MJF - Solveig Barber

The Markham Jazz Festival 2009

Solveig Barber

Markham, ON-Local Markham resident and acclaimed vocalist Solveig Barber performs on her town’s Main Street on Sunday, August 16th with the 12th Annual Markham Jazz Festival.

Norwegian born singer and actress Solveig Barber grew up in Canada where she developed her musical talents. She has performed with the Canadian Opera Company and in upscale nightclubs throughout Ontario and Quebec. She has appeared on television, in movies and has even traveled to the Far East to entertain our Armed Forces. Currently, she performs with the vocal group The Canadian Singers, and as a soloist or with an ensemble for private and special events. She is performing twice with the Markham Jazz Festival this year, first on Sunday August 9th for a promotional concert at Markville Shopping Centre, a silver sponsor of the festival, and then as a quartet with local jazz musician Larry Bond and his trio on Sunday, August 16th on Main Street Markham.

The Markham Jazz Festival runs from August 14th-16th, 2009 and is one of the town’s most notable events, attracting thousands from across Ontario to the picturesque main streets of Markham and Unionville. With over 20 performers on four stages, plus many “hot spots” (local bars and restaurants who book their own acts under the umbrella of the Markham Jazz Festival), this year’s festival is sure to provide “cool” sounds for all fans of great music!

When: Sunday, August 9th 2009
Location: Markville Shopping Centre
Time: 1:00-3:00 pm
When: Sunday, August 16th 2009
Location: Main Street Markham
Time: 3:30-5:00 pm

SweetWater Music Festival 2009

SWEETWATER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2009
Friday Saturday Sunday, September 18, 19, 20 2009

Artistic Director Mark Fewer is pleased to announce the sixth annual SweetWater Music Festival. The Festival presents a series of breathtaking chamber music concerts which features internationally-acclaimed musicians and inspired programming. Music students are encouraged to sign up for Free Masterclass Workshops by Festival artists (see contact details below). September 18 to 20, 2009 at Historic Leith Church in Georgian Highlands (20 min N.E. of Owen Sound) and Division Street United Church in Owen Sound.

The Festival takes a new spin this season! SweetWater welcomes two highly regarded Guest Directors: for Friday evening Barry Shiffman will present music by Gideon Klein, Osvaldo Golijov and Mozart; for Sunday afternoon's concert Adrian Butterfield will present music by Handel, Vivaldi, Couperin, Leclair and Muffat. The commissioned composer for this year is award-winning jazz legend Phil Dwyer. Also, Saturday evening's performance will include a showstopper version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with four different violin soloists: Jonathan Crow, Adrian Butterfield, Barry Shiffman, and Mark Fewer. Saturday's performance will also feature soprano Melanie Conly singing Edith Piaf and a new arrangement by Mark Fewer of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne".

Performers for the weekend will include: Virginia Barron; Adrian Butterfield; Melanie Conly; Jonathan Crow; Steven Dann; Denise Djokic; Mark Fewer; Peter Longworth; Myron Lutzke; Douglas McNabney; Joseph Phillips; Ken Slowik; Barry Shiffman.

This year's "Pre-Concert Chat", taking place at 6:45pm before the Saturday evening concert, will take the form of a panel discussion moderated by Mark Fewer, with guest directors Barry Shiffman and Adrian Butterfield as panelists. All Saturday evening patrons are welcome to attend, no extra ticket required.

Tickets:
Fri 8pm (Leith Church) $25, Sat 8pm (Division St. United Church, Owen Sound) $30 (incl. pre-concert chat), Sun 2pm (Leith Church) $25
Three-concert series ticket: $75
Roxy Theatre Box Office 519-371-2833 (1-888-446-ROXY)
or call 519-376-3517
or email info@swmw.ca
http://www.swmf.ca

Summer openings at the Shaw Festival: The Devil's Disciple, Albertine in Five Times, Star Chamber and Play, Orchestra, Play

Summer openings at the Shaw Festival: The Devil’s Disciple, Albertine in Five Times, Star Chamber and Play, Orchestra, Play

The Shaw Festival’s summertime openings begin tomorrow evening with Bernard Shaw’s rollicking adventure The Devil’s Disciple at the Festival Theatre. On Friday, July 10, a new translation of Michel Tremblay's Albertine in Five Times (Albertine en Cinq Temps) by Governor General’s Award winner Linda Gaboriau premieres at the Court House Theatre and on Saturday, July 11, the rarely produced Star Chamber, the comedy gem from Noël Coward’s Tonight at 8:30 collection; and Play, Orchestra, Play, the second Noël Coward triplet, open at the Royal George Theatre. Sunday in the Park with George, Brief Encounters, In Good King Charles’s Golden Days, Moon for the Misbegotten and Born Yesterday opened The Shaw’s 2009 season in May.

