Arts Commons Magazine Fall 2016

Big laughs, big tears, big hair p.4 | The Elements of a musical mosaic p.8 What makes a cultural space? p.10 | Cool art happenings p.16 | The art of human connection p.20

M A G A Z I N E FA L L 2 0 1 6 | #04

Dee Dee Bridgewater with Theo Croker An alchemic experience from contemporary jazz innovators

NOVEMBER 17, 2016

Arts Commons, Jack Singer Concert Hall, 7:30pm

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LETTER FROM JOHANN

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recently attended the annual congress of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) in Melbourne, Australia. ISPA is the preeminent global gathering space for international arts practitioners and thought leaders. Over 530 delegates from 54 countries engaged in challenging and meaningful discourse around the theme “REIMAGINING.” One of the topics was described as follows: “… this era of mass movement of peoples is radically altering our understanding of the world.

Through the creation and presentation of art we establish cultural identity. How is this identity reflected somewhere like Australia, where the diversity of immigrant populations, [and the] deepening awareness of Indigenous culture … defy any notions of homogeneity?”

While this comment referred to Australian identity, it can equally apply to many other countries, including Canada, where similar realities prevail. Many of our discussions sought pathways towards a more equitable post-colonial future, and there seems to be a growing appetite amongst global audiences and presenters to engage with our ever-diversifying populations, and contemporary indigenous cultures. We in Calgary—and at Arts Commons— are no different. Our Board has provided strong leadership by engaging in this issue, and by inspiring us to broaden our reach.

Someone at the congress said, “politics is what we do to each other; culture is how we talk about it.” In this issue, and in the upcoming 2016-17 season, you will have many opportunities to join this discussion. But as another speaker at the congress said, “stop talking; start doing!”

Our programming, as well as that of our Resident Companies, will reflect what we are “doing” and I invite you to engage with us. Only 50% of this conversation is what happens on our stages – the other 50% belongs to YOU. We are also excited about the plans to revitalize Olympic Plaza, and about the NEW SEATS in three of our theatres (the fourth will occur next summer) – I know this will greatly enhance your experiences here!

In addition to the programming and improved facility amenities, we will continue to offer more opportunities for access to our offerings, in order to soften the impact of the economy on your quality of life.

Thank you for your support, and for partnering with us to enrich our community.

Johann F. Zietsman President & CEO, Arts Commons

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contents

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How a hit play made its wild, winding way from the Toronto Fringe to USA, to London, to national TV, and finally to Calgary.

Learn about all the art in Arts Commons, from humorous self-portraits, colourful abstractions, and a Dadaist-themed Halloween art party.

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'da Kink goes west

It's all happening

Mosaics, motifs, and dinner menus

Bridging cultures without words We invited 200 new Canadians to see a music performance on us in the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Here are some of their experiences.

This is what happens when you pair up two composer-pianists for a conversation. Italy’s Ludovico Einaudi speaks with Calgary’s Mark Limacher on the creative process.

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What's on at Arts Commons Check out everything that's happening at Arts Commons this fall.

What makes a great cultural space?

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We look around the world for examples of public, cultural spaces to see what we can learn and apply to our budding, vibrant Calgary.

Respect, reuse, and recycle

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Go behind-the-scenes as we replace 1,347 chairs in three of our venues! We captured every step of the process, including what happens to the old seats.

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The success of an unfashionable playwright Canadian playwright John Murrell looks back on his 40-plus-year career and the three productions—old and new—that are coming to Calgary’s stages this season.

ONS CO M M

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Arts Commons Winter 2016

arts

Leading by example Sam Kamis is the president of Alsa Road Construction, but he’s also a devoted supporter of the arts. Find out what community means to him.

contributors

Tasha Komery

TASHA KOMERY Editor-In-Chief

After brief careers in finance and then design, Tasha spent six years working in agencies, before completing her MBA, and moving to “client side” as Director of Marketing and Communications and Editor-in-Chief at Arts Commons. When she’s not working, she spends most of her spare time traveling, taking photos, riding like the wind, or hitting the parks and paths with her partner, John, and her dog, Lucy.

ALEX BONYUN (maternity leave) Managing Editor

RICHARD LAM Managing Editor

KAIJA DIRKSON Creative Manager

ERIN BELTON

Mark Limacher

Graphic Design

Calgary composer-pianist, Mark Limacher, is an active member of the local music community, in many styles and genres, with diverse influences from the music of the Middle East and Tin Pan Alley, to Morton Feldman and John Cage. He co-hosts the weekly radio program Unprocessed on CJSW, 90.9 FM with violinist Laura Reid. marklimacher.com

CONTRIBUTORS Hilary Angrove, Anne Georg, Saskia Knight, Tasha Komery, Richard Lam, Mark Limacher, Beth McIntyre, Zach Moull, and Johann Zietsman

RESIDENT COMPANIES Alberta Theatre Projects, Arts Commons Presents, Calgary International Children’s Festival, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Downstage, One Yellow Rabbit, and Theatre Calgary

Beth McIntyre Beth has lived and traveled in many different countries and cities, chronicling their local wonders in writing and short videos. She focuses on the things that make those places unique, and made her fall in love with them. That same enthusiasm and sense of joy and adventure applies to her hometown, where she is a freelance writer and shares the wonderful parts of Calgary on her website, WheretheFisBeth.com.

PUBLISHED BY Arts Commons 205 8th Avenue SE Calgary, Alberta T2G 0K9 Phone: 403-294-7455 Fax: 403-294-7457 artscommons.ca © Copyright 2016 by Arts Commons; may not be reprinted without expressed permission.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the respective authors and not necessarily those of Arts Commons.

Arts Commons will not be liable for any damages or losses, howsoever sustained, as a result of the reliance on, or use by a reader or any other person of, any information, opinions or products expressed, advertised or otherwise contained herein.

Whew… glad we got that out there, now enjoy the magazine.

l mosaic p.8 p.20 nts of a musica human connection | The Eleme art of p.16 | The big hair p.4 , big tears, happenings Big laughs | Cool art space? p.10 a cultural

What makes

Z I N E M A G FAA L L 2 0 1 6 | # 0 4

ON 'DA COVER After its sensational 2001 Toronto Fringe Festival debut, Trey Anthony’s ‘da Kink in My Hair was expanded into a hit with audiences across Canada, the US, and the UK; even becoming a hit TV show on Global. This resonating story of women at a Carribean-Canadian hair salon makes its Western Canadian debut at Theatre Calgary. Flip the page to learn more.

Photo by Richard Anthony Evans. Art Direction by Punch & Judy Inc.

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

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GOES WEST

WRITTEN BY ZACH MOULL

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Arts Commons Fall 2016

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ne of the most beloved Canadian plays in recent memory is coming to Theatre Calgary in an all-new production starting September 6th.

“Everything about ‘da Kink in my Hair is thrilling,” says Artistic Director Dennis Garnhum. “The laughter, the tears, the honesty... This play had great success in Toronto and now will finally be shared with Western Canada. I know our audiences will have a great time.” ‘da Kink in my Hair celebrates the vibrant community of women at a CaribbeanCanadian hair salon. At the centre of the play is the clairvoyant salon owner Novelette, who reads her clients’ stories in their hair and creates space for their compelling tales of challenges and triumphs. “da Kink is more than just a play,” says creator Trey Anthony, who also stars as Novelette. “It’s a theatrical experience. It’s a place where women come to heal, laugh, cry, and create community.”

Anthony found the inspiration for the play while struggling with the limited range of roles available to women of colour in Toronto’s theatre and film industries.

After years of roles that depicted negative

members who came back more than once. Since then, ‘da Kink has gone on to productions in the U.S. and London, and also inspired a television series.

stereotypes, she explains in her 2010 TEDxToronto talk, “I decided I was no longer going to respond to the calls of casting agents. I was going to respond to the call of truth that came from deep within. And that call was to see my life reflected authentically on the stage.”

