OCTOBER NEWSLETTER — What’s on in October
ArtSpring’s 25th Anniversary Season kicks off with one of the most performance and locally programmed-packed months in our history, starting with the sensational season opener Ballet Kelowna on October 1. Entitled taqəš and Other Works, this high energy three-in-one performance promises to please a wide range of audiences with powerful Indigenous storytelling, a mesmerizing interpretation of Ravel’s Bolero, and audience favourite MAMBO.
This will be a season to remember with diverse content and voices. Spotlights on Indigenous creators, women, and cultural topics. A balance of classical and contemporary. And a welcomed return to humour and joy and fun as part of the experience, with some children’s and youth performances on the calendar as well.
October is filled to the brim with no less than nine ArtSpring Presents shows bringing in professional touring artists and presentations from across the country to engage with our community. These are artists who have often appeared on stages around the globe, and we are so thrilled they are able to come to Salt Spring to give local audiences world-class experiences we’d normally have to travel to larger cities to see. As a bonus, many of them have graciously agreed to participate in post-show talk backs or workshops for students and the community.
Our local bookings and exhibitions are also packed to the brim, with stimulating films, political debates and talks, guild and art exhibitions, the SSNAP gala, and a very special Celebration of Life.
From high art to hot topics, ArtSpring, in our 25th Anniversary Season, is positioned to be the springboard for creativity, connection, conversation, and celebration for a community where arts matter.
This season, I’d like to bring your attention to two accessibility programs ArtSpring offers. Youth 18 and under can attend any ArtSpring Presents performance for only $5. It’s a great way to bring your kids and teens, or for teachers to bring