Suncoast Singers are starting rehearsals for their next concerts, set for May 27 and 29. They will be performing excerpts from The Creation by Haydn and a varied assortment of pieces that celebrate our wonderful world.
New members are invited to join now. An open rehearsal will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26, at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre (corner of Trail and Medusa in Sechelt) from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. Second sopranos, altos, tenors and basses are encouraged to attend this rehearsal and see if it's the choir for you. No audition is necessary - only the ability to match pitch is required. For further details, contact director Joy McLeod at 604-885-3087 or [email protected].
This weekend
The Met Opera, The Enchanted Island, live by satellite, shows at the Raven's Cry Theatre on Saturday at 10 a.m.
A powerhouse funk/soul/jazz band, Soulstream, plays this Saturday at 9 p.m. at Roberts Creek Hall. Tickets are $20in advance.
Also on Saturday evening, the Heritage Playhouse is the scene for multi-instrumentalist Celso Machado and the group Jou Tou. Listen to four world-renowned percussionists together on stage. Show starts at 8 p.m.
Bird tales
Bodhi Drope talks about his adventures in bird watching at Gibsons Public Art Gallery this Saturday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. All are welcome; refreshments will be served. The gallery is at #201 - 287 Gower Point Rd. See www.gibsonspublicartgallery.ca.
Rock n' roll
This Saturday, Jan. 21 sees the return of Jump Back Jack and their original rock n' roll to the Roberts Creek Legion.
The band will shake it up with some of their old tunes, some new songs and a few surprises. Vancouver's own Big Joe Burke opens the show with a solo performance of his insightful, evocative alt country. Admission is $5 forLegion members and $10 for guests with members. No minors.
Korean film
The Good, the Bad, the Weird is the latest film, a Korean action/comedy by director Ji-Woon Kim, from the SC Film Society (with English subtitles) to be shown on Monday, Jan. 23, at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons at 7:30 p.m.
A mysterious bounty hunter (The Good), a cold-blooded hit man (The Bad) and a wily thief (The Weird) vie for an elusive map that could lead them to a buried treasure from the Qing Dynasty. See shades of Leone's spaghetti westerns, Lucas' Star Wars and Spielberg's Indiana Jones in this wide-screen Korean spectacle.
Coffeehouse
The Artesia coffeehouse presented by Coast Cultural Alliancewill have its first show of 2012 on Friday, Jan. 27, at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt.
The coffeehouse continues to celebrate performers of all ages and styles.
For the Brandon Barry Band, young Brandon Gerbrandt joins his instructor/pal Barry Taylor on drums for the first set followed by MariNielsen, fiddle,joined by her dad, Mark Lebbell, guitar. Next up is Pops and Punks as Mike and Maddy Weber plus Gedeon Lizee and Robyn Edgar harmonize very jazzy tunesaccompanied by Ken Dalgleish. Singer, songwriters Chelsea Crawford and Ross Hastings will complete another delicious evening of live music. Tickets are $10 at the door, opening at 7 p.m., showtime is at 8. Come early to enjoy the slideshow of past performers, delectable treats by Trish and the Friends of the Galley Art Show.
John Keates
Sadly, actor and director John Keates passed away recently. Many theatre-goers will remember him as one of the inspirations behind the dinner theatre performances of the Peninsula Players. He instigated the series of popular dinner theatres that has taken place over the past 10 years, at two productions a year, at Pebbles Restaurant in Sechelt.
Peninsula Players' Barb Robertson remembers Keates as a very good director who could elicit a performer's best.
Teeny tiny
The teeny-tiny gallery, a room at the Arts Building, 464 South Fletcher in Gibsons, is accepting proposals for exhibitions.The exhibitions will be open to the public during class times and during events at the Arts Building.If you have work you would like to show or an idea you would like to make visible, send it in to [email protected]. Include a description of how you would like to utilize the space, some samples of past work in jpeg format and your contact information.
House concert
On Saturday, Jan. 28,folk and country blues great David Essig will be performing at a house concert. Three years ago, the musician played two amazing shows on the Sunshine Coast with fellow Protection Islander, Rick Scott. Essig returns to play a solo show at Wildwood House Concerts.Doors are at 7 with the concert at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Location is 8006 Wildwood Rd. in Halfmoon Bay.Call John at 604-740-2816 to reserve your spot.
Gospel singing
Music Makers Gospel Choiris a six-week course starting Sunday, Jan. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Music Makers studio in Davis Bay. Come out and learn somegreat gospel tunes. The course will finish with a performance in March.Fee is $75. Contact Lynne at 604-885-3494 to register.
Tuesday deadline
Send notice of your arts events to [email protected] or phone 604-886-4692 by Tuesday at 5 p.m. for Friday's newspaper. Let me know who, what, where, when, why and ticket info briefly. Because of the volume of submissions, Art Beat covers events one day to one week ahead only.