Marion J. Caffey, who directed ‘da Kink in my Hair’s U.S. premiere at San Diego Rep in 2007, is excited to revisit the play at Theatre Calgary. “The cast that we’ve hired is extraordinary,” says Caffey. “That’s what excites me more than anything, because the performers drive this piece. I’m pretty hyped about beginning this journey with these particular actresses.” In Caffey’s

As it turned out, theatre audiences responded to this call as well, thrilled by Anthony’s vivid storytelling that deals forthrightly with race, class, sexuality, and the experiences of immigrants to Canada.

When ‘da Kink in my Hair began its journey

“In Caffey’s experience, part of the play’s beauty is its ability to reach across cultural barriers to build empathy and understanding.” experience, part of the play’s beauty is its ability to reach across cultural barriers to build empathy and understanding.

as a sensation at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2001, people lined up around the block to try to get tickets to sold-out shows. Following a Dora Award-nominated production at Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille, the play was picked up by Mirvish Productions in 2005 and became the first Canadian play ever presented in Toronto’s 2000-seat Princess of Wales Theatre. It played there to sold-out houses again and had to be extended five times to meet demand, including many devoted audience

“I think audiences in Calgary will quickly identify with the stories in ‘da Kink in my Hair,” he says. “There is a universal kinship among humans. If you take this journey with us, I hope you’ll come out having grown, which is what theatre always wants to do.”

Theatre Calgary

who what when

‘da Kink in my Hair

September 6 – October 1, 2016

where tickets

Max Bell Theatre

theatrecalgary.com

Left to right: Playwright and actor Trey Anthony. Photo by Richard Anthony Evans; Director Marion J. Caffey

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Proud to support JazzJazz and TD is proud to support and Music Festivals across Canada.

Music Festivals across Canada.

We are working together We together with with Arts ArtsCommons Commonstoto bring people together bring together through through aashared sharedlove loveofofmusic. music.

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The TD TD logo logo and and other other trade-marks trade-marks are are the the property property ofof The The Toronto-Dominion Toronto-Dominion Bank.

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The TD logo and other trade-marks are the property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank.

Arts Commons Fall 2016

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mosaics, motifs, and dinner menus: A conversation between two composers

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Arts Commons Winter 2016

WRITTEN BY MARK LIMACHER

A

restrained beauty. This is perhaps best visually illustrated in his recent “Elegy for the Arctic,” a Greenpeace on-location, promotional video featuring a bundled-up and contemplative Ludovico. Outside, floating on the water, on a stage constructed as an iceberg, sitting at a lone grand piano, he plays a sparse and somber melody as gigantic melting icebergs come crashing down around him.

s a composer-pianist listening to a fellow composer-pianist, there is something that immediately struck me about Ludovico Einaudi. His music creates an undeniable meditative quality with its melodious repeating patterns, organic pacing, and moments of reflective familiarity conjured by his piano and orchestra.

These features are, no doubt, a factor in Einaudi’s popularity in selling out concert halls, not just in his home country of Italy, but across the world. This is a music that connects with a rising musical trend toward reflection, and introspection—a counterpoint to a world full of figurative and literal noise.

“...Every part of the experience contributes to every other part.”

“The palette of colours is quite wide, as we can play very intimate and acoustic moments as well as very strong moments with big dynamics if I need to,” says Einaudi. “And the concert is quite coloured with these instruments around the piano.”

As I continued listening, I grew curious about the sequential arrangement of his latest album, Elements. What choices were made in its assemblage? Was there a larger structure at play? Does Elements constitute a single work, a “single listening” of sorts?

Einaudi himself drew comparison of the songs to chapters of a book. “If you see them all together, it’s like a mosaic, with different colours around the same idea,” says Einaudi.

“It’s like looking at the same theme through different angles and points of view.”

And it is this piano base that also sets Einaudi apart—he is that rare breed of contemporary classical composer that also performs his own work on stage, seated on a piano bench with his full orchestra behind him, simultaneously playing and conducting.

With repeated listens, it becomes clear that Einaudi is less concerned about a grand narrative or through-line, and is instead creating thematic juxtapositions within smaller moments and passages of music. We as listeners become drawn in by his work not only by its technical qualities, but by the ways in which one part follows and frames another.

Perhaps this balance of elements resonates with Einaudi’s audience, not because it suggests some antagonism towards our chaotic and clamorous world, but because it offers an appropriate counterpoint to it, the sort found in every layer of his music—a moment of repose before rejoining the fray.

“It’s always the tension between writing and performing that I deal with,” he says. “When writing, at a certain point you want to go out and perform, and then after a while of performing, you want to go back to writing.”

“Think of a menu,” says Einaudi. “You can compare it to a great restaurant. You can eat a good risotto [by itself], or you can start with something at the beginning and go right through to the risotto, to different dishes. It’s the combination of these different aspects that makes it impactful. Every part of the experience contributes to every other part.”

Arts Commons Presents

who what

Ludovico Einaudi – Elements

when

October 11, 2016

where tickets

Jack Singer Concert Hall

403-294-9494 or artscommons.ca

There is also a distinctive, dynamic contrast with his orchestration, with passages of grand bombast followed by a hushed,

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

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WRITTEN BY TASHA KOMERY

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Arts Commons Fall 2016

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irst of all, what is a cultural space?

There are different definitions, and all who try to define it admit to the complexity of the task.

According to the TC Neighborhood Project at the University of Minnesota, a cultural space can be physical (such as a home) or metaphorical (such as the internet). If you think about it, a cultural space could be anything from a community hall, to a city square, to a social network. Of course, at Arts Commons, we think of a cultural space as a place where ideas are shared, self-expression is celebrated, art abounds, and people connect. And as we look at the possibilities for our future, we imagine great things.

The ACT (Arts Commons Transformation) project is a vision to create a vibrant cultural space, that began many years ago (it was called something different back then), prompted by a 2007 Calgary Arts

“we need a space that is flexible and not over-designed.

There is a lot of interest in more food, more music, more art, more opportunities for cultural events.”

Development Authority (CADA) study that found that “all of Calgary’s arts and culture facilities are operating at or near capacity”. The vision for Project 2010 was “To create a cultural and artistic experience that engages and inspires citizens through a bold rejuvenation of our facility, through developing new ways of working together, and through acting as an agent of positive change in our neighbourhood.”

So, that was then. What about now?

ACT is still a strong vision and a working initiative, now in partnership with the City and the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), who were instrumental in the East Village revitalization.

© Bob Franklin

As part of the first phase in this massive project, the City recently conducted surveys and focus groups around the improvement of the Olympic Plaza Cultural District, of which Arts Commons is a part of. A variety of engagements sought public input on amenities, activities, and features that citizens would like to see in the space.

The final report on these findings is still in the works. However, Carlie Ferguson, Urban Strategy Lead at the City of Calgary, indicated that the biggest takeaway from these sessions was that “we need a space that is flexible and not over-designed.

There is a lot of interest in more food, more music, more art, more opportunities for cultural events.”

© Marilyn Peddle | marilynjanephotography.co.uk

© C-Monster.net

Looking around the world, most cities have squares. Europe (think Saint Peter’s Square in Rome, or Trafalgar Square in London) and the United States (think Bryant Park in NYC or Union Square in Washington, DC) are filled with beautiful squares (despite the pigeons), usually with an important building adjacent to it. And it is in these public squares and buildings that people congregate, interact, and exchange ideas.

I personally want to see an inclusive space, with interactive public art, greenery, places for popup shops or cafes, and a place for personal expression, dialogue, collaboration, and congregation…. and pigeons. Actually, on second thought, light on the pigeons.

Above top to bottom: Angela Palmer's installation Ghost Forest highlights the issue of deforestation in Trafalgar Square; Pink Gophers installation in Olympic Plaza for The City of Calgary Parks’ 100th anniversary; Walk The Walk, a performance by Kate Gilmore in Bryant Park, New York.

What do you think makes a great cultural space? Share your thoughts, images, and ideas on social media, using the hashtag #Space4Culture

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

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Rokia Traoré

November 17, 2016

Arts Commons, Jack Singer Concert Hall, 7:30pm

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Warm up before the show with cocktails at Sandstone Lounge and complimentary, heated parking at Hyatt Regency Calgary.

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The success of an unfashionable playwright A CONVERSATION WITH JOHN MURRELL WRITTEN BY ANNE GEORG

D

on’t let John Murrell’s intellectual brilliance and the numerous accolades he’s received, fool you.

