100 Years of Broadway by Marion Boyd

‘Another Op’nin’, Another Show’ and the Sage Valley Voices are off and running.  They will be on stage at the Oliver United Church to present 100 YEARS OF BROADWAY Saturday, April 16th at 7 pm and Sunday, April 17th at 2:30 pm.  Get your tickets at the door for only $10 and see what our community choir can do.

The choir really does spell community.   Singing a medley together are some forty people ranging from 85 year old twins to a young boy soprano gradually morphing into a fine tenor.   The local cop is there in his uniform.   A long time orchardist sings a brazen chorus of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” and everyone in this town knows that orchardists don’t really believe that just having a beautiful feeling will mean everything, especially the weather, will be going their way!  Then there is our favourite Marilyn Monroe double to remind us that diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

Director, Lori Martine, should get a special award for both good humour and patience as practice after practice she convinces the whole crew that “There’s No Business Like Show Business”.   Turning out for practices in the winter months made “Button Up Your Overcoat” a reality.   Wife and daughter of a former producer on the local musical scene sing “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “dat man” sitting right beside them just gives them his usual wicked grin.

Sandy Andres, pianist, has her work cut out for her.   The musical score has a lot of fast transitions.  “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better!” gets a bit rowdy with the “no you can’t” “yes I can”  dispute and leads to “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair”.   Part of Sandy’s job is covering up the odd mistake and fortunately she is very good at it.

“Standing on the Corner” and “Hello Dolly” move us into the realm of traditional Broadway and before long the music of the early 70s from “Superstar” to “Send in the Clowns”changes the face of Broadway forever and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim start to steal the show.    It really does take 100 years to “Give My Regards to Broadway” starting with the early years and the music of Tin Pan Alley right up to contemporary Broadway:  “Do You Hear the People Sing?”

The choir invites you to come out and become part of a community of music.   Your ticket price includes tea or coffee and goodies and a time to socialize with the choristers. We are your friends and neighbours.   Lighten your heart and join in the fun!  Proceeds after costs are donated to the United Church Community Outreach programs such as the Soup Kitchen.

Photos by Val Friesen

1. Men’s chorus shares a laugh

2. The choir hard at work

3. Artist, Janet Bednarczyk, center, holds one of the decorations for the show. To her right is Treasurer of Sage Valley Voices, Bernice Myllyniemi, and to her left, Marion Boyd.

ODHS Annual General Meeting features Hudson’s Bay Brigade Trail Presentation

Oliver, BC, April 4, 2016: What is the importance of a heritage trail? How are these trails used today, and how does one preserve them?

Join the Oliver and District Heritage Society at their 36th Annual AGM where heritage activist, recreation consultant, and popular presenter Kelley Cook will discuss the case study of the Hudson’s Bay Brigade Trail, one of B.C.’s oldest and most used trails and fur trading routes.

Like many heritage trails, the Hudson’s Bay Brigade Trail started life as an ancient path used by First Nations for gathering, hunting and trading. During the fur trading era, it became one of B.C.’s only lines of communication, making it vitally important for the young province. In fact, research suggests that the trail actually helped to secure Canada’s future.

In spite of its great significance, the Hudson’s Bay Brigade Trail had fallen into obscurity and disrepair. Then in 2009 preservationist and recreation consultant Kelley Cook became interested in the trail’s history. She arranged a meeting with the Hope Mountain Centre, Backcountry Horsemen of BC, government agencies and other interested individuals to develop an ambitious 5 year project to restore 74 km of the trail’s path through the Cascade Mountains. In 2015 the trail re-opened complete with interpretive kiosks which allow hikers and history-seekers to follow in the footsteps of the early First Nations and fur traders.

The presentation will discuss all aspects of the restoration project and the current systems which protect and manage heritage trails in B.C. A highlight of the presentation will be some original sketch maps by Alexander Caulfield Anderson of the Hudson’s Bay Company, who mapped the trail on his first reconnaissance through the formidable Cascade Mountains. The talk will also touch on the status of the Dewdney, Hope Pass, Blackeye’s and Whatcom historical trails.

