Okanagan Events

Bartel Entertainment presents Jazz Nights with The Trevor Salloum Group and Special Guests Second Friday of the month 8-10pm $10/5 Students Muninn’s Post 575 Bernard Ave, Kelowna, BC V1Y 6N9 778-478-7010 FB: https://www.facebook.com/jazznightskelowna/ Venue: http://www.muninnspost.com/ Web Site: https://jazznightskelowna.wordpress.com/

” The promise of living” a choral concert of music by 20th Century composers, under direction of Imant Raminsh

The Allan Crossley Jazz Quartet presents our last Jazz at Zias before fall on April 13th! The theme is "S is for Swing" - Lots of fun Swing tunes that start with the letter S. And we'll feature another brand-new tune from the Larry and Allan songbook - "So You Think You're So So Smart." Lot's of S's in that baby. (As usual there's a $10.00 cover and you can call Zias at 250-494-1105 to make a reservation. Last month's was full well in advance, so make that call!)

At both the Kelowna Community Theatre and the Rotary Centre for the Arts, the 40th BC Interior Jazz Festival is 3 days of middle and secondary school student performances in jazz bands, combos, and choirs along with 2 days of free workshops by master jazz musicians and two evening concerts at the Kelowna Community Theatre: the Jazz Masters Concert April 21, 7:30 pm, featuring Carol Welsman, the adjudicators, The Michael Garding Big Band, and the best of the Okanagan, and the Showcase Concert April 22, 7 pm, showcasing the best group in each of a dozen categories. For more information, visit the website at www.bcinteriorjazzfestival.com

The Jazz Masters' Concert, 7:30 pm Friday, April 21, 2017 at the Kelowna Community Theatre, is a one of a kind jazz concert that this year features Carol Welsman, vocalist and Yamaha pianist. Carol is joined by local and out of town musicians who have adjudicated and/or participated in the 40th BC Interior Jazz Festival, a 3 day festival for young musicians. Brad Turner, Greg Yasinitsky, Rich Sumstad, Janet Warrern, Kinga Heming, Sean Bray, Neville Bowman, Bernie Addington, Scott Gamble and The Michael Garding Big Band, along with the best of the Okanagan, will perform for you at this outstanding event. Tickets are available at selectyourtickets.com (Kelowna Theatre Link) or 250 762.5050. Festival details are available at www.bcinteriorjazzfestival.com .

The Okanagan Festival Singers are delighted to present a children's performance of Handel's Coronation Anthem 'The King Shall Rejoice'. Featuring Larry the Lamb and King George II, they will engage the children in their story and bring them to a finale where the children help to crown the king as the choir sings! The audience will learn about kings, coronations, and Handel's wonderful music in a family friendly setting. Admission by donation at the door, all proceeds to a local charity.

The Showcase Concert is the finale to the three-day adjudicated 40th BC Interior Jazz Festival, April 20, 21, and 22, 2017. The annual Showcase Concert, made up of outstanding groups from each daytime performance category, will be held at 7pm on Saturday, April 22nd at the Kelowna Community Theatre. This concert features up to a...