The celebrated Canadian man of letters is above all, a compassionate man of the people.

Murrell’s credentials include the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. That and other well deserved honours come from his impressive and diverse creative output spanning a 40-plus-year career as a playwright, librettist, and translator. His dozen-plus plays have been translated into 15 languages and performed in 30 countries around the world.

“I’ve not been a fashionable playwright, but I have been a successful one,” he says, blue eyes twinkling.

This season, Calgarians can see for themselves some of Murrell’s output – and his humanity – in new and vintage works.

In September, Waiting for the Parade is returning to its cradle as part of Alberta Theatre Projects’ 45th anniversary season, four decades after Murrell wrote it as playwright-in-residence. It tells the heartwarming story of five Calgary women during the Second World War. Murrell recalls that it was roundly panned at the time. “It’s like a folk play,” he observes. “The critics overlooked how this touched real people in their real lives. It was about their 14

Arts Commons Fall 2016

memories of their mothers and the stories they heard from their grandparents.”

Murrell got the last laugh. “It has never been out of production,” he notes. Waiting for the Parade has been produced in theatres the world over, including Off Broadway and in Japan.

A lover of the opera, Murrell also writes librettos. In 2003, together with composer John Estacio, he wrote Filumena. Set in Canada’s rum-running wild west, it is the tragic “folk” story of the last woman to be hanged in Alberta. In February, Calgary Opera is remounting Filumena, now the most produced Canadian grand opera in history.

Seventy-one years old and still driven by his creativity, Murrell continues producing new work that excites him. “I'm in the encyclopedia now,” he says. “It’s a matter of record that I did some good. I feel more free to write what I want to write. And I have lots of stuff on the front and back burners.”

Among the “stuff” is Fat Jack Falstaff’s Last Hour, Murrell’s latest collaboration with One Yellow Rabbit. The play, premiering in October, reflects his longtime fascination with all things Shakespearean. “This is another folk play. It’s set in the world under Henry V at war against France,” Murrell explains. “But it’s about people’s real experience – like Falstaff in the process

of dying, having lived a large life, and facing a small death, as most deaths are.” Murrell will take the stage, playing the aged Falstaff.

“Once in a while, I have to act and think old and feeble, which is a great gift. It reminds me how long the journey has been and how much longer it could be.” Becoming reflective, he adds, “My main feeling about my own life and work is how extraordinarily lucky I’ve been.”

This year we’re all lucky. John Murrell is in the house.

Waiting for the Parade Alberta Theatre Projects Sept. 13 – Oct. 1, 2016 Arts Commons, Martha Cohen Theatre Fat Jack Falstaff’s Last Hour One Yellow Rabbit Oct. 25 – Nov. 5, 2016 Arts Commons, Big Secret Theatre Filumena Calgary Opera February 4, 8 & 10, 2017 Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium

“...My main feeling about my own life and work is how extraordinarily lucky I've been.”

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A glimpse of the visual arts in Arts Commons this season 2

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WRITTEN BY BETH MCINTYRE

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I

f you have ever been to Arts Commons, you know that there's art just about everywhere you look, sometimes where you’d expect it, but most often where you would least expect it. I once thought the building would be the perfect venue for an art scavenger hunt.

“We work with over 120 visual and media artists a year who are in our galleries creating bodies of work, installations, and films,” says Natasha Jensen, Visual and Media Arts Coordinator. “We want the space to have an open dialogue of what it means to be an artist and what inspires them.”

Consisting of multiple art galleries — The Ledge Gallery, +15 Soundscape, Window Galleries, Gallery of Alberta Media Art (GAMA), Lightbox Studio — every space in Arts Commons has something different, but all are united by a common theme. For the fall season, Jensen has curated a set of diverse works revolving around the idea of abstraction, and the power of humour and self-reflection.

Taking over The Ledge Gallery is Edmontonbased painter and installation artist Sarah van Sloten. Her tongue-in-cheek exhibition, Lady Painter, functions as a loose and playful self-portrait, documenting the artist’s experience working within a space, while exploring stereotypes, pop culture, and everyday life.

Down the stairs in the Lightbox Studio, you can see Calgary artist Lyndon Navalta’s massive pencil crayon portraits of LGBTQ men. With a career in illustration and animation, this is Lyndon’s first exhibition, opening up conversations about sexuality

and desire by celebrating the unusual glamour of masculinity.

The other spaces in the building include Rhys Farrell and Pieter Kuschke’s experiments in colour and paintings, Michael Red’s Arctic soundscapes featuring Tanya Tagaq, and a selection of surreal and charming short films by Joe Kelly, D. Raylene Campbell, and Jordan Schinkel.

For example, when you sit down at a busy sketching station to draw rare, encased insects, you may better understand the importance of nature conservancy in a particular artist’s work. Or when you see a burlesque performance at an arts reception, you may feel a stronger appreciation for what another piece around the corner has to say about femininity.

In many Arts Commons spaces, the artists are present and publicly creating their art day-by-day for you to observe and inquire about. This allows passers-by to experience the entire journey of creation, from blank canvas to exhibition-ready, demystifying the process and inviting the audience to become more involved. “When you are engaged with something, you not only understand it better, but you want to understand it more deeply,” says Jensen.

“Happenings at Arts Commons is for people who love art and want a deeper experience with art that isn’t passive,” says Jensen. “It’s active. It’s messy. It’s a new way to engage with artists and the work that they create.”

And that truly is the best thing about Happenings. It welcomes the art newbie, giving them something relatable and offering points of interest to self-curate, closes the gap between art and observer, and provides an opportunity to interact and engage with both artists and fellow art lovers. Plus, it’s a crazy good time.

Which brings us to Happenings. With the variety and complexity of all this artwork, what’s the best way to navigate it?

The term ‘Happenings’ began in the ‘60s as an artistic and political movement, with spontaneous activities to redefine conservative expectations and regain authenticity. This philosophy inspired Jensen, who envisions Happenings as a way to draw back the curtain of art making.

Happenings #6, on October 31st, is themed as a Dadaist Halloween Party—glamourously absurd. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes and will have the opportunity to participate in various activities at the event.

While first and foremost a reception for the exhibiting artists, Happenings is also an art party, adding live performances, talks, films, and interactive activities to provide different entry points into the work that is being celebrated.

“Lots of art exhibitions bring people to art,” says Jensen. “What Happenings does is brings art to people.”

1 Lyndon Navalta 2 Rhys Farrell 3 Sarah van Sloten 4 D. Raylene Campbell 5 Pieter Kuschke 6 Jenny and Suzie Bonar's insect collection at Happenings #3 and a take-away from Mireille Perron's Feminist Pataphysics performance at Happenings #4 7 A selection of buttons co-created with patrons at Happenings #2

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You’re invited to a FREE Dadaist Halloween Party!*

October 31, 2016

Arts Commons, 6–9pm Mezzanine Level LOCAL ARTISTS // LIVE PERFORMANCES // PANEL DISCUSSIONS // CREATIVE STATIONS // AND MORE!

Learn more and invite your friends at artscommons.ca/happenings And SAVE THE DATE for Happenings #7! February 27, 2017

*Not for kids!

Supporting those who brighten our lives.

Arts and culture have a unique capacity for creating community spirit and bringing people together. A thriving creative scene not only provides entertainment, but also inspires fresh ideas and perspectives. At Cenovus, we’re big fans of those.

Cenovus Energy. A Canadian oil company. cenovus.com

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Arts Commons Fall 2016

New ideas. New approaches.

Become a member of Founders Circle and discover exceptional benefits and exclusive offers, all while helping us share the transformative power of the arts with many more in our community.

Join today!

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All photos Š Will Young

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

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Arts Commons Fall 2016

FINDING HUMAN CONNECTIONS THROUGH THE ARTS WRITTEN BY HILARY ANGROVE

H

agir Sail was just nine years old when she immigrated to Canada.

She and her family were living in the United Arab Emirates, but after a diplomat took notice of her father’s skills, they were all invited to make the long journey. She remembers those days, arriving in an unfamiliar place and knowing only two words - ‘Yes’ and ‘No’.