In commemoration of the achievements of The Shaw’s creative team, gala dinners are held prior to opening night performances and are attended by dignitaries from local government, Canada’s artistic and business communities; and by Shaw supporters.

The Devil’s Disciple

by George Bernard Shaw

directed by Tadeusz Bradecki

Opens – July 9 Closes – October 11

Festival Theatre

Sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

It’s the height of the American Revolution and Dick Dudgeon — the black sheep son – is known as the Devil’s Disciple. When he is mistaken for a crusading minister and imprisoned by English forces, the lines between saint and sinner are blurred. A comedy, an adventure and a love story, its first production in 1897 was so successful that Shaw was able to quit his day job as a critic.

Albertine in Five Times

by Michel Tremblay

translated by Linda Gaboriau

directed by Micheline Chevrier

Opens – July 10 Closes – October 10

Court House Theatre

What would you say to your younger self if you had the chance? What if you met yourself 10, 20, 30 years in the future? Albertine, Québécois theatre’s most iconic character, gets the chance to converse with five versions of herself in varying stages of her life, reviewing past pains, loves and losses.

Star Chamber

by Noël Coward

directed by Kate Lynch

Opens – July 11 Closes – October 11

Royal George Theatre

A committee of actors meet to discuss the refurbishment of Garrick Haven, a home for retired thespians. Though the stage manager and secretary dutifully arrive on time, the rest of the group make their tardy, and rather dramatic, entrances. With duelling divas and tales of past glories and gossip, the agenda is quickly forgotten and the meeting quickly reduces into comic chaos. Coward made sure every known and enjoyed type of performer makes an appearance during the meeting. Star Chamber is this season’s lunchtime presentation.

Play, Orchestra, Play

by Noël Coward

directed by Christopher Newton

Opens – July 11 Closes – October 31

Royal George Theatre

Taken from the Noël Coward song “You Were There”, the title Play, Orchestra, Play highlights the significant role music plays in this Coward cluster and features some of his most celebrated songs. From the backstage lives of a singing and dancing comedy act in Red Peppers, to the rare Coward stage depiction of suburban life in Fumed Oak, to Shadow Play, the musical fantasy of a couple falling in and out of love; this Coward compilation combines lyrics, laughter and longing.

Jewel in the Tonight at 8:30 crown currently in previews at the Shaw Festival

Jewel in the Tonight at 8:30 crown currently in previews at the Shaw Festival

Star Chamber, the rarely produced comedy gem from Noel Coward’s Tonight at 8:30 collection, continues in previews at the Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre.

A committee of actors meet to discuss the refurbishment of Garrick Haven, a home for retired thespians. Though the stage manager and secretary dutifully arrive on time, the rest of the group make their tardy, and rather dramatic, entrances. With duelling divas and tales of past glories and gossip, the agenda is quickly forgotten and the meeting quickly reduces into comic chaos. Drawing on his own experiences as President of the Actors' Orphanage and reflecting his affection for the eccentricity of actors, Coward makes sure every known and enjoyed type of performer makes an appearance at the meeting.

Directed by Kate Lynch, this lunchtime production marks the first time since its initial performance in 1936 that Star Chamber has been produced along with Coward’s other nine plays in the Tonight at 8:30 series. Featuring the ensemble cast of Neil Barclay, Evan Buliung, Fiona Byrne, Sharry Flett, Gabrielle Jones, Marla McLean, Mark Uhre, Jenny L. Wright, Peter Krantz, Guy Bannerman and Kelly Wong, Star Chamber has set and costumes designed by the Shaw Festival’s Head of Design, William Schmuck, lighting design by Kirsten Watt and musical direction and arrangements by Reza Jacobs. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Dora Tomassi and Assistant Stage Manager Annie McWhinnie.

Star Chamber began preview performances on Thursday, June 25; opens Saturday, July 11; and plays in repertory until Sunday, October 11.

Mireille Proulx pour août-septembre

Mireille Proulx en concert au Québec et en Ontario

Montréal, le 25 juin 2009 – La violoniste et compositeure de jazz Mireille Proulx donnera un concert à Québec au Kiosque Edwin-Bélanger le 6 août, puis en Ontario au All Canadian Jazz Festival Port Hope le 26 septembre.

Qualifiée d’inclassable et bourrée de talent, Mireille Proulx met sa solide formation classique au service du jazz, qu’elle aborde avec une élégance et un goût très sûr. Ses compositions nous livrent une musique tour à tour sensuelle, audacieuse, contemplative et passionnée.

Au programme on entendra des œuvres extraites des remarquables albums qui ont valu à la musicienne la reconnaissance spontanée du public et de la critique – Il y avait des pélicans, Infini rendez-vous et Le Jardin de Nuit (maintenant distribués par Scandinavian Record Import) – ainsi que des œuvres inédites.

