The Elphinstone Secondary School jazz band has been selected for MusicFest Canada, the 38th annual national music festival in Ottawa that brings together more than 10,000 of Canada's young musicians. The local band will compete later in May for recognition among many other musical ensembles. In order to raise funds for the group's travel to Ottawa, their accommodation and fees, they will present a concert on Friday, May 7, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Hilda's Anglican Church in Sechelt. Admission is by donation.
Harbour Gallery
The Harbour Gallery in Madeira Park, located beside the Performance Centre, presents their line-up for the new season.
May 1 to 11 will feature Pat Jobb's Songs of the Earth printmaking exhibition. The reception will be held May 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. And May 11 to 20, Bruce Forbes and Wendy Simmonds present Wood and Paint, carvings and paintings on show. The reception for that is May 15 from 2 to 5 p.m.
Opera
This Saturday at 10 a.m. Live at the Met presents Rossini's opera Armida on screen at the Raven's Cry Theatre. Renée Fleming stars opposite no fewer than six tenors in this fanciful story of a sorceress who enthrals men in her island prison of sensual delights. The opera runs approximately four hours, so you can bring your lunch. Ticket prices are $22 general and $18 senior/child. Phone the Raven's Cry at 604-885-4597 for more details.
Art at GPAG
On four May mornings, 1, 8, 15 and 22, artist Robert Moore will teach adult art classes at Gibsons Public Art Gallery in a course called Colour Mixing. The classes are from 9 a.m. to noon with a fee of $100. See www.gibsonspublicartgallery.ca for more details.
Gentry performs
Nashville Recording artist Brian Gentry will perform on Sunday, May 2, at Crossroads Church at 1 p.m. (West Sechelt Elementary School). Brian Gentry of the duo Marvin & Gentry recorded under a long association with former America member Dan Peek's forays into Christian music as the group Peace. This decade has seen Brian Gentry following a more singer/songwriter style. Admission is by donation. Please contact John at 604-740-2816 or [email protected] for more information.
Film
On Monday, May 3, the SC Film Society presents the last film of their season, An Education, a British film that was nominated for three Oscars this year. It's a coming-of-age story about a teenager in 1960s London who is seduced by a playboy nearly twice her age. Doors open at 7 p.m. The group expects a good turnout, so try booking a reservation in advance on-line through www.scfs.ca or by calling Doreen at 604-886-9461.
Writing workshop
Join Shelley Harrison Rae for an eight-week series of informal, hands-on workshops, Writing from the Inside Out (and back to front), designed to help you banish the inner critic and welcome the muse. Writers of all levels will benefit. Workshops run Wednesdays 7 to 9 p.m. from May 5 to June 23 in the Rockwood Centre living room, Sechelt. Enrolment is limited. Phone 604-885-3572.
Young People's Show
It's the turn of the Coast's secondary schools to showcase their artwork on the walls of the Doris Crowston Gallery at the Arts Centre in Sechelt.
There's lots of raw, youthful talent on display right now including a good photography exhibit from Horizons, part of the Alternative School. The show is up until Sunday, May 9.
Folk roots
Singer songwriter Angie McCauley performs in concert with David Groom and indie folk roots performer Shady Day at the Wild Bistro in Gibsons on Friday, May 7, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.
House concert
On May 8 at 7:30 p.m. renowned guitar wizard Bill Coon teams up with the Coast's own six-string jazz cat, Steve Giltrow, for a wonderful duo house concert to take place in Hopkins Landing. Seats are limited. Tickets are $20 and are reserved by pre-paying. Contact Steve at [email protected].
Recital
At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 9, at the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse, the Sunshine Coast Music Society presents Erin Macdonald's viola graduation recital with Mark Andrews, piano. The Coast's own violist, Macdonald enjoys a multi-faceted career as an emerging performance artist in solo, chamber and orchestral settings. She currently studies with Steven Dann at The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music and graduates in April.
Andrews, also from the Coast, is currently a Toronto-based pianist in increasing demand as a collaborative artist as well as a piano teacher and arranger. Last July both Macdonald and Andrews performed at the Celebrate the Knabe event. Tickets are $15 and $10 for students, available at Coast Copy Centre and Hallmark Cards.
Festival week
The SC Festival of the Performing Arts has just finished a week of vocals, bands and percussion, woodwinds and brass. Electronic and acoustic music wraps up today (April 30) at 4 p.m. Next week marks the start of more categories: bowed and plucked strings, folk instrumental and classical dance. The public is welcome to sit in on sessions. To find out locations, see www.coastfestival.com.
The piano encore concert last Sunday, April 25, showcased 17 of the participants so far and they received their awards and trophies. The next opportunity to see the performers will be the festival highlights concert at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 16, at the Raven's Cry Theatre. Admission is by donation.
Let me know about your arts events. E-mail [email protected] or phone 604-886-4692 before 6 p.m. on Tuesdays for Friday's newspaper.