Seema Jindal, on the other hand, had lived abroad, completed three university degrees, and arrived in Canada with her son six years ago from India. She is now a budding entrepreneur, and despite their immigrant status, both Sail and Jindal speak perfect English, with vocabularies far beyond what is expected of most Canadians, whom they refer to affectionately as "mainstream."

The two of them were among 200 individuals new to Canada who were invited to attend a BD&P World Music performance by Iranian-born artists Kayhan Kalhor and Niyaz at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Even now, in her mid-twenties, Sail feels that some events outside her community can be coupled with feelings of cultural anxiety.

“There’s fear in going to these things alone,” says Sail. “Nobody looks like me.

Nobody understands me. What will the dress code be?”

She also recalls her family’s difficulties integrating, as such efforts were outweighed by other priorities like working an evening job. As a result, many newcomers like Sail can’t find or take the opportunity to experience the arts beyond their smaller, cultural venues.

This made Sail’s evening at Arts Commons’ Jack Singer Concert Hall all the more unique: this was an unusual cross section

of communities, social class, entertainment, and education. There was an unexpected connectedness created through the collective curiosity of the audience that was there to understand another culture, and a sense of pride among those who were being represented. Despite not being Iranian, the showcasing of another culture’s music in the “mainstream” made her feel included and represented.

“This is the home the media does not showcase. This is the home I want you to know about. This is home for me,” says Sail.

“They are embracing me, including me. I belong. Without speaking, music and dance told my story.”

Above, left to right: Lovella Penaranda, Hagir Sail, and Seema Jindal

This sense of community was strongest for Seema Jindal during Niyaz’s performance when a whirling dervish took to the stage.

The whirling dance that the dervish performs is a spiritual exercise that proliferates through numerous cultures in varying styles.

For Seema, watching the dervish was a meditative practice.

This experience was part of a pilot project and partnership between Arts Commons and the Ethno-Cultural Centre of Calgary (ECCC), which facilitates Calgary’s ethno-cultural communities towards full civic participation and integration. After the success of this first event, the two organizations are going ahead with 500 more tickets and experiences in the upcoming season, part of a larger community program known as the TD Arts Access Pass.

“The more she moves the more centred you become,” says Jindal. “The Jack Singer gradually got so silent that if you were to drop a pin, you would hear it.”

As for Sail, powerful memories of African drumbeats and quick footwork emerged while watching the dervish. Between the two, there was the feeling that, through the dervish, a shred of their own culture was being showcased to a larger, more diverse audience.

“We are so grateful for this pilot project,” says Lovella Penaranda, the Multicultural Coordinator for the ECCC. What began as an initiative for Syrian refugees quickly expanded in scope to allow newcomers, immigrants, temporary foreign workers, and those who would otherwise not have the opportunity, to see shows like this inside the Jack Singer Concert Hall.

“We cannot do this on our own, bridging communities on such a large scale, breaking down barriers” says Jindal. For her, attending the show was a welcome introduction to local culture through art— less about the hard facts, and more about human connection. “It was beautiful.”

“Having a foreign culture presented in such a large venue and having mainstream Canadians pay respect to it, you can imagine how powerful and inclusive that feels, living in this community, living in Calgary,” says Penaranda.

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

21

what’s on

September 5 – November 27, 2016 visual and media arts

Arts Commons Presents Gallery of Alberta Media Arts

MSG, A show for nobody, and Trajectory Alberta media artists Joe Kelly, Jordan Schinkel, and Raylene Campbell create short works experimenting with cameraless filmmaking, digital superimposition, and visual music. where when info

September 5 – November 27, 2016

Arts Commons

Always open artscommons.ca

September 5 – November 27, 2016

visual and media arts

Arts Commons Presents

Lady Painter

Edmonton artist and painter Sarah van Sloten creates a tongue-in-cheek mixedmedia installation examining the stereotypes of women in tones alternatingly serious, playful, odd, eclectic, awkward, and sincere. where

The Ledge Gallery Always open info artscommons.ca when

visual and media arts

Arts Commons Presents

Hunting. Gathering. Worshiping.

Calgary artist Lyndon Navalta creates massive pencil crayon portraits of LGBTQ men, opening up conversations about sexuality and desire by celebrating the unusual glamour of masclinity. With a career in illustration and animation, this is Lyndon’s first exhibition. where when

September 5 – November 27, 2016

info

Lightbox Studio

Always open artscommons.ca

visual and media arts

Arts Commons Presents

Patterns on Patterns and This is a Painting Rhys Farrell, Pieter Kuschke, and Lindsay Wells present works that experiment with shape, line, colour, pattern, and the concept of painting itself. A layered and insightful meta-work from Calgary-based artists. where

Window Galleries Always open info artscommons.ca when

September 5 – November 27, 2016 visual and media arts

Arts Commons Presents

A Time A Place, Revisited Vancouver music producer Michael Red creates songs and soundscapes inspired by, and made exclusively from, the Canadian Arctic. Features Polaris Prize throat singer Tanya Tagaq. where when info

september 22

Arts Commons Fall 2016

+15 Soundscape

Always open artscommons.ca

September 6 – October 1, 2016

September 9, 2016

theatre

music

Theatre Calgary

Honens

The smash hit play that inspired the television series now comes to Western Canada for the first time. Eight distinctive women in a Toronto hair salon share their unforgettable stories with surprising honesty and extraordinary joy.

Pianist Marc-André Hamelin headlines the 2016 Honens Festival with a program of works by Beethoven, Brahms, Feinberg, Haydn and Ravel.

‘da Kink in my Hair

by Trey Anthony

where when

tickets

2016 Honens Festival: Marc-André Hamelin

where when

Max Bell Theatre

tickets

September 11, 2016 music

Mike Chadwick Management

An Evening with David Crosby

film

Brazilian Community Association of Alberta

Legendary singer-songwriter, social justice activist, two-time Hall of Famer, Grammywinner, and member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, celebrates over 20 years of timeless music.

Brazilian Film Series

Celebrate September, the month of Brazil’s Independence Day and Alberta’s Culture Days with this free event! Selected Brazilian movies will be screened during this series. where when

where

Engineered Air Theatre

when

Show times vary brazilianassociation.org

theatre

Alberta Theatre Projects

Waiting for the Parade

Tibetan Association of Alberta

Tibetan Culture Show

where

Engineered Air Theatre

2pm albertatibetan.com

The Home Front, World War II, Calgary.

Five very different women wait out the war in this touching drama that is one of our country’s best-loved plays. Together, they find a way to survive a defining moment in Canadian history, when a national identity based on working together and accepting difference was born.

© Paul Paul Natkin Natkin ©

A showcase of Tibetan traditional dance and singing from all three provinces of Tibet (Utsang, Amdo, and Kham), including the yak dance, snow lion dance, and short plays.

7:30pm artscommons.ca

September 13 – October 1, 2016

music

when

Jack Singer Concert Hall

tickets

September 11, 2016

info

7:30pm honens.com

Show times vary theatrecalgary.com

September 10, 2016

info

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where when

tickets

Artists, dates and programs subject to change. Listings within is as of time of press.

Martha Cohen Theatre

Show times vary ATPlive.com

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

23

September 16, 2016

September 22, 2016

music

music

Cantares Venezuelan Cultural Foundation

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Venezuelan Culture Days kicks off with a photographic and sculpture exhibition, Aboriginal songs by the Cantares Venezuelan Choir, a contemporary dance performance, and a drum clinic performed by Willy Mayo and Luis el Pana Tovar.

Journey back to the land and music of Hyrule with Master Quest, the next chapter in the acclaimed world tour, The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses, a multimedia concert experience that celebrates the beloved franchise.

Venezuelan Culture Days: Drums Clinic

Engineered Air Theatre

where when info

7pm cantaresvcf.com

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses – Master Quest

where when

tickets

Jack Singer Concert Hall

8pm calgaryphil.com

September 17, 2016

September 24, 2016

music

music

Arts Commons Presents

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Named one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Voices of All Time, Mavis Staples has left an indelible mark on the last 60 years of gospel, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll.

Take a sneak peek at our exciting 2016/2017 Season! Sample music from all of our exciting concert series ranging from Pops and Specials to Classics, review upcoming concerts and enjoy exclusive one-night only ticket offers.