Mireille Proulx sera accompagnée au piano à Québec par François Bourassa, son complice des années 90, et par John Sadowy pour le concert de Port Hope.

Le Kiosque Edwin-Bélanger est situé sur les Plaines d’Abraham.

Pour information : 418-648-4687

Le concert débute à 20 heures.

Le concert du All Canadian Jazz Festival Port Hope a lieu au Memorial Park, rue Queen.

Pour information : 905-885-6210

Le concert débute à 14 heures.

New translation of Canadian classic

New translation of Canadian classic Albertine in Five Times begins previews at the Shaw Festival

A new translation of Michel Tremblay's Albertine in Five Times (Albertine en Cinq Temps) begins previews Wednesday, June 24 at the Shaw Festival’s Court House Theatre.

Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell, thrilled to have one of Canada’s leading playwrights and his quintessential tragic heroine as part of this season’s playbill, said: “Michel Tremblay’s Albertine – a fascinating, conflicted woman who refuses to take life’s knocks lying down – is one of Quebec theatre’s most celebrated characters. We welcome her and Michel – Canadian icons both – to our Festival”.

Michel Tremblay first introduced audiences to Albertine, one of his greatest loves, in 1966. She quickly became a Québécois phenomenon appearing frequently in his plays and novels. Albertine en Cinq Temps, written in 1984, made its English premiere as Albertine in Five Times at the Tarragon Theatre in 1986. The play won the 1986 Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award and has been produced around the world in English, Danish, Hindi, Japanese, Spanish and German.

Directed by Micheline Chevrier, this new translation of Albertine in Five Times by Governor General’s Award winner Linda Gaboriau has Québécois theatre’s most iconic character interacting with five versions of herself in varying stages of her life. The five Albertines review a lifetime of past pains, loves and losses. Their sister Madeleine is there to console, counsel and bear witness to how, for seventy years, Albertine’s spirit has suffered, struggled, flourished and survived.

Albertine, in five pivotal stages of her life, is portrayed by Patricia Hamilton (who also starred in the original English production of the play), Wendy Thatcher, Mary Haney, Jenny L. Wright and Marla McLean with Nicolá Correia-Damude as Madeleine. Albertine in Five Times is designed by Teresa Przybylski, with lighting design by Ereca Hassell and original music and sound design by Marc Desormeaux. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Dora Tomassi and Assistant Stage Manager Leigh McClymont.

Albertine in Five Times preview performances begin on Wednesday, June 24; opens Friday, July 10; and plays in repertory until Saturday, October 10.

The Shaw Festival produces and presents the work of George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and playwrights writing anywhere in the world during, or about, the era of Shaw’s lifetime – plays about the beginning of the modern world.

An Enchanted Evening featuring Measha Brueggergosman rescheduled

An Enchanted Evening featuring Measha Brueggergosman rescheduled

New date scheduled for special concert as vocalist recovers from surgery

The Shaw Festival announced today that An Enchanted Evening, a concert featuring soprano Measha Brueggergosman originally scheduled to take place on July 12, 2009, will now take place on August 9, 2009. Canadian jazz sensation Michael Kaeshammer and acclaimed Broadway performer and bass/baritone soloist Marcus Nance both remain on the bill for this one-night only Shaw Festival presentation.

Patrons who have purchased tickets for the original July 12 date will be contacted to exchange their tickets for the new date in August, or they may contact the Box Office directly at 1-800-511-7429. Tickets are priced at $50 and $65 (accessible seating is available).

Measha Brueggergosman, one of Canada¹s most critically acclaimed vocalists, underwent open-heart surgery on June 10, 2009. She is expected to make a full and complete recovery. Hailed by the New York Times as a singer of "ravishing and smouldering intensity" and noted by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a singer of rare gifts and artistic intensity”, this Canadian soprano has emerged as one of today’s most magnificent performers and vibrant personalities. Her album, Surprise was released in 2007 and garnered a Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year.

An Enchanted Evening will commence at 8:30 p.m. and will be taped for future broadcast on BRAVO!

This special outdoor concert was made possible by the very generous support of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism’s Celebrate Ontario 2009 initiative and the Government of Canada’s Marquee Tourism Events Program. Special thanks to Parks Canada.

Media Sponsors: BRAVO! and The Globe and Mail.

Event Supporter: Vintage Hotels.

Soprano Measha Brueggergosman recovering well

Soprano Measha Brueggergosman recovering well and will return to performing in August

Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman underwent emergency open-heart surgery on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009.

After experiencing acute pressure in her throat, Ms. Brueggergosman was rushed by ambulance to a Toronto hospital where she was diagnosed with high blood pressure and hypertension and subsequently released. The following day she reported to her family doctor with continued pains in her chest. Her doctor sent her immediately back to the hospital.

