BC music
New festival takes over Merritt Mountain grounds
The Merritt Mountain Music Festival had a long successful run, and while there may be no more country music headliners gracing the stages on the beautiful hills in Merritt another festival has laid claim to the area—on the complete opposite end of the genre spectrum. Electric Mountain Music Festival is the new festival taking over [...]
North Vancouver: Sound of music heard on Bakerstreet, With his ear for music, Paul Baker is the man behind the glass in this B.C. studio
He is the man you never hear from. Or about. But beneath the ocean of notes that stream out from every speaker, the voice of a man like Paul Baker resonates. He is the sound technician whose ear for pitch is his master craft. Paul Baker operates the eponymous Bakerstreet Studios – named for Sherlock [...]
Kelowna: Local arts society suffers 75% grant cut
The Okanagan Symphony Orchestra is feeling the harsh impacts of cuts to the BC Arts Council grants. Music Director Rosemary Thomson says their usual grant amounted to about $30,000, but this time, they’re only getting $7,600. That amounts to a 75 percent slash. Thomson says, “It only confirms what I’ve been coming to believe about [...]
Kelowna: Funding cut a sour note for OK symphony
If there is a local poster child for the devastating cuts to arts organizations, the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra surely fits the bill. After slicing and dicing plans for its 50th anniversary program, but still putting on a show for local audiences, this summer the OSO society was dealt a crushing blow. “We just received our [...]
Kutapira bangs drums for culture, crowds, Young and energetic, raucous and rhythmic, this ensemble can bring life to the streets
There’s the usual rainbow coalition of foot traffic at the corner of Granville and Robson on a sweltering summer afternoon, and it gets some added bustle as five young men lug an arsenal of instruments into the mix. They’re toting soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas, a drum kit, timbales – cylindrical metal drums of Cuban [...]
Nanaimo: VIS relies on community support
This Saturday, the Vancouver Island Symphony gives back to the community to thank classical music lovers for their ongoing support during the 16 years the VIS has been in existence. The VIS’s 10th annual Symphony in the Harbour takes place at 6 p.m. an the Lions Band Shell in Maffeo-Sutton Park. The annual free concert [...]
North Vancouver: Under the Volcano erupts for last time, After 20 years of arts and activism, the by-donation event is pulling up its roots
As Woody Guthrie would have put it — to music, of course — so long, it’s been good to know you. The 20th annual Under the Volcano Festival will be the last of these unique events, which take Cates Park near Deep Cove and make it, for one day, a haven for those on the [...]
Capital region could host Junos in 2013
The organization responsible for bringing the Juno Awards to Vancouver in 2009 released a report yesterday outlining plans that would bring the event to the capital region in 2013. Vancouver-based Music B.C. compiled the report, which supports a potential multimillion-dollar bid that would see Victoria host the annual music industry awards show for the first [...]
Surrey: Choral arts program holding auditions
The Surrey Choral Arts Project Society wants you to join the Surrey Children’s Choir family of choirs for our 2010/2011 season. Auditions are now being held for all voices, ages six to 70, for places in the Junior and Intermediate Training Choirs, Senior Children’s Choir, Chamber Choir, 2008 CBC Choral Competition Prize-winning Youth Choir and [...]
Mission: ‘We had the world here’
The Mission Folk Music Festival appears to be weathering the storm. Last year a lightning storm threatened the safety of the performers and audience, and all of Saturday’s performances were cancelled. It cost the festival $35,000 because of the loss of gate receipts. The show’s producer Francis Xavier Edwards and the festival board are also [...]
Vancouver: Youth orchestra celebrates 50 years
One anticipated highlight of MusicFest Vancouver is the performance by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. It’s always rewarding to hear this remarkable concatenation of young talent, but this tour is extra-special: 2010 marks the organization’s 50th anniversary. Youth orchestras have been around for a while in many different guises; in recent decades the concept [...]
We must support this music copyright bill to ensure fair play
Having worked in the music business for 20 years, I have witnessed profound changes. For the most part, these changes have been driven by the massive influence of the Internet. Music was hit early on by the phenomenon of file-sharing on Peer-to-Peer (P2P) networks, due to compression technology and small file sizes. The first big [...]
Grand Forks: No more concerts at Jogas
Musicians from out of town won’t be playing at Jogas Espresso Cafe for the foreseeable future say owners Roger and Donna Soviskov. Acts from out of town had been booking gigs at the cafe and the Soviskov’s say that while there have been crowds of as many as 50 people in the past, there is [...]
Surrey: Sanghera’s Music Waves expands into movies
For the past two decades, Kulwinder Sanghera has been a cultural icon in the Metro Vancouver Punjabi community. His company, Music Waves, records, manages and distributes Punjabi-language music artists. Since beginning operation in early 2006, Red FM, the radio station he runs out of a Surrey industrial park, has grown from 15 to 39 employees. [...]
Music icons autograph auction items for Vancouver Music Industry’s award gala
On July 28 and 29, the Vancouver Music Industry (VMI) will host its fifth annual award gala and charity golf tournament to help raise money for the Sarah McLachlan Music Outreach and Music BC. This year’s event will be the biggest in the organization’s history, and it includes an auction with some big-ticket items going [...]