BD&P World Music Special Presentation: Mavis Staples

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where when

tickets

7:30pm artscommons.ca

A Taste of the Calgary Philharmonic

where when

tickets

September 21, 2016 film

Calgary International Film Festival

CIFF 2016 Opening Gala

CIFF is a 12-day celebration of visual arts and cinema, screening more than 200 multi-genre films from more than 100 countries, and highlighted by a series of gala events, awards ceremonies, and special presentations.

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where when info

7:30pm artscommons.ca

24

Arts Commons Fall 2016

6:30pm calgaryphil.com

September 24, 2016 music

Nhac Chieu Guitar

Thu Hoai Huong (Autumn Nostalgia) Calgary Vietnamese group Nhac Chieu Guitar presents an unforgettal acoustic music show, with all songs selected and performed in Vietnamese by local singers and musicians, bringing the audience back to the beloved far-away country. where when

september

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Engineered Air Theatre

6:30pm

FIVE THINGS I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TROMBONE SHORTY!

September 27, 2016 music

Arts Commons Presents

TD Jazz: Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Raise the roof! Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and hard-edged funk band Orleans Avenue mix R&B, jazz, rock, and rap straight from the streets of New Orleans. A funky, brass dance party to remember. where

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews became a bandleader at age six, and got his name as his instrument was twice his size at the time

This one time at Jazz Camp...Troy met Joey and Mike as kids and became fast friends, and they later joined his Orleans Avenue band as drummer and bassist!

TD Jazz: Trombone Shorty

Shorty was handpicked to join Lenny Kravitz’s horn section at age 19, and they remain friends and collaborators today

Jack Singer Concert Hall

7:30pm tickets artscommons.ca when

His inspiring story was recently turned into a best-selling children’s book, written

by Shorty himself, and is full of illustrations highlighting his New Orleans upbringing

Most recently, Shorty performed at the White House for President Barack Obama during Black History Month, alongside BB King, Mick Jagger, and Booker T. Jones

September 30, 2016

October 1, 2016

comedy

YYComedy Collective

free public program

Calgary Stand-up All Stars

where

Alberta Culture Days Activities

© Julien-Faugère

The 5th annual Calgary Stand-Up All-Stars, presented by The Costume Shoppe, is a major highlight of the YYComedy Festival.

Featuring Graham Clarke, Ophira Eisenberg, Andrew Albert, Kevin Stobo, and Cory Mack.

Arts Commons Presents

Arts Commons invites you to come and celebrate Canada’s rich culture for free arts activities over the noon hour. Also available is our self-guided visual arts tour.

Engineered Air Theatre

where

8pm tickets yycomedy.ca when

when info

Centre Court

Afternoon artscommons.ca

September 30 & October 1, 2016

October 1, 2016

music

free public program

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Arts Commons Presents

The pairing of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 alongside Symphony No. 4, Bruckner’s most famous symphonic work, launches the 2016–17 Classics Season with a Romantic flourish, featuring Canadian pianist Janina Fialkowska.

Join us for a completely unique drawing experience that gives you the chance to be inspired by the rich and detailed costumes of the stage. This free session is themed around Theatre Calgary and Alberta Theatre Projects’ vast costume collection. Register today!

Life Drawing

Epic Romance: Chopin & Bruckner

where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where

8pm Friday, 2pm Saturday tickets calgaryphil.com when

sept/oct

when info

The Hub

11am – 2pm artscommons.ca

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

25

October 7 & 8, 2016

October 11 – 29, 2016

music

theatre

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Theatre Calgary

Delight in the magic of Disney with popular Disney songs presented alongside the original film clips, including Frozen, Tangled, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King.

Critics have called it “spell-binding,” “dazzlingly original,” and “a can’t miss theatrical experience.” Take an explosive journey through the music, culture, and politics that defined the Baby Boom generation from 1945 to 1969.

Disney in Concert: Tale as Old as Time

BOOM: Written, Directed, and Performed by Rick Miller

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where

where

7:30pm Friday, 2pm Saturday tickets calgaryphil.com when

when

tickets

Max Bell Theatre

Show times vary theatrecalgary.com

October 7 – 17, 2016

October 12, 2016

festival

music

Wordfest

Jeff Parry Promotions

Wordfest sparks lively, illuminating and meaningful conversations between Calgary’s readers and the world’s most engaging writers.

Events include readings, workshops, panel discussions and page-defying performances (such as the popular Literary Death Match) from authors writing in every genre and for all ages.

Celebrating Frank’s 100th birthday, A Night With Sinatra features what Variety calls “the closest thing to Sinatra we have ever heard.” Rick Michel salutes and interprets “Ol’ Blue Eyes” standards from the Big Band Days through to the Rat Pack nights.

Big Secret Theatre, Motel Theatre

where

and other venues around town 10am – 9pm tickets wordfest.com when

October 11, 2016 music

Arts Commons Presents

BD&P World Music: Ludovico Einaudi – Elements Italy’s Ludovico Einaudi has risen to become one of the world’s most prolific contemporary pianists and composers, with soaring, emotional melodies and meditative scores that interweave piano, strings, percussion, guitar, and electronica.

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where

7:30pm tickets artscommons.ca when

october 26

Arts Commons Fall 2016

A Night with Sinatra

© Bernhard Kristinn

Wordfest

where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when 7:30pm tickets

artscommons.ca

October 13, 2016 music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Rush Hour: The Best Loved Classics

Every one of these colossal pieces is sure to bring the house down, from the William Tell Overture, to Wagner’s boisterous Ride of the Valkyries. These works have defined great music and wowed audiences for more than 200 years. where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when 8pm tickets

calgaryphil.com

October 14 & 15, 2016

October 20, 2016

music

music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Shantero Productions

Lunch at Allen’s

Dancing Queen: The Music of ABBA

Four remarkable Canadian talents— Murray McLauchlan, Cindy Church, Marc Johnson, and Ian Thomas—come together for an intimate and humourous stage show, featuring songs familiar to anyone who has turned on a radio in the past two decades.

A night of ABBA music is the ultimate guilty pleasure for many of us. Enjoy ABBA’s finest moments including “Knowing Me, Knowing You”, “Waterloo”, “Fernando”, “Does Your Mother Know ”, “Money, Money, Money”, “Mamma Mia”, and more. where

where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when

8pm tickets calgaryphil.com when

Jack Singer Concert Hall

7:30pm

artscommons.ca

tickets

October 21, 2016

October 18 – November 5, 2016

comedy

Just for Laughs

theatre

Alberta Theatre Projects

Danny Bhoy: Commonwealth Comedian

A new Canadian musical from awardwinning Catalyst Theatre, Fortune Falls is an inventive and darkly whimsical story about a time and place in between what was, and what is yet to be.

International comedy sensation Danny Bhoy returns to Canada with his new show. With a natural gift for storytelling combined with a razor wit, he has become one of the most unique and critically-acclaimed stand-ups working in the world today.

Fortune Falls

where when

Martha Cohen Theatre

Show times vary

tickets

where

ATPlive.com

when

tickets

October 19 – 23, 2016 Fire Exit Theatre

music

Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir

when info

Engineered Air Theatre

7:30 (Mon–Sat), 2pm (Sat & Sun) fireexit.ca

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Greatest Classical Hits

Thrilling audiences for generations, these classical hits are crowd-pleasing essentials for classical music novices and connoisseurs alike. Extraordinary young Canadian violinist Isabella Perron brings nature’s waking moments vividly to life with Vivaldi’s joyful "Spring" from The Four Seasons.

© Shawn Peters

where

7pm & 9:30pm artscommons.ca

October 22, 2016

theatre

In this cuttingly poignant performance, Susan E. Isaacs chronicles her rocky relationship with the Almighty—from early childhood to midlife crisis—with churches ranging from the Pentecostals to Slackers for Jesus. Winner at United Solo in New York.

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where when

tickets

Jack Singer Concert Hall

8pm calgaryphil.ca

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

27

speaker series

Arts Commons Presents

National Geographic Live: I Bought a Rainforest with photojournalist Charlie Hamilton James Charlie Hamilton James spent two decades shooting in Peru’s Manú National Park— one of the most biodiverse places on Earth before making a spur-of-the-moment decision to buy 100 acres of the rainforest as his contribution to the conservation effort.