Further tests revealed she had a dissection in her aorta and doctors immediately performed open-heart surgery to repair it. Currently, Ms. Brueggergosman is recovering well and is resting under doctor’s orders.

As a result, Ms. Brueggergosman was forced to cancel her three appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as performances as Bess in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with Maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Styriarte Festival in Graz, Austria.

Ms. Brueggergosman is expected to enjoy a full recovery and will return to performing on August 9, 2009 at the Shaw Festival’s presentation of An Enchanted Evening.

The Devil's Disciple now in previews at the Shaw Festival

The Red Coats have returned to Niagara-on-the-Lake in a new production of George Bernard Shaw’s rollicking adventure The Devil’s Disciple. Known for his flair for revitalizing theatre classics, director Tadeusz Bradecki presents an inventive interpretation of Shaw’s most successful play. Last seen at the Shaw Festival in 1996, this season’s production of The Devil’s Disciple is currently in previews at the Festival Theatre.

It’s the height of the American Revolution and Dick Dudgeon (Evan Buliung) — the black sheep son – is known as the Devil’s Disciple. When he is mistaken for a crusading minister (Peter Krantz) and imprisoned by English forces, the minister’s wife (Fiona Byrne) begins to question who is really saint and who is really sinner? A comedy, an adventure and a love story, its first production in 1897 was so successful that Shaw was able to quit his day job as a critic.

The Devil’s Disciple also features Richard Stewart, Ali Momen, Craig Pike, Micheal Querin, Donna Belleville, Lucy Campbell, Jonathan Widdifield, Lorne Kennedy, Anthony Bekenn, Guy Bannerman, Peter Millard, Jim Mezon, Al Kozlik, Ijeoma Emesowum and Billy Lake.

Set and costumes designed by Peter Hartwell and lighting design by Kevin Lamotte. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Allan Teichman and Assistant Stage Manager Eamonn Reil.

The Devil’s Disciple began preview performances on Sunday, June 14; opens Thursday, July 9; and plays in repertory until Sunday, October 11.

The Devil’s Disciple is sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Hamilton Fringe Festival Show

"Type 2- A Tragic Comedy" by Jason Gale

BEST IN WINDSOR FRINGE, 2008

Our 2009 Hamilton Fringe Festival Show Synopsis

"Type 2- A Tragic Comedy" is a sensitive, realistic portrayal of the highs and lows of bipolar disorder. The story chronicles the career of a stand up comic who suffers from the illness. We also see how her periods of depression and mania affect her husband and their relationship. "Type 2" is a rags to riches to reality tale that pulls no punches from either viewpoint. The show features the re-teaming of comic genius Michelle Mainwaring, who won WODL Best Actress award for her dark, dramatic portrayal of Annie Wilkes in "Misery" and her partner in that production Jason Gale who was nominated for best actor. Gale wrote the script, utilizing his research and personal battle with the illness. If you know or think you know someone who is bipolar, you must see this show.

* Warning-Strong language and mature content

For more information about "Type 2", please visit our site,
www.type2bipolarshow.com

2009 HAMILTON FRINGE FESTIVAL — DATES FOR TYPE 2 - A TRAGIC COMEDY

Venue: Hamilton Theatre Inc., 140 McNab St. North, Hamilton ON

Dates and Times:

Saturday July 18 - 12:00 noon
Sunday July 19 - 5:00 p.m.
Monday July 20 - 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday July 22 - 7:30 p.m.
Thursday July 23 - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday July 25 - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday July 26 - 3:00 p.m.

Ticket prices - $9.00 available at the venue box office before each
show or online at www.hamiltonfringe.ca/tickets

Markham Jazz Festival - "On Fire!" Opening Night Gala

The 12th Annual Markham Jazz Festival kicks off with a big bang from a big band on Friday, August 14! Jazz lovers will be treated to the toe-tapping beats and swinging rhythms of The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra with the sultry vocals of Canada’s own award winning Ranee Lee.

The On Fire! Gala celebrates the opening of the Markham Jazz Festival, a festival known for its incomparable line-up of Canadian jazz talent. The On Fire! Gala will usher in the festival with a great night of music that will delight lovers of swing, bebop and smoky sexy jazz standards! Held at the beautiful Markham Theatre, the evening will include a catered intermission reception and silent auction. This gala concert is an evening that self-proclaimed jazz aficionados won’t want to miss!

The Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra (DMJO) is made up of some of Canada’s top jazz musicians. Acclaimed across Canada, the DMJO is a Juno Award nominated ensemble which represented Canada on a tour through Russia in 1991, was featured at two International Association of Jazz Education conferences, and is a mainstay at the Toronto Jazz Festival. Ranee Lee is widely recognized as one of Canada’s greatest jazz vocalists. She is a Member of the Order of Canada, a Juno Award nominee, a Dora Mavor Moore Award winner, and has performed for audiences around the world. The August 14th performance will feature the big band alone, the big band with Ranee Lee, and Ranee Lee with a small ensemble.

