The film School of Rock was a surprising smash hit when it was released in 2003. The story about a frustrated rock guitarist named Dewey Finn featured Jack Black at his frenzied best. But he was upstaged by a band of precocious young rockers in
Writing a biography about Beethoven takes a certain amount of chutzpah. The composer is iconic, larger than life, an artist for the ages. But Jan Swafford tackled him nonetheless. "Part of it is that I don't do messages and I don't do grand agendas; I don't do
Just when baby boomers’ dependent children finally leave the nest, along comes a new responsibility to sap time and energy: Elderly, ailing parents who are confused, needy and, because of medical advances, often live unhappily for years that way. Ottawa author Elizabeth Hay faced that challenge
Could there be anything more pedestrian than another Beethoven symphony cycle? For all NACO’s efforts to glitz up this year’s Focus Festival with podcasts, posters and a piano sonata marathon, it’s hard to see the relevance of such staid programming. Even with rehearsal time constraints,
When the exhibition The Extended Moment: 50 years of collecting photographs closes on Sunday, it will mark an important milestone for Ann Thomas. It will be her last exhibition for the Canadian Photography Institute. After some 40 years at the National Gallery of Canada, Thomas is
At one point in The Virgin Trial, Kate Hennig’s fleet, modern-day crime drama about Queen Elizabeth I as a teenager, the future monarch proclaims, “I can be anything I set my mind to.” It sounds like a variation on that silly bromide, “You can be anything
The venerable Vancouver alternative band 54.40 has rocked out pretty hard for about 37 years. But lately the foursome that includes founders Neil Osborne and Brad Merritt, along with Matt Johnson and Dave Genn, has gone quiet. They have discovered the power of acoustic music. And
The NAC Orchestra always opens its season with a festival. Surrounding the main stage programming in Southam Hall are other performances and lectures in various nooks and crannies of the centre. This year's festival is all about Beethoven's nine symphonies inside Southam Hall. But outside,
Darius Jones thinks big. It seems to be in his nature. The jazz saxophonist and composer will be in Ottawa Sept. 18 with the latest entry in his life's work. The Man'ish Boy Epic series of nine albums chronicling Jones' take on African American music from
Janis Ian isn't 17 any more. But that's OK. She's a wise owl who knows herself both as an artist and a person. These days she lives with her partner Patricia and her Portuguese Water Dog Gracie Mae. She's still writing