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where when

2pm (Sun), 7pm (Mon)

tickets

©Charlie Hamilton James

October 23 & 24, 2016

October 29, 2016 music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Classical Guitar Frontiers with Yamandu Costa Brazilian guitar legend Yamandu Costa performs his sparkling new work, Concerto de Fronteira, along with other compelling classical Brazilian masterpieces including the famous Adagio from the beloved Concierto de Aranjuez, and the beautiful choral showpiece Maracatu de Chico Rei. where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when 8pm tickets

calgaryphil.com

artscommons.ca

October 25 – November 5, 2016 theatre

October 28 & 29, 2016 music

Arts Commons Presents

One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre

PCL Blues: Martin Harley

Internationally renowned Calgary playwright John Murrell and the irrepressible One Yellow Rabbit ensemble offer a “final scene” for Shakespeare’s most delightful and deplorable character, Sir John Falstaff.

Acoustic fans take note! Deep-rooted blues and folk devotee Martin Harley uses his warm slide guitar to channel the Mississippi Delta from the UK, equally adept at shouting gritty room-stompers and telling articulate, sun-drenched ballads.

Fat Jack Falstaff’s Last Hour

Big Secret Theatre

where

where

Engineered Air Theatre

8pm

8pm tickets OYR.org

when

October 28, 2016

October 30, 2016

music

music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Calgary Civic Symphony

Johannes Moser turns up the heat with his electric cello on Magnetar, alongside a program of popular works showcasing Mexico’s finest composers, including the irresistible rhythms, percussive flourishes, congos, bongos, and tom-toms on the exhilarating La Noche de los Mayas.

Experience Gustav Holst’s voyage to The Planets and Calgary’s first live performance of the music from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Come as your favourite Star Wars or Star Trek character and enter the preshow costume contest!

when

Viva! Mexico with Johannes Moser

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where

when 8pm tickets

calgaryphil.com

october 28

Arts Commons Fall 2016

tickets

artscommons.ca

Space: The Final Frontier

where when info

Jack Singer Concert Hall

2:30pm artscommons.ca

October 31, 2016

November 3 – 5, 2016

visual and media arts

comedy

Improv Guild

Arts Commons Presents

Happenings #6

An Improvisation of Psycho

This artist reception and art party is themed as a Dadaist Halloween Party—glamourously absurd. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes and will have the opportunity to participate in various activities.

Calgary’s own Improv Guild takes the story of Psycho and leaves it in the hands of the audiences! Like Improv MacBeth, this wonderful and scary tale goes through the meat grinder of improvisation to make each night uniquely hilarious.

where when

Mezzanine Level

6–9pm artscommons.ca/happenings

info

where

tickets

improvguild.com

November 5, 2016

November 2, 2016

music

music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Buenos Aires Tango with Sarah Chang

Branford Marsalis: Bachianas & Boléro

Onward to Argentina, with a spotlight shining on the sultry and evocative capital city and nuevo tango style pioneered by Astor Piazzolla. His masterwork, Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, sizzles under the spell of violinist Sarah Chang.

Three-time Grammy® winner Branford Marsalis delivers sophisticated style to Brazil’s finest composer Heitor Villa-Lobos and his lush Bach and folk-influenced Bachianas. Also featuring Ravel’s exotic Boléro plus two Latin American-inspired works by Gershwin and Bernstein. where when

Engineered Air Theatre

when 8pm

where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

tickets

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when 8pm tickets

7:30pm calgaryphil.com

calgaryphil.com

November 11 & 12, 2016 November 3, 2016

music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

music

Mozart Requiem

Arts Commons Presents

BD&P World Music: Rokia Traoré

Mozart’s dramatic Requiem remains one of his most powerful and riveting works.

Feverishly written on his deathbed, this enigmatic choral monument continues to fascinate audiences with the shadowy circumstances surrounding the work’s commission and completion.

Singer-songwriter Rokia Traoré dismisses the notion of genre, blending the sounds of her native Mali with blues, rock, jazz, and folk, resulting in one of the most inventive and politically-charged artists from Africa today. where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where

when 7:30pm tickets

artscommons.ca

oct/nov

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when 8pm tickets

calgaryphil.com

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

29

November 22, 2016

November 16, 2016 dance

music

Moscow Ballet

Live Nation

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker is the Holiday tradition that brings the Christmas spirit to life. Bring the whole family for the sweetest Christmas celebration of the season.

Following a 9-country Europe-spanning tour, Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow returns to Calgary. Last seen in a sold-out 2015 show at Knox United Church, this is a show to get tickets early to.

James Vincent McMorrow

The Nutcracker

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where

where

McMorrow’s We Move tour celebrates the rising artist’s third album, as his followership grows from collaborations with Kygo and being featured in Game of Thrones.

music

Arts Commons Presents

TD Jazz: Dee Dee Bridgewater with Theo Croker Three-time Grammy and Tony Award winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater returns to Calgary. This time, she is joined with young trumpet innovator Theo Croker for a show that celebrates both emerging prodigies and established jazz veterans.

“Sonically audacious, visually stunning and meticulously modern” —The Times “A richly textured, hip-hop influenced odyssey” —Esquire

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when 7:30pm

“Profound and unexpected... a singular style” —Mojo

artscommons.ca

tickets

Margaret Cho Live!

American comedian, actress, fashion designer, author, singer-songwriter, provocateur, and LGBT icon Margaret Cho brings her socially aware, no-holds-barred stand-up comedy that has made her both a thought leader and a tolerant teacher to open minds and open hearts. Not-to-be missed pre-show lobby party starts at 7:30pm!

©Dusti Cunningham

Arts Commons Presents

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where

when 9pm tickets

artscommons.ca

november 30

Arts Commons Fall 2016

November 22 – December 31, 2016 theatre

Alberta Theatre Projects

Slipper: A Distinctly Calgarian Cinderella Story Celebrate the Holidays with a fun new show for the whole family! This light-hearted, music-filled update to Cinderella brings the story into our time with fun, heart, and a whole lot of jokes about life in Calgary. where

Martha Cohen Theatre

when

Show times vary ATPlive.com

tickets

November 24 – December 24, 2016

November 19, 2016 comedy

artscommons.ca

info

November 17, 2016

where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when 8pm

7pm tickets artscommons.ca when

theatre

Theatre Calgary

A Christmas Carol This season we celebrate a remarkable thirty years of bringing A Christmas Carol to Calgary. Stephen Hair returns as Ebenezer Scrooge in the annual production that the Calgary Sun called “the best of all possible versions of A Christmas Carol.” where when

tickets

Max Bell Theatre

Show times vary theatrecalgary.com

November 25, 2016

November 27, 2016

music

music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Calgary Civic Symphony

Calgary Phil Presents: Neil Cockburn – Organ Masterpieces

Holiday Magic

Celebrate the holiday season with music— from the baroque beauty of Corelli and Bach to seasonal gems like the Nutcracker Suite. Experience the virtuosity of some of Calgary's best musicians.

With 6040 impressive pipes, the majestic Carthy Organ is the grand centrepiece of the Jack Singer Concert Hall. Calgary-based Neil Cockburn’s commanding expertise and diverse range of French Symphonic repertoire ranges from Saint-Saëns to Guilmant in this special recital performance. where

where when info

Jack Singer Concert Hall

2:30pm artscommons.ca

December 2 & 3, 2016

when 8pm

calgaryphil.com

tickets

Jack Singer Concert Hall

music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Cirque Musica Holiday Spectacular

November 25 & 26, 2016

The family orchestral circus spectacular returns by popular demand to unveil some new festive surprises! Experience daring aerialists suspended high above the Orchestra and gymnasts performing stunning feats, seamlessly choreographed to orchestral holiday favourites.

music

Arts Commons Presents

PCL Blues: Angel Forrest Angel Forrest’s fiery red hair and whiskysmoked voice has made her instantly recognizable throughout her 27-year career. This Quebec blues belter has won the Maple Blues Award for Female Vocalist three years in a row! where

where when tickets

tickets

December 5, 2016 – February 27, 2017

artscommons.ca

visual and media arts

November 26, 2016

Arts Commons Presents

Cryptic Selections

comedy

Jones Entertainment Group

Calgary-based artist Svea Ferguson explores the vast potential of material, using linoleum and vinyl flooring as source material to create new, ornate art objects. At once familiar and recognizable, but also transformed and unknown.