The Markham Jazz Festival runs from August 14th-16th, 2009 and is one of the town’s most notable events, attracting thousands from across Ontario to the quaint main streets of Markham and Unionville. With over 20 performers on four stages, plus 17 “hot spots” (local bars and restaurants who book their own acts under the umbrella of the Markham Jazz Festival), this year’s festival is sure to provide “cool” sounds for all fans of great music!

Gala tickets: $48

Location: The Markham Theatre, August 14th 2009
Time: Doors open at 7 pm; Performance at 8 pm.

For tickets and information: 905-305-SHOW (7469), 1-866-768-8801
or visit the Markham Jazz Festival website at: http://www.markhamjazzfestival.com/

More Info: contactus@markhamjazzfestival.com, or call 905-471-JAZZ

Noël Coward threesome kicks off 48th season of the Shaw Theatre Festival

Still Life, We Were Dancing and Hands Across the Sea, the trio of one-act delights from the pen of Noël Coward, known collectively as Brief Encounters, launches the 48^th season of the Shaw Theatre Festival. Four other productions also open this week: the Shavian Restoration romp In Good King Charles`s Golden Days: A True History That Never Happened; the Stephen Sondheim Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park with George; Eugene O’Neill’s bittersweet love story A Moon for the Misbegotten; and Garson Kanin’s classic social comedy Born Yesterday.

The Shaw Festival’s Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell joins The Shaw’s Board of Governors Chair Janet McKelvey and the rest of the Company in celebrating the launch of the season and says of this week’s events: “There is a real feeling of anticipation and excitement here at The Shaw as we launch our first five shows – glittering examples of this season’s rich and varied playbill.”

The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, representing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; along with special guests from all levels of government, colleagues from the cultural sector and generous leading patrons and corporate sponsors will be in attendance. Federal government officials attending will include The Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice, MP, Niagara Falls; The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State for Small Business & Tourism; Mr. Stephen Brereton, Canadian Consul General – Buffalo; Mr. Bob Dechert, MP Mississauga-Erindale; Dr. Kirsty Duncan, MP Etobicoke North; Mr. Gerard Kennedy, MP Parkdale; Ms. Julia Munro, MP North York; and Mr. Paul Szabo, MP Mississauga South. Foreign dignitaries attending will include Mr. Jonathan Dart, British Consul General – Toronto. Provincial government officials attending will include The Honourable Donna Cansfield, Minister of Natural Resources & MPP Etobicoke Centre; The Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture; The Honourable Gerry Phillips, Chair of Cabinet; The Honourable Monique Smith, Minister of Tourism; Ms. Sophia Aggelonitis, MPP Hamilton Mountain; Mr. Kim Craitor, MPP Niagara Falls; and Mr. Rosario Marchese, MPP Trinity-Spadina. Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs, Mayor of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, will also be in attendance, as will members of the Arts community including Mr. William Boyle, CEO, Harbourfront Centre; Ms. Martha Durdin, Chair, Ontario Arts Council; Ms. Julia Foster, Chair, National Arts Centre; Mr. Peter Herrndorf, CEO, National Arts Centre; Ms. Linda Intaschi, Associate Producer, Mirvish Productions; and Mr. Robert Lamb, Managing Director, Canadian Opera Company.

The Shaw Festival produces and presents the work of George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and playwrights writing anywhere in the world during, or about, the era of Shaw’s lifetime.

www.shawfest.com

Previews for Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George"

Previews begin at the Shaw Festival for

Stephen Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George

The Shaw Festival celebrates the start of its 48th season this week with preview performances of Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park with George at the Royal George Theatre.

Inspired by maverick pointillist painter Georges Seurat’s "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - 1884", Sunday in the Park with George is a compelling story about love, art, inspiration and community revolving around Seurat (Steven Sutcliffe) during the creation of his now celebrated masterpiece and his fictionalized great-grandson George, a struggling installation artist and inventor. A hundred years later, while visiting La Grande Jatte, the ghosts of the past provide creative encouragement and a connection to the Seurat legacy for his descendant George.

Considered Stephen Sondheim’s most personal musical because it looks at the life of the artist, Sunday in the Park with George has been called "an audacious, haunting and, in its own intensely personal way, touching work" by the New York Times. Sondheim, with writer James Lapine, wrote the musical after his own artistic struggles and his announcement that he was leaving musical theatre to write mystery novels. Lapine coaxed him back with the Seurat painting and the idea of imagining the life of an artist who was at times misunderstood, but who also loved to create.