Musaic Vocal Ensemble Presents ‘Annelies’ – April 2017 ‘Annelies’, by UK composer James Whitbourn is a stunning and poignant seventy-five minute choral work for soprano soloist, choir and instrumentalists. The libretto is compiled and translated by Melanie Challenger from ‘Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl’. Annelies is the full forename of Anne Frank. The work was premiered in April 2005 in London. Musaic Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Tracy Stuchbery, is a group of enthusiastic and committed local South Okanagan singers based out of Summerland B.C. “Annelies is beautiful, it is emotional, it is sometimes frightening and often very intimate. The work straddles the achingly fine line between the horrors of the war and the hopeful and creative spirit of the young Anne.” (Dr. Anne Matlock, Harmonium Choral Society, Madison, N.J. USA). The music itself, with it’s blend of choir, the soprano solo voice and the instrumental ensemble, moves from melodic and strong, to dissonant, pulsing and haunting, to gentle, tentative and hushed. Composer James Whitbourn states that Annelies is “a commemorative work” both for Anne and for “…those she watched with penetrating eyes and the voiceless millions who shared her fate. It is those remarkable observations that form the basis of Melanie Challenger’s libretto. The diary has been distilled into this sequence of beautiful and mature, spiritually charged texts… Through Annelies, the wisdom and perception of Anne Frank is there to teach us all.” Anne Frank died alone of illness and starvation at the age of fifteen in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Germany, sometime in early March, 1945, thirty–two months after she and her family and the others had first gone into hiding in the annex, eight months after being exposed and captured, and a mere two months before the war ended in Europe. “Anne’s legacy challenges each of us to ask ourselves: what can we
do to confront prejudice and discrimination within ourselves, in our schools, family, and society? Bringing Anne Frank’s story into our communities helps teach us all to respect one another in a shared environment. It teaches us to celebrate diversity rather than view differences as obstacles. It teaches us to be proactive and to help those in need. And as idealistic as it may sound, we, like Anne, believe that in spite of everything, people are truly good at heart. We encourage you all to join with us in this noble pursuit, as we bring Anne Frank into our communities, and into our lives.” Beth Slepian, School Programs Manager The Anne Frank Center USA
New York, NY. When we first looked at the score of Annelies, we were not sure whether it was something we could do, either musically or emotionally. The holocaust is a black mark in history, an event of horrific sadness and death, and this is not the theme of traditional community spring concerts. As we read through the score again, listened to the music, and re-read the ‘Diary’ itself, it became evident that Anne's writing, although done in an environment of oppressiveness, violence, fear and hatred, was in fact hopeful, even optimistic. When we considered what was going on in many parts of our world right now, the overwhelming feeling was, “How could we not do it?” We can look back through history and see many examples throughout the world of cultural intolerance, persecution and even genocide. It is not in remembering or honoring or re-living these things alone that will create change. To create change, we must also look forward. What we get from Anne's diary is just that. Her words portray a belief in our future, in nature, in goodness, in life and love, in family, relationships and possibilities… This piece, while presenting the chillingly dark side of the Holocaust, is also an affirmation of Anne's faith in humankind and hope for the world. In Anne’s words, “The blue sky, the bare chestnut tree, glistening with dew, the seagulls, glinting with silver swooping through the air. As long as this exists, this sunshine and this cloudless sky, how can I be sad?” (23 Feb 1944) It is our wish that in bringing Annelies to our communities, we will leave people not with a feeling of despair and sadness, but rather, with a sense of hopefulness for our world. And with that, also a sense of empowerment and responsibility, that each of us can do something to help prevent such things from happening again. We hope that our audience will be encouraged by Anne’s bravery and optimism, find beauty and strength in the music, and feel challenged by the spirit and emotion of the message. Again, in Anne’s words, “Beauty remains, even in misfortune. (7 March, 1944). “As long as you can look fearlessly at the sky, you’ll know you’re pure within” (February 23, 1944). The members of Musaic feel privileged to have the opportunity of presenting this beautiful and poignant story to the communities of the South Okanagan. Local Guest Artists Mia Harris, Soprano; Olivia Walsh, Cello; Sarah Anderson, Violin; Pamela Parenty, Oboe; Dennis Nordlund, Piano Locations and times: Saturday, April 22, 2017 7:30pm at St. Saviour's, Penticton Sunday, April 23, 2017 at 2:30pm at St. John's, Summerland Friday, April 28, 2017, 7;30 p..m. at Frank Venables Theatre, Oliver Saturday, April 29, 2017, 7:30pm at St. Michael and All Angels, Kelowna

Come and see the fabulous Thursday Night Jazz Band and support the Arts in Summerland! Great music, refreshments, and fun.

Vancouver’s favourite sonic landscapist V. Vecker and Kelowna’s own avant-garde saxophonist Darren Williams will be performing together in concert on April 27th at the Naked Café in downtown Kelowna. Admission is $12 for the public and $10 for students and Alternator members. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at Milkcrate Records on Ellis Street or at the Alternator located inside the Rotary Centre for the Arts.