Puppetry of the Penis The hit show that was raised in Melbourne, became a sell-out at Edinburgh Fringe, was translated into three languages, and now calls Vegas home, comes to Calgary to frighten your friends, educate your loved ones, and keep you laughing. when tickets

8pm, 2pm Matinee calgaryphil.com

Engineered Air Theatre

when 8pm

where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

where when

Jack Singer Concert Hall

info

The Ledge Gallery

Always open artscommons.ca

8pm artscommons.ca

nov/dec

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

31

December 5, 2016 – February 27, 2017 visual and media arts

December 9 & 10, 2016 music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Arts Commons Presents

Handel’s Messiah

A special exhibition showcasing the diversity of the Cyanotype process in contemporary photography with a selection of prints from international artists Emma Powell, Jaime Erin Johnson, and Juilee Pryor from Seities Studio.

Acclaimed British Maestro Nicholas McGegan returns to lead this popular annual performance of Messiah. Featuring an outstanding cast of guest soloists and the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus, this profound work of faith and hope has been inspiring audiences for centuries.

The Photographic Blue

where

Window Galleries

when

where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

Always open tickets artscommons.ca

when 7:30pm

December 5, 2016 – February 27, 2017

December 11, 2016

visual and media arts

Arts Commons Presents Gallery of Alberta Media Arts

DRONE, SMOKE, and Subnivean Snuff

Alberta media artists Greg Marshall, JeanRené Leblanc, Andy Dinh, and Rachel Evans create works that study voyeurism, technology, ecosystems, and post-it notes! where when info

Arts Commons

Always open artscommons.ca

tickets

calgaryphil.com

music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Sing-Along Messiah

Hallelujah! Raise your voice and be part of the biggest choir in town. Sing-along with the CPO Chorus and guest soloists in this holiday event as hundreds of Calgarians raise the rafters of the Jack Singer Concert Hall. where when

tickets

Jack Singer Concert Hall

7:30pm calgaryphil.com

December 12, 2016

December 5, 2016 – February 26, 2017

free public program

visual and media arts

Join us for a completely unique drawing experience that gives you the chance to be inspired by the rich and detailed costumes of the stage. Each free session is themed around Theatre Calgary and Alberta Theatre Projects’ vast costume collection. Register today!

Arts Commons Presents

The Story of Plants Calgary artist Alyssa Ellis continues her constant ongoing, revolving, and dissolving love affair with botanical life by creating a new body of work with poisonous plants, drawing inspiration from Grant Allen’s 1985 pocketbook. where when info

Lightbox Studio

Always open artscommons.ca

december 32

Arts Commons Fall 2016

Arts Commons Presents

Life Drawing

where

The Hub

when 6:30pm info

artscommons.ca

December 15, 2016 music

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

A Rockin’ Little Christmas Rock around the Christmas tree with the exceptionally talented Gavin Hope (The Nylons), Jeans ‘n Classics, and your Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Featuring seasonal hits “Merry Christmas Baby”, “Santa Baby”, “Jingle Bell Rock”, “White Christmas”, “Huron Carol”, and many more. where

Jack Singer Concert Hall

when 8pm tickets

calgaryphil.com

December 18, 2016 music

Calgary Girls Choir

Hark the Glad Sound 2016 The five choral ensembles of the Calgary Girls Choir—made up of Prima, Bella, Dolce, Viva, and Brava between the ages of four and twenty-four— perform this special festive concert at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. where when info

Jack Singer Concert Hall

visit website artscommons.ca

December 31, 2016 free public program

Arts Commons Presents

New Year’s Eve

As we wrap-up one year, we are excited to un-wrap the next! Join us on December 31 from 7–9pm for a New Year’s Eve full of free, family-friendly art activities. where

Centre Court

when 7pm info

artscommons.ca

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

33

Arts Commons is proud to be home to these theatre and performance companies, festivals, and services.

Martin Harley OCTOBER 28 & 29, 2016 403-294-9494 OR artscommons.ca/blues Title Sponsor

Public Sector Support

Official Suppliers

34

Arts Commons Fall 2016

Arts Commons

Long hours and aching muscles.

Reaching their Someday takes a lot more than just talent.

The hard work, perseverance and vision of emerging artists demonstrate the power of having – and the joy of realizing – a Someday™. Together with organizations like Arts Commons, we support a diverse range of Canadian talent in communities across the country through the RBC Emerging Artists Project.

TM

® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada.

39786A (05/2015)

Fall 2016 Arts Commons

35

respect‚ reuse, and recycle

Replacing 1,347 seats in three venues This summer, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. The Max Bell, Martha Cohen, and Engineered Air Theatres all received venue renovations from new coats of paint, fresh carpets, and most importantly, brand new seats specifically chosen and customized for each venue. Here’s what went down:

An aerial work platform— or as we like to call it, the 'Spider Lift'—had to be rented in order to paint the balconies of the Max Bell Theatre!

Combined, we’re replacing 12,358 square feet of seat fabric and 25,650 square feet of carpet. If you laid it all out on the floor, you would have more than two hockey rinks!

This epic job was a collaborative project with many local contractors. Our thanks go out to Clark Builders, TCC Theatre Consultants, Shearer Design, Ducharme Seating, Adria Contract Seating, Victory Painting, DHD Drywall, Marcor Woodwork, RGO Flooring, American Seating, and Father & Sons Demolition.

36

Arts Commons Fall 2016

WOODEN SEATBACKS Some are being converted into accoustic reflective panels to enhance the Jack Singer Rehearsal Hall. The remaining wood will be donated to Calgary woodworking artists as free materials.

What happens to each seat?

SEAT PLAQUES Original theatre sponsors will be recognized and commemorated on a digital online map.

METAL FRAMES These will be melted down, recycled, and turned into new products.

It only took two days to tear out the seats in each theatre. However, it took three weeks to install the new ones.

The Jack Singer Concert Hall is next!

2,056 more seats will be replaced in Summer 2017.

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thank you

Arts Commons wishes to express our sincere appreciation to the following corporations, foundations, governments, and passionate community leaders who give generously to support Arts Commons as we play a key role in the social, economic, cultural, and intellectual life and well-being of Calgarians and visitors.

CORPORATE SPONSORS & FOUNDATION PARTNERS

OFFICIAL SUPPLIERS AND SPONSORED GOODS OR SERVICES

ALSA Road Construction Ltd. Supporting Sponsor,

Founders Circle Founders Circle is Arts Commons’ premiere donor engagement program.

Arts Commons’ donors play a critical role in our work to bring the arts…to life

BD&P World Music and TD Jazz

Big Rock Brewery Inc. Official Brewery

Arts Commons Endowment Fund through The Calgary Foundation

CBC Media Sponsor

Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP Title Sponsor, BD&P World Music

Calgary Herald Media Sponsor

Dr. Martha Cohen, CM, LLD (in memoriam) Sandra LeBlanc Vera Swanson, OC

Burns Memorial Fund Supporting Partner, Hub for Inspired Learning

Great Events Group Corp.

Sponsor, VIP Receptions, TD Jazz

LEGACY BUILDER MEMBERS

The Calgary Foundation Partner, Hub for Inspired Learning

Hyatt Regency Calgary Official Hotel

Bob & Sue Benzen Estate of Dr. Martha R. Cohen Henry Sykes, QC & Molly Naber-Sykes

Cenovus Energy Inc. Student Engagement Sponsor,

McAra Unicom Official Printer

PIONEER MEMBERS

ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corp.

