Comox Valley Echo

Praised by the Vancouver Sun for “his luscious tone and technical prowess,” acclaimed Canadian cellist Ariel Barnes returns to the Sid Williams Theatre on Monday morning, April 2nd. Joining him on the stage for this fourth and final concert in this season’s Mattina Musica series will be pianist Sarah Hagen.

Selected as one of six cellists across the nation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Barnes recently recorded J.S. Bach’s D minor suite for CBC’s new online streaming project, The Portal.   Actively involved in the creation of 21st century art music, his new project Couloir, with harpist Heidi Krutzen, focuses on the development of new works and interdisdiplinary collaboration.  An ardent chamber musician, Barnes is a former member of the Borealis String Quartet, Trio Accord and has collaborated with many fine artists such as the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Musica Intima, Jonathan Crow, Martin Chalifour, Ian Parker and Daniel Bolshoy, among many others.  

In addition to his solo and chamber music performances, Barnes is principal cellist of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, and a member of the Turning Point Ensemble. He is also an active teacher on faculty at the Vancouver Academy of Music, the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific and the Comox Valley Youth Music Centre. His recordings can be heard on Atma Classiques, Skylark Records, Universal Music and

Centrediscs, as well as many live concerts recorded and broadcast on CBC Radio.

From the Comox Valley, pianist Hagen has been heard in concert halls and on the airwaves to critical acclaim throughout North America and Europe. Since her recent move last summer to an artist loft in one of Vancouver’s most vibrant neighbourhoods, Hagen has become deeply involved with intricate projects inspired by urban vitality. Highlights of her 2012 season include an evocative production onstage with Ballet Victoria which opened to rave reviews in March, a new Pro’ject Sound exposition with photographers from Howe Sound, and stimulating collaborations with artists and musicians from around the globe.

Comrades on and off the stage, Barnes and Hagen are thrilled to play together again, sharing a passion for seeking out the heartfelt meaning of each note and fusing the cello and piano into one musical entity. Their programme includes Beethoven’s fifth Sonata for piano and cello as well as Debussy’s Cello Sonata.

Individual tickets are $20. Coffee and tea is served at 10 am and music begins at 10:30. For more information on the Mattina Musica series and other upcoming performances, visit www.sidwilliamstheatre.com or call 250 338 2430.

Ballet Victoria returns to the Sid with Four Seasons

After their successful tour of Carmen last spring, Ballet Victoria returns to the Sid Williams Theatre on Friday March 30th with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Other Works, a uniquely west coast interpretation blending music, poetry, visual art, and dance.

Buoyed by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons score, new and exciting choreography from Ballet Victoria’s Artistic Director Paul Destrooper weaves classical music with First Nation legend as the audience follows two ravens through the seasons of a mystical relationship.

“It’s the spirituality and mythology of the West Coast,” Destrooper says, “It’s a story about relationships.”

“In autumn, there’s the harvest and feasts in the tradition of the potlatch. The chill of winter follows the honeymoon stage and there’s some fighting. Then spring brings nature and love back to life. In summer, all the women give birth and families build,” he explains.

Inspired by the work of four First Nations visual artists - LessLIE, Rande Cook, Tom Hunt, and Dylan Thomas - Destrooper’s choreography sees each season personified by a dozen costumed dancers and their seasonal colours contrast with the white and black ravens, depicted by Destrooper and Sandrine Cassini.

The paintings of the four First Nations artists, all from Vancouver Island, are projected in an introductory montage ahead of each season. The multi-layered performance is rounded out by Lieutenant Governor Steven L. Point’s narration of haikus by Victoria poet Linda Rogers.

Founded in 2002, Ballet Victoria has transformed over the last three years into a first-class professional arts organization. Under the artistic direction of Paul Destrooper, the company has become a cultural asset to Victoria and the province, receiving accolades in national and international media. Destrooper has created works, taught and coached for professional companies and schools including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Northwest Professional Dance Project, Ballet Kelowna, Ballet BC and the Okanagan Summer Dance Intensive. Destrooper’s choreography focuses on ballet as an “Art of Light” — shaping light with movement to reflect musicality and trigger emotion.

This is the only North Island stop on Ballet Victoria’s tour of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Other Works.

Ballet Victoria’s performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Other Works at the Sid Williams Theatre on Friday, March 30th at 7:30pm in Courtenay. Tickets are Regular $50.00, Members $45.00, Students $25.00 and can be purchased at the Sid ticket centre, by phone 250-338-2430 or online at www.sidwilliamstheatre.com.

A TRUE CANADIAN PEARL!

54-40

Saturday, March 31 at the Sid Williams Theatre, 442 Cliffe Avenue, Courtenay (250-338-2430)

Tickets are $42.50 (Plus Facility Fee & Service Charges) available at the Sid Williams Theatre Box Office. Charge by phone (250-338-2430), toll free (1-866-898-8499)

or online at  www.sidwilliamstheatre.com

One of the most important popular music groups to emerge from the Canadian cultural landscape, 54-40 is celebrating their thirty-year anniversary.  The band has an unbelievable catalogue of hit songs, including “Assoholic”, “She-La”, “Miss You”, “Baby Ran”, “I Go Blind” and “Ocean Pearl”. Led by Neil Osborne, 54-40 has carved out a legacy of gold and platinum albums and an outstanding reputation for their live performances.  The secret to their longevity is their ability to redefine and reinvent themselves, picking up new young fans on the way. To experience 54-40 in concert is to experience how songs have touched and continue to touch people’s lives.

From their first gig on New Year’s Eve 1981 at the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret, 54-40 has its roots in Vancouver.  They were immersed in the MuchMusic video craze of the 1990s and the growing digital worlds of CDs, MP3s, and websites.  They have embraced it all, now releasing their very own mobile phone application.

54-40 is the winner of The Western Canadian Music Awards - Hall Of Fame Award (2011) along with numerous other awards and almost a dozen Top-10 hit singles.  You do not want to miss this show!

For more information on this evolutionary group, please visit www.5440.com

This Saturday, March 24th, ImageFest will fill the screen at the Sid Williams Theatre.

The show, produced by the Comox Valley Camera Club, is the culmination of months of preparation by members of the local organization. This feast for the senses includes slideshows set to music, with themes ranging from the streets of Courtenay to the wilds of the Serengeti, from human interest to Mother Nature’s fury, and more.

A display of print photography will also be available for viewing by members of the audience – featuring a variety of images which will be available for sale following the event

ImageFest played to a full house in 2011, and organizers expect a good turnout this year, as well.

Tickets are still available online at www.sidwilliamstheatre.com or at the Sid Williams box office and further information is available on the camera club’s website at www.comoxvalleycameraclub.org

Hanging around downtown

Husband-and-wife performing team Ted and Marion Outerbridge perform a little open-air levitation on Fifth Street in Courtenay. The duo have performed at the Toronto SkyDome and worked on Cirque do Soleil. They will make their Sid Williams Theatre debut on Thursday (Mar. 17). Tickets are available at the box office. Photo by Spencer Anderson 

“Certifiably demented”…

It began as a hobby, making fun of a big dumb world. Luckily, the world is still dumb and 20 years later, The Arrogant Worms http://www.arrogantworms.com/about) still have plenty to sing about.  They will be celebrating their musical anniversary with their weird, wonderful music and comedy at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay on Friday, March 18^th @ 7:30pm.  Tickets are: Reg: $40.00, Members: $35.00 and Children $10.00 sold either at the Sid, 250-338-2430 or online at www.sidwilliamstheatre.com 
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