Kelley Cook first became interested in heritage trails while working as a recreation consultant for the Ministry of Forests in 2006. Her role inspecting and reporting on these trails led her to realize the significance of the Hudson’s Bay Brigade Trail and to develop a plan to restore it. After 5 years, the project reached completion. Kelley Cook has given popular talks about the trail project to a variety of audiences. Her expertise on the subject combined with a passion for outdoor recreation and preservation make her a lively speaker sure to engage listeners.

The 36th Annual AGM for the Oliver and District Heritage Society will take place at 7 p.m. onWednesday, April 27th at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre located at 5840 Airport Street. Everyone is welcome but only those with current membership in the ODHS will be eligible to vote during the meeting. Memberships will be available for purchase prior to the meeting or can be purchased by visiting the Museum (474 School Ave.) or the Archives (430 Fairview Rd.) during open hours. Please feel free to call 250-498-4027 or e-mail info@oliverheritage.ca with any questions.

Caption: Heritage Activist Kelley Cook with her dog Feral

“It’s going to be eight great days to ‘play’ in May,” raves Nathan Linders, SOAP president. Since last spring, the South Okanagan Amateur Players have been gearing up for the largest theatrical event Oliver has ever seen: the Okanagan Zone Drama Festival. The local troupe is eager to roll out the red carpet for visiting actors and audiences alike from May 21 to 28 at the Frank Venables Theatre.

Seven competing companies from across the Okanagan are excited to set foot on the Venables stage, mounting a fresh play every night at 7:30 p.m.  From rambunctious comedy to gripping mystery to angst-ridden drama, the week promises to be a thrilling emotional rollercoaster. “All the plays look so good,” says Linders, clearly impressed with the lineup. “I want to see them all.” The Shuswap region, Vernon, Kelowna, Princeton and South Okanagan will all be showing off their acting chops.  SOAP will enter the comedy-drama Sleeping Indoors by Jim Holt, directed by Jen Jensen.

Each play is adjudicated by professional TV actor and theatre director, Garry Davey, who has appeared in The X-Files and DaVinci’s Inquest. Audiences are included in the fun. Not only do they hear a brief review after each play, the public is welcome to attend an in-depth seminar each following morning to watch the adjudicator “workshop” key scenes with the cast. Glean insights into character, blocking, costuming, and technical design. These daily “Coffee Critiques” begin at 11 a.m. in the Venables’ lobby. A wine bar and appies accompany evening performances, while coffee and pastries are served at the morning workshops.

Tickets, discount packages, and awards banquet reservations are all available online at www.soplayers.ca/festival along with details about each play. Discounts on multi-show packages make the event very affordable, whether a trio of favourites or a full week’s indulgence. A single ticket at the door is $22.50. Students get in for $8 a show.

At the conclusion of the festival, the adjudicator will declare winners in more than a dozen categories, including the overall winning performance. That troupe wins a spot in the provincial Mainstage Festival in July with a chance to be named the top theatrical production in all BC.

It may not be the Oscars, but the O-Zone Awards Banquet on the final night will give the public a chance to rub elbows with the stars of the festival. The evening begins with a buffet dinner at 6 p.m., catered by Neon Wolfe Creations. After the awards ceremony, actors and audiences mingle on the dance floor, with rock band 13 Broken Bones pumping out the classic hits of the 70s and 80s. Tickets for the O-Zone Awards Banquet are online for $32.

Stars and stage lights will be shining brightly for “eight great days in May”. Don’t miss the drama – and the laughs.

Photo: SOAP members Bernice Myllyniemi, Aimee Grice, Diane Gludovatz and Nathan Linders accept the Okanagan Zone Drama Festival banner from O-Zone chair Adele Kuyek (centre)

Any musicians who can start a performance with two pieces by Gershwin and follow it with a Bach cello solo adapted to clarinet and STILL captures the audience are definitely masters of their craft.

Kornel Wolak is a classically trained clarinetist. Born in Poland and trained in Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada, Wolak is a versatile and established performer with an excellent sense of humour. He stunned the audience with his mastery of circular breathing (continuing to blow into his instrument while drawing the next breath) and wicked fast playing. Equally comfortable playing with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra or on the stage at Oliver’s Venables Theatre, the Southern Okanagan Concert Society was lucky to grab him for the final concert of the 2015/16 concert series.

