Local Arts

CBC's 2008 Canada Reads competition nominee, Thomas Wharton, prize winning author of Icefields, will launch the Sunshine Coast Arts Council's spring reading series March 14 at 8 p.m.

Original illustrations of many Canadian children's books will be on display at the Doris Crowston Art Gallery in the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre March 12 to April 6.

Celebrate spring's arrival with musician Allison Crowe and special guest, Skye Wallace, at Gibsons Heritage Playhouse on Saturday, March 15, at 8 p.m.

A new book, The Church of 80% Sincerity (Perigee-Penguin) by David Roche of Roberts Creek is a quick read, but a lengthy ponder.

A Show of Respect, 10 images of children affected by war, is a signature body of work from Pender Harbour artist Helen Broadfoot.

Coast String Fiddlers present an evening of Scottish song on March 4 in Gibsons. The local fiddlers will welcome Malinky from Scotland who are coming to Canada for their inaugural concert tour.

Van Django - a group of four talented musicians inspired by the music of Django Reinhardt's and Stephane Grapelli's 1930s gypsy jazz group Quintet of the Hot Club of France, plays the Pender Harbour Music Society's Perform-ance Centre on March 8.

The Pender Harbour Music Society presented the fourth concert in this season's series at the Pender Harbour Music School last Sunday. Pavel Egorov performed a concert of romantic piano music to an enthusiastic full house audience.

Two of Canada's rising young concert stars will close out the 2007/08 season of the Coast Recital Society (CRS) March 2.Baritone Tyler Duncan and pianist Erika Switzer will perform at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, March 2 at Raven's Cry Theatre in Sechelt.

Two artists, Jenica Vaneli of Roberts Creek and Kimiko Hawkes of Gibsons, became the first recipients of the Patricia Richardson Logie bursary last week.