As Seurat brings his canvas to life on stage, so too does he give voice to the figures in the frame. Meet the characters within the painting such as the boatman (Mark Uhre), the man sitting in top hat and cane (Kyle Blair), the old woman under a parasol (Sharry Flett) and the gentleman (Jay Turvey) who accompanies Dot (Julie Martell), the woman in the hat who is also Georges’ mistress and muse. Hear about their lives and loves and their impressions of this unconventional painter. The cast also includes Kawa Ada, Neil Barclay, Alix Boyd, Celeste Brillon, Saccha Dennis, Patty Jamison, Melanie Janzen, Gabrielle Jones, Anthony Malarky, Melanie Phillipson, Jacqueline Thair, Robin Evan Willis and Kelly Wong.

Sunday in the Park with George is directed by award-winning director Alisa Palmer, with musical direction by Paul Sportelli, choreography by Bill Coleman, set and costume design by Judith Bowden, lighting design by Alan Brodie and associate Conductor/pianist Ryan deSouza. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Meredith Macdonald, Assistant Stage Manager Annie McWhinnie and Apprentice Stage Manager Erin Finn.

Sunday in the Park with George begins preview performances Tuesday, April 1; opens Friday, May 22; and plays in repertory until Sunday, November 1. Sunday in the Park with George is sponsored by TD-Canada Trust Music.

Sunday in the Park with George

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Book by James Lapine

Originally directed on Broadway by James Lapine

Originally produced on Broadway by The Shubert Organization and Emanuel Azenberg by arrangement with the Playwrights Horizon, Inc., New York City, which produced the original production of Sunday in the Park with George in 1983.

When WiIl the iPod Become Obsolete?

Toronto sound artist explores the ever-changing state of
music experience through sly exchange of human technologies

Walper Terrace Hotel ArtGallery in Kitchener, April 25^th-- May 3

(Toronto, ON) – What does it mean to be obsolete? This key question sparked sound artist Micheline Roi’s inspiration for Obsolescence, a sound installation that explores the ever-evolving manner in which music reaches us.

For Roi, the home piano stands as an icon and witness to vast changes in music technology. Over the last century, its function has shifted from being one of the main sources of home entertainment to nothing more than a piece of furniture. Displaced by electronic keyboards, hi-fidelity audio and home speaker systems, the home piano is reduced to a curiosity – an ornamental antique of music technology. Now the loudspeaker functions as the central audio interface in home entertainment, creating a radical shift in the sound of domesticity from a social, self-produced acoustic to a manufactured digital environment. The question now is: how much longer will the loudspeaker last before it is superseded by the next piece of technology?

In Obsolescence, which opens at the Walper Terrace Hotel Art Gallery in Kitchener on April 25^th, the roles of an antique upright piano and 52 loudspeakers are exchanged. In this whole-gallery installation, the loudspeaker is positioned as an antique ornament through which the voices of pianists are heard, and the piano evolves from an ornamental piece to a modern-day transducer by which other sounds are made – not by it, but on it and through it.

Obsolescence is just one of over thirty events in CMC’s 2008-2009 New Music in New Places festival series, designed to showcase the work of Canada’s talented composers outside of the concert hall and in the communities where they work and live. Obsolescence also appears as part of the Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound, running April 24 – May 3 in various locations throughout Kitchener, Ontario.

EVENT DETAILS

WHO: Composer and Sound Artist Micheline Roi

Canadian Music Centre – Ontario Region

Open Ears Festival of Music and Sound

WHAT: The Canadian Music Centre’s New Music in New Places festival series presents Obsolescence – a sound installation that explores the ever-evolving manner in which music reaches us. For more information, visit nmnp08.ning.com or www.openears.ca

WHEN: April 25 4 - 7 pm
April 26 12 - 5 pm
April 28 4 - 7 pm
April 29 4 - 7 pm

April 30 4 - 7 pm
May 1 4 - 7 pm
May 2 12 - 5 pm
May 3 12 - 5 pm

WHERE: Walper Terrace Hotel Art Gallery
1 King St. W, Kitchener, ON N2G 1A1
Take #401 to Highway 8. Highway 8 becomes King Street. Continue on King.
The Hotel is on the corner of King & Queen (Entrance off Queen).

HOW MUCH: FREE

New Music in New Places acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Music Fund, administered by The SOCAN Foundation.

The complete New Music in New Places concert schedule is available online at nmnp08.ning.com.

Ontario Music Centre 2009

Attendees at 2009 Ontario Music Centre music camp will make music, dine daily with Juno Award nominees

Everyone who attends the 2009 Ontario Music Centre (OMC) music camp this summer will have an opportunity that most amateur and professional musicians can only dream of: to make music, learn from and dine on a daily basis with several 2009 Juno Award nominees.