Chris Donnelly contributes a sense of fun and amazing jazz talent to the duo. Donnelly is a composer, fantastic jazz pianist, and a closet spoon player. Nominated for a Juno in 2008, and for ‘Best Recording of the Year’ and ‘Best Keyboardist of the Year’ in the 2009 National Jazz Awards, Donnelly is the first jazz performer I have witnessed take on an Oscar Peterson piece and do it justice. Together, Wolak and Donnelly are a beautiful combination of old world and new, control and mayhem, talent and ability.

Wolak and Donnelly took on a varied programme, featuring works from jazz greats George Gershwin and Oscar Peterson, and classical masters W.A. Mozart and Gioacchino Rossini. Not satisfied with the solo pieces available for clarinet, Wolak even adapted two string pieces by J.S. Bach to clarinet, and performed them seamlessly. In a combination that defies tradition, Donnelly accompanied Wolak for the second Bach piece on the spoons, and his talent playing the spoons nearly matched his ability on the keyboard.

In the second half, Wolak and Donnelly opened the floor to questions, shared their experience and craft with humour and enthusiasm. Their stories, jokes, and personal touch left a lasting impression on the crowd of music lovers who attended the concert. Everyone who attended will smile as they recall the story behind Donnelly’s comic piece ‘Henry’s Song and Dance’; a musical interpretation of the first time Donnelly was stiffed for a gig, and probably the only time the venue had sold the piano the night before his performance.

In grand jazz fashion, Wolak and Donnelly closed the evening by opening the selection of the encore to requests from the audience. After a short negotiation with those who provided song ideas and fumbling the beginning of a piece Wolak obviously did not know, they promptly dove into their own tune (Flight of the Bumble Bee), leaving the audience amazed, entertained and looking forward to the first concert in the autumn.

This is the time to take advantage of Early Bird prices for next season. The first concert on November 11th is Quartango, classically trained musicians with a passion for tango explored on piano, violin, double bass and bandoneon. They have charmed audiences around the world and will come with two amazing tango dancers to create an evening you won’t forget. SOCS is switching over to a new ticketing system recently introduced by Venables Theatre. You can buy on line or if you need help just contact Janet Marcotte at 495 6487 in Osoyoos or Bob Park at 498 8889 in Oliver. Early bird prices are in effect until the end of April.

Women of Oliver for Women hosts a

Bridge Social

Sunday April 10, 2016

12:30 p.m.
Quails Nest Arts Centre

5840 Airport Street, Oliver
$10 per person

Refreshments included
Pre-registration is required
Contact Shirley
phone: 250-498-6033
email: sp3232 @ hotmail.com

Musaic Vocal Ensemble presents

Roses I Send To You
Musical Director: Tracy Stuchberry
Dennis Nordlund: Piano
Mia Harris: Mezzo Soprano

Musaic Vocal Ensemble of Summerland B.C celebrates twenty-one years of bringing the joy of choral music to the South/Central Okanagan Valley of British Columbia!

As the group has grown and changed over time, they have been fortunate to attract Okanagan singers from Oliver to Kelowna, who without fail, bring great energy and voice. Under the Musical direction of Tracy Stuchbery, this spring programme offers a delightful repertoire, that both challenges the choir and pleases the audience.

PENTICTON:  7:30, Saturday, April 23rd
St. Saviour’s Anglican Church

SUMMERLAND:  2:30, Sunday, April 24th
St. John’s Lutheran Church

OLIVER:  7:30, Thursday, April 28th
Frank Venables Auditorium

Tickets also available online this concert ONLY at www.venablestheatre.ca/buy-tickets

KELOWNA:  7:30, Saturday, April 30th
St. Michael’s Cathedral

TICKETS: $15.00 adults   $5.00 Students

Tickets available from:

Choir Members (Brian Mapplebeck, Oliver)
Dragon’s Den – Penticton
James on Kelly – Summerland
Beyond Bliss – Oliver
Imperial Office Productivity – Osoyoos
Kelowna – St. Michael’s Church Office

If you have any questions concerning tickets please contact: Mike Stuchbery mjstuchbery @ gmail.com

Live link to ALL Okanagan Zone Drama Festival information and tickets www.soplayers.ca/festival