Dance to the sounds of the Okanagan Valley Big Band" which was such a hit at the Vernon Jazz Club last week. OK Landing & District Community Association is hosting a dance in Paddlewheel Park Hall on Friday, April 28th at 8pm. Tickets are $16 each at the Bean Scene of a table of 8 can be reserved for $15/ person by calling Val at 250-308-4830. All profit will be donated to "Bill's Place" Addiction Recovery Program in Vernon. Complementary appetizers and coffee will be served at 10 pm.

Come down to the Turtle Bay Pub in sunny Lake Country for the "Fat Cat Social" on May 6th. This is a fundraiser with half of the funds raised going to The Kidney Foundation and half will go towards paying off some residual medical related expenses for a kidney transplant recipient. The feature meal is lasagna and so Garfield, the fat cat himself, just might be found lurking about. Take in the beautiful patio on the water, bid on the silent auction, try your luck with some raffle tickets or the 50/50 draws being held throughout the day! Live music will be rocking the house all afternoon and through the evening.

February 1st of this year, our neighbor Sean had brain surgery to remove a cavernous malformation from his brain stem. What was expected to be a straight forward procedure has turned into a litany of medical emergencies, procedures, and prescriptions. On May 20th we come together to raise funds to support him and his family as they travel the road towards recovery. Sean's Road to Recovery Benefit Concert will feature Poppa Dawg and Jimmy LeGuilloux and will be an afternoon you won't want to miss!

Penticton Concert Band under the direction of Dave Brunelle Adults $15 / Youth $5 at the door

This internationally acclaimed choir will performing a dynamic concert featuring many Canadian women composers, and OFS is thrilled that this ensemble of talented singers will visit Kelowna. They are known for their rich palette of sound and consistent choral excellence. A rare treat!

Release your inner gypsy and wander on down to Lake Country for a colourful afternoon. Lake Country Performings Arts and Lake Country Arts and Culture are combining talents to present a market of music, belly dancing, art works and wares, and tasty treats all with an exotic gypsy flavour. Tickets available at Lake Country Art Gallery Gift Shop or at the door. Adults $10 Children under 14 $5 For more information: 250-548-3220

At this point-­‐-­‐ with the release of their third duo album, A Wanderer I’ll Stay-­‐-­‐it’s inevitable that Canadian roots duo Pharis & Jason Romero have been compared to Gillian Welch & David Rawlings; the duo writes songs that are difficult to tell from traditional inspirations, and yet still sound fresh and thrillingly unknown.

Tiger Moon releases their ambitious new record ‘Cariboo & Whiskey’ on June 9th at The Kelowna Forum. They will be performing with a massive 8-piece band to bring the songs from the album to life! Tickets are available at Mosaic Books, Milkcrate Records, Dunnenzies Pizza Downtown, and Bean Scene Downtown. Doors at 7pm – Tickets...

The Kelowna City Concert Band invites everyone to attend their summer “Concerts in the Park” on June 14, 7 pm at the Island Stage at Waterfront Park and June 21, 7 pm at Guisachan Heritage Park, 1060 Cameron Road. They will also be performing for Canada 150, July 1, this year in Prospera Place at...

We are excited to kick off the Music at Mackie series June 23rd with The Smith Fraser Duo! Andrew Smith and Neil Fraser (of Lent Fraser Wall fame) mix their musical talents – resulting in a magical duo. Their genre focuses on a counterpoint between folk and jazz, playing a blend of original and classic...

Tenor, Paul Moore invites you come and enjoy his annual and anxiously anticipated Opera in The Park, the perfect event for families and music lovers of all ages. The talented Graham Vink will be accompanying Paul on the piano- July 9th from 6-8 pm under the beautiful Okanagan evening summer skies. The performers will present...

A Country/ Bluegrass Weekend open to all country/bluegrass musicians open air stage

An outdoor concert fundraiser featuring our rescue horses and the Lake Country Agility dogs. Bring your blankets and chairs for a wonderful concert by the Musician of Peace set in our rescue for horses. There will be a silent auction and a barbecue. Tickets at Eventbrite – $30 for adults and children free as long...

We are excited to welcome back one of our favourite bands, Cod Gone Wild this summer! Based out of BC’s Okanagan Valley since 2009, this Celtic inspired band is focused on giving traditional music a modern edge. Blending the varied talents of five musicians whose classical, folk, rock and jazz backgrounds fuse together to create...