Michael Occhipinti, a guitarist and the artistic director of the camp—which runs this year from August 2 to 16 in Lakefield, Ontario—recently was nominated for a Juno Award in the category of Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year, for the recording 'Sicilian Jazz Project.' This is the eighth time Michael's musicianship has been honoured in this way. With his band The Sicilian Jazz Project, Michael creates contemporary works based on the traditional pieces, incorporating new voicings, rhythms and harmonies. Also an extraordinary music educator, Michael will be teaching guitar and composition at the music camp.

Barry Romberg is a drummer who, with his Random Access Large Ensemble, also has been nominated this year in the category of Contemporary Jazz Album, for the CD 'Existential Detective.' Last April, the band won the Best Electric Band Award at the 2008 National Jazz Awards. Barry will teach percussion during the first week of the OMC music camp, August 2-9. That week focuses on jazz, world and folk traditions.

Vocalist Maryem Tollar and saxaphone and Arabic flute player Ernie Tollar have been nominated for the World Music Album of the Year for their CD 'Cairo to Toronto.' They will be instructors during the first week of the music camp.

Michael, Barry, Maryem and Ernie will perform at a concert on August 6. The rest of the OMC's faculty members will perform at concerts August 3 and 10. The concerts are open to camp attendees and anyone from Lakefield and beyond; a small fee is charged to people who are not attending the camp.

WHAT: Ontario Music Centre's Summer Camp, Lakefield College School, Lakefield

WHO: Faculty members include Juno Award nominees Michael Occhipinti, Barry Romberg, Maryem Tollar and Ernie Tollar

WHEN: August 2-9 (Jazz, World and Folk Traditions) and August 9-16 (Classical, Chamber, World and Folk Traditions)

WEBSITE: www.cammaclakefield.ca

Shaw Festival Box Office Now Open to Everyone!

Shaw Festival Box Office Opens for 2009 Season

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, January 13, 2009 . . . The Shaw Festival Box Office is now accepting, telephone and in-person orders from the general public for the 2009 season. Fax, online and mail orders began on January 5.

The Box Office has been open to Members of the Shaw Festival since November 8 and to groups since January 5. “We are delighted with the enthusiasm with which our Members and loyal patrons have responded to the season. In particular the Tonight at 8:30 series, which celebrates the enduring appeal of Noël Coward, makes 2009 an historic season for The Shaw. For a theatre experience like no other, theatre lovers are encouraged to book early this season,” said Executive Director Colleen Blake.

In 2009 The Shaw produces each play in Noël Coward’s famous Tonight at 8:30 collection. The Shaw’s 2009 productions represent the first time all ten short plays have been performed in repertory by a professional company since they were first produced by London’s Phoenix Theatre in 1935-36. The plays will be performed in sets of three, one on each of the Festival’s Niagara-on-the-Lake stages, with the tenth, the rarely produced Star Chamber, being the lunchtime production in the Royal George. Brief Encounters (Still Life, We Were Dancing, Hands Across the Sea) will be staged in the Festival Theatre, Ways of the Heart (The Astonished Heart, Family Album, Ways and Means) in the Court House, and Play, Orchestra, Play (Red Peppers, Fumed Oak, Shadow Play) in the Royal George.

On three occasions - August 8, August 29 and September 19 - all ten Coward plays will be presented in one day, an event titled “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”. Almost 50% of available tickets for these events have been sold, so early booking is recommended.

The Shaw Festival’s 2009 season also includes two plays by the Festival’s namesake: The Devil’s Disciple in the Festival and In Good King Charles’s Golden Days in the Royal George, as well as Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin, A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O’Neill, Albertine in Five Times by Michel Tremblay, the musical Sunday in the Park with George by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, and a limited engagement of John Osborne’s The Entertainer in the new Studio Theatre. The Reading Series of contemporary Shavian writers and a variety of enrichment activities including workshops and seminars are also offered. Affordable overnight and day packages are available and make a trip to The Shaw easy.

Ticket information and brochures can be obtained through the Shaw Festival Box Office or website:

· Toll free in North America 1-800-511-7429

· Local (905) 468-2172

· Fax (905) 468-3804

· Internet www.shawfest.com

· Mail Shaw Festival

Box 774

Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0

The Festival Theatre Box Office and Retail Shop is located at 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. From January 10 to April 11, Box Office hours are Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. Beginning April 12, the Box Office is open daily from 9 am to 8 pm.

Study shows Project Niagara could generate millions of dollars in economic activity and create hundreds of jobs

Project spearheaded by the NAC and TSO has potential to become “next great cultural tourism destination”

(Niagara-on-the-Lake) – A feasibility study presented last night to Niagara-on-the-Lake Town Council by representatives from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) and National Arts Centre (NAC) shows that Project Niagara – a proposed 17-week international music festival to take place on the shore of Lake Ontario – could generate more than a hundred million dollars in economic activity and create hundreds of jobs over several years.

