Artist Bethany Handfield will show us Sir John A. as he might have been painted by Maude Lewis.
And as an extra trick, each artist must somehow include “150” in their piece. Can they do it? Come to the Quail’s Nest during the week, and find out! The final reveal of all the purloined Canadian artistry takes place at 3 pm Saturday. Drop in during the week to see their progress, and find out about the artists they’ve chosen to plagiarize, uh, emulate.
SOAP Theatre took their spring show, Since You Left Us to the 2017 Okanagan Zone (O-Zone) Festival in Salmon Arm this year. And now Since You Left Us is officially an award-winning play!
According to the organizers in Salmon Arm, the Festival was successful beyond expectations – attendance at the seven performances averaged 81% of capacity, including three sold out shows. More than 200 people came to Salmon Arm from Princeton, Oliver, Kelowna, Vernon and Armstrong to participate in the Festival.
One of the highlights of the Festival from the participants perspective was the “Coffee Critiques” conducted the morning after each performance by Festival Adjudicator James Fagan Tait. The sessions, open to Festival audiences, were full of positive energy as Tait explored details of each production with the directors, actors, designers and stage managers who presented the plays.
The SOAP Theatre cast and crew had a terrific time! Since You Left Us was very well received by audience and adjudicator, and took home FOUR AWARDS at the awards banquet on Saturday May 27. They include:
Runner Up To Best Production: Only two productions win an award: first place, which goes on to compete at the provincial Mainstage Festival, and runner-up. For only a second showing at the O-Zone, and competing against many seasoned troupes from Vernon the Shuswap, and Kelowna, this is a tremendous achievement. SOAP Theatre edged out several serious contenders.
Best Newcomer: This award is presented to an actor in their first appearance onstage. Valerie Heathman, who played sexy grandma Dolly, won the award hands down for her terrific performance.
Best Sound Design: Trevor Leigh’s sound design skills were rewarded with this trophy. He also directed the production.
Backstage Cooperation Award: Members of SOAP Theatre know that there is no show if the teamwork between cast and crew is lacking. The troupe has a history of making the camaraderie between onstage and backstage their first priority, always. The most frequent acknowledgement from cast to crew? “We’re a well-oiled machine folks!”
Congratulations to Trevor Leigh and his creative team, the cast and crew and everyone whose hard work made this possible. Next year’s Okanagan Zone Festival entry will be Outside Mullingar, directed by Tom Szalay. Polish up your Irish accents for this one! Visit SOAP Theatre’s website at http://soplayers.ca to keep up-to-date on auditions and productions.
Front row: Diane Gludovatz, Valerie Heathman, Aimee Grice
Rear: Nathan Linders, Tom Szalay, Jeff Smith, Trevor Leigh
Not present for the photo: Louise Szalay, Christine Rothwell, Brian Hesje, and Jenn MacNeil. Many others worked hard so this lucky eleven could attend in Salmon Arm and blow them all away.
The legendary Sons of the Pioneers will be appearing in concert at 7PM on Saturday June 24, 2017 at the Frank Venables Theatre in Oliver.
The Sons of the Pioneers are synonymous with the ultimate in Cowboy music. For decades the premier western singing group has musically painted unforgettable images and stories of horses, cattle, cowboys, “night herds”, tall timber, cool water, canyons and prairies. Their original songs like “Tumbling Tumbleweeds”, “Cool Water” and “Ghost Riders in the Sky” are classics forever entwined into the lore and mystique of the American West. Both “Tumbleweeds” and “Cool Water” have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
First started by Roy Rogers and the gifted songwriters Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer the group garnered national and international fans through appearances in almost 100 western films during the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Numerous albums were recorded under contracts with Decca, Columbia, RCA and others. The group provided songs for several John Ford westerns including the soundtrack for “The Searchers” starring John Wayne. When television came along they regularly appeared on the Roy Rogers Show and had guest appearances on such programs as the Barbara Mandrell Show. Walt Disney called upon the Pioneers to supply the soundtrack for the film “Pecos Bill”. They were the first cowboy musical group to perform at Carnegie Hall and the first to headline in Las Vegas casinos.
The Pioneers are known around the world for their unique three and four part harmonies. According to their “trail boss”, Tommy Nallie who joined the group in the 1980’s, “We are honored to be returning to Canada. We had western Canadian tours in 2015, in 2016 and we were parade marshalls for the Calgary Stampede in the 1990’s.” Nallie said , “Every concert is pure Cowboy music packed with our timeless hits, solid western swing and a good measure of comedy and banter. Each of the five members share the vocals and instrumentals.” Part of the hallmark sound comes from acoustic fiddles, mandolin, upright bass, and lead and rhythm guitars.
Oliver tickets are available through www.venablestheatre.ca or by phone 1-250-498-1626. There is limited seating so we encourage everyone to get their tickets early.”
Who? The Anna Webber Trio with drummer John Hollenbeck and Pianist Matt Mitchell. MANZAP featuring Andrew Wedman and Stanley Zappa will open.
Band: Timbre Wolves