Pattison Outdoor Sponsor, Outdoor Advertising,

National Geographic Live

Major Sponsor, Arts Commons Box Office Student Engagement Sponsor, National Geographic Live Supporting Sponsor, Hub for Inspired Learning

Dinner Optimist Club of Calgary Supporting Partner, Hub for Inspired Learning PCL Construction Management Inc. Title Sponsor, PCL Blues Repsol Oil & Gas Sponsor,

National Geographic Live

Rogers Media Media Sponsor, BD&P World Music and TD Jazz Red Tree Sponsor, Explorers Circle & VIP Receptions, National Geographic Live

Teatro Group Sponsor, Founders Circle

EXPLORE National Geographic

GOVERNMENT

Royal Bank of Canada Series Presenting Sponsor,

Government of Canada through the departments of Canadian Heritage and Service Canada

Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc.

Government of Alberta through Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the department of Culture and Tourism

National Geographic Live Sponsor, EXPLORE National Geographic

SerVantage Services Inc. Supporting Sponsor, BD&P World Music TD Bank Group Title Sponsorship, TD Jazz

Title Sponsorship, TD Arts Access Pass

TELUS Supporting Sponsor,

EXPLORE National Geographic

The City of Calgary through the Department

of Community Services and Protective Services Arts Commons would also like to express our gratitude to The City of Calgary for a grant through the Capital Civic Partner Grant Program and the Government of Canada for a grant through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund that enables us to undertake critical lifecycle initiatives that enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the 560,665 square foot Arts Commons facility.

Please note that only gifts of $10,000 or more are listed above. For a complete list of corporate, foundation and government supporters of Arts Commons, please visit our website at artscommons.ca.

To inquire about becoming a supporter of Arts Commons, please contact Mr. Daniel Mills at 403-294-7455, ext.1441 or dmills@artscommons.ca.

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Arts Commons Fall 2016

HONOURARY MEMBERS

Don Douglas & Betty Dunphy Douglas David & Roxanne Dunlop R. Scott Hutcheson Gregory & Alexa Kudar David & Betty Smith

VISIONARY MEMBERS Michel Bourque & Bryan Clarke Greg Epton & Greg Robertson Brian Mills & Susan Tyrrell Randy & Luba Pettipas Stu & Vicki Reid C.A. Siebens Roderick Villanueva Evelyn Wigham Tharrie & Johann Zietsman

MEMBERS Angela Avery & Dave Newby Leslie Biles & Robert Armstrong Reid Brodylo & Carri Clarke Patricia Dalk & Terry Burton Norm & Colleen Dickson Anna Ells & Finn Pedersen Jane Golubev & Igor Tesker Ken Havard Brian & Annette Hester Joni Hughes & John Thompson Wes Jenkins Jennifer Johnson & Trev Habekost Dr. Arun Lakra & Dr. Roopa Lakra M. Ann McCaig Rodney & Karen McCann John McWilliams, QC & Susan McWilliams James & Janice Morton Jock & Diana Osler Holy Schile Nielsen & Dave Nielsen Margaret Southern

LEADING BY EXAMPLE Explorers Circle Members of Explorers Circle help National Geographic Society inspire people to care about the planet, and help Arts Commons bring the National Geographic Live speakers’ messages of exploration, discovery, and conservation to Calgary audiences.

ENGAGEMENT SPONSORS Bob & Sue Benzen, I Bought A Rainforest with photojournalist Charlie Hamilton James Ken & Chris (in memoriam) Havard, The Mystery of Our Human Story with paleoanthropologist Lee Berger

MEMBERS Sandra & Simon Barker Michel Bourque & Bryan Clarke James & Bev Butler David & Roxanne Dunlop Jane Durango & Dr. Beverly Frizzell Greg Epton & Greg Robertson Lloyd & Riona Freeman Jane Golubev & Igor Tesker Brian & Annette Hester Janine LaBossiere Jordan & Nyssa Moore Joyce Warren & Vanessa Arrate

WRITTEN BY SASKIA KNIGHT

F

irst impressions are everything, and upon arriving to the ALSA Road Construction office in Calgary’s southeast industrial park, you are greeted warmly by friendly staff and the sound of children’s laughter coming from the company’s in-house daycare. Past the entrance is a bright, open-concept design with floor-toceiling glass windows and doors which makes ALSA’s head office feel less like a construction company and more like a boutique architectural firm.

One can easily connect the welcoming architecture and warm physical space to the company’s underlying familyoriented philosophy, driven by ALSA’s co-founder and co-owner, Sam Kamis.

It is a philosophy rooted in community involvement and giving back through the arts.

made ends meet by running a small community supermarket. One day, a hungry teenage boy came in looking for food but had no money. Though Sam’s family was struggling themselves and did not have much, his mother gave the young man enough food to fill his backpack. This experience of seeing his mother – someone with so little – selflessly give what they had to someone else, left a deep impression on him.

Started by Sam and his brother in 1980, ALSA has become the largest independent road construction contractor in Calgary with a staff of 130. When asked how a construction company relates to the arts, Sam matter-of-factly explains that business is a creative process, and so ALSA’s sponsorship of arts organizations like Arts Commons simply makes sense.

Please note that only gifts of $1,000 or more are listed above. For a complete list of individual donors through Founders Circle and Explorers Circle, please visit our website at artscommons.ca.

To inquire about becoming a member of Founders Circle or Explorers Circle, please contact Ms. Saskia Knight at 403-294-7455, extension 1465, or sknight@artscommons.ca.

Arts Commons CEO Johann Zietsman (left) with Carol and Sam Kamis.

Sam’s personal interest in the arts goes hand-in-hand with his belief in giving back, which resonates through the company’s philosophy and business practices. He believes that giving back is central to Calgary and Calgarians – “it is part of who we are.”

“You can always find a way to give back – even in tough economic times,” says Sam, who not only sponsors two music programs for Arts Commons Presents, but also the High performance Rodeo. ”The arts bring beauty into our lives and creates our societies. What else is there beyond that?”

First impressions really are everything.

The son of immigrant parents, Sam recalls a childhood memory from when he was six years old, when his family

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Helping to Create Well-Rounded Citizens ConocoPhillips is a supporter of Arts Commons bringing arts and culture to students and teachers. Supporting youth and education is important to our business and our staff, and is a vital part of our contribution to the communities where we live and work.

www.conocophillips.ca Š ConocoPhillips Company 2016. All rights reserved.

40 Arts Commons Fall 2016

OUR LOCATION Our address is 205 8th Ave SE. Our main entrance is located off Stephen Avenue, one block east of the Calgary Tower and across from Olympic Plaza.

Located in the heart of Calgary’s vibrant downtown core, Arts Commons is home to the city’s premier performance venues. Offering public art spaces and six distinct performance venues, including the Jack Singer Concert Hall, Arts Commons is home to a variety of artists and an array of resident companies that include the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and annual events such as the Calgary International Children’s Festival.

GETTING HERE BY LRT Calgary’s LRT (light rail train) service has a station one block north of Arts Commons.

GETTING HERE BY CAR

P1

Arts Commons offers underground parking. Enter off Macleod Trail between 9th and 8th Avenues.

$5

OPEN EVENI NGS & WE EKENDS

P U RC H AS E T IC K E TS AT O U R B OX O F F IC E : C E N T RE CO U RT, 2 2 5 8 T H AV E S E

SEE A SHOW

10 to 6

AM

PM

Sundays

CLOSE D

403-294-9494 artscommons.ca

Other parking options include:

P2

Civic Plaza Parkade

P3

TELUS Convention Centre

P4

Palliser Square (access Arts Commons via the +15 network)

P5

Surface parking lots in the 200, 300 and 400 blocks on the south side of 9th Avenue SE

LANDMARKS Calgary Tower

P3

Olympic Plaza TELUS Convention Centre Hyatt Regency Hotel

P1

P4

P5

P2

P5

Glenbow Museum Marriott Hotel City Hall

BE SOC I AL

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM FOR CO NCERT A NNO UNCEM E N TS , S P EC IA L O F F E RS , A N D M O RE .

#artscommons @yycARTS

I Bought a Rainforest with photojournalist Charlie Hamilton James

Sun. October 23 at 2pm & Mon. October 24 at 7pm Arts Commons, Jack Singer Concert Hall Student Engagement Sponsors

EXPLORE National Geographic Sponsors

Photo © Charlie Hamilton James

GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! 403-294-9494 artscommons.ca/NGL