Kelly Peterson grew up in the United States during the civil rights era. She knew the song Hymn to Freedom; it was an unofficial anthem of the movement. She didn't know it was written by Oscar Peterson. Until, that is, she met the man and attended
Nobody is a prophet in their own land, so the saying goes. It’s one thing for Canadians to perform music by Canadian composers. It’s de rigueur. It’s quite another thing when international ensembles promote Canadian contemporary music by choice. The customary and parochial acquires a
Ruth Abernethy's life is, as she says, "in tidy little pieces." One of Canada's most prolific and talented sculptors in bronze did not start her career in art school. She began in theatre in the prop shop. Her journey so far is the subject of a
The 2017 Music and Beyond Festival opened last night with a display of American fireworks that was à propos for the 4th of July. Violinist Sarah Chang brought a healthy dose of glamour to the stage of Dominion-Chalmers in a performance that emphasized searing virtuosity and
Really, what more could you want on a splendid July evening than an outdoor performance (beneath a couple of towering trees, no less) of Shakespeare’s hopeful, fantastical, forest-themed A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Make it one of the best shows yet by a Company of Fools,
On July 4, 1885, Louis Riel said: "My people will sleep for 100 years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back." The poet, politician and prophet wouldn't have been thinking specifically about Buffy Sainte-Marie, but the Cree singer
The American pianist Garrick Ohlsson is a performer of prodigious musical appetites. The guy has range to accompany his massive hands. "I have large appetites for music and a few other things. If I am in a good restaurant, I know I can only eat one
Natalie MacMaster has been travelling across Canada for a couple of decades now and she knows how strongly connected the country is to the fiddle. That's why, she says, she is excited to play in a Canada Scene concert with other proponents of fiddle music on
This year's RBC Bluesfest will present Pink and Tom Petty, but it will also showcase Pony Girl and Rebecca Noelle. if you are paying attention to the Ottawa region's burgeoning music scene you probably know the latter two names. But if you haven't know that
The eighth Music and Beyond festival opens July 4 with a gala concert featuring the Korean-American violin superstar Sarah Chang in recital. By the time the festival closes on July 17, Ottawa audiences will have been entertained by about 75 concerts and events. In addition