Project Niagara is an initiative of the TSO and NAC. The two organizations have been working together on Project Niagara’s development and feasibility since 2004. They are hoping to launch the festival during the bicentennial celebrations marking the War of 1812.

Monday night, before a well-attended Niagara-on-the-Lake Town Council meeting, Project Niagara Project Manager Kari Cullen provided an outline of the feasibility study for the proposed music festival.

Prior to the meeting, Andrew Shaw, President and CEO of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Peter Herrndorf, President and CEO of the National Arts Centre, issued the following statement: “This feasibility study tells us beyond a shadow of a doubt that Project Niagara is a very strong concept, located in the right place, at the right time. With its proximity to the Shaw Festival, Niagara Falls and one of the world’s most diverse wine regions, Project Niagara has the potential to become Canada’s next great cultural tourism destination.”

Mr. Herrndorf was on hand for last night’s meeting, along with Cathryn Gregor, Chief Operating Officer for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Alan Latourelle, CEO of the Parks Canada Agency, the responsible custodian of the land on Lakeshore Road, on the northwestern side of Niagara-on-the-Lake where Project Niagara would be located. The 268-acre site was overwhelmingly chosen over several sites in the Niagara Region based on criteria related to unique beauty, size, and ambient noise.

The Project Niagara Phase 2 Feasibility Study outlines the following points:

· During its construction phase, Project Niagara would generate $106 million in various types of additional economic activity, including the creation of about 500 full time equivalent jobs.

· In its fifth year of operation, Project Niagara would generate about $93 million in various types of additional economic activity, including the creation of 707 full time equivalent jobs.

· Capital costs for Project Niagara are estimated at $76.5 million – this breaks down as $37 million for all buildings on site, $18 million in site preparation, $11 million in landscaping, and $10 million for technical equipment.

· The feasibility study’s findings support that $25.5 million would be a reasonable amount of money to be raised through sponsorship and private donations. Project Niagara will request that the Federal and Provincial governments each match the private funds raised to achieve its capital cost target of $76.5 million.

· Project Niagara will be run as an independent national cultural institution with its own Board of Directors. TSO and NAC representatives will sit on this board as ex-officio members.

Project Niagara has committed to working with the Region and the Town to help address any issues relating to transportation and sewage infrastructure.

Project Niagara is also working with the Parks Canada Agency on environmental assessment requirements with respect to the potential impact of the festival on flora and fauna in order to guide its activities on site.

Financial backing for the Project Niagara development work and analysis to date has come from the NAC and TSO, as well the Province of Ontario, Falls Management Corporation, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and the Niagara Economic Development Corporation.

Last week, Janice Thomson, Executive Director of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce, made a presentation to the Niagara-on-the-Lake Town Council to table more than one hundred individual letters of support from local residents, visitors and businesses of Niagara-on-the-Lake voicing their support for the creation of Project Niagara.

Click here to read the Project Niagara Phase 2 Feasibility Study. For more information about Project Niagara, please visit www.projectniagara.ca.

4th Line Theatre is holding auditions for 2009 summer season!

4th Line Theatre is holding auditions for 2009 summer season!

Millbrook, ON…4th Line Theatre announces that it will be holding auditions for its 2009 summer season and is inviting professional actors to submit their resume and headshots for consideration. The company is looking for the following types of actors for the following shows:

The Right Road to Pontypool Written by Alex Poch-Goldin and Directed by Kim Blackwell

June 30 – August 1

A loving chronicle of one man’s sun kissed dream for Toronto’s working class Jews in the early 1900’s. With a way of life now vanished, Pontypool boasted five resorts in its heyday as a summer haven for thousands of Eastern European immigrants in the heart of Protestant southern Ontario.

2 women ages 18-25

2 men ages 25-30

Welcome Death Written and Directed by Robert Winslow

August 10 - 29

“Whodunit” fans will love this Victorian murder-mystery set right here in Millbrook! In 1873, the discovery of a young woman’s body in a field spurs a Coroner’s inquest that pushes past the restraints of science and enters the realm of the spirit to find unknowable answers.

2 woman – 1- age 50+, 1 – age 18-30

3 men – 1 – age 25-30, 1 – age 30-45, 1 – age 40-50

Please send headshot and resume no later than December 15, 2008 to:

Robert Winslow, Artistic Director

4th Line Theatre

1 Dufferin Street

Old Millbrook School

Millbrook, ON

L0A 1G0

admin@4thlinetheatre.on.ca

Both Equity and non-equity artists are invited to apply. We’re sorry, due to limited staff resources, only actors who are invited to audition will be contacted. Please do not call or e-mail the theatre to confirm receipt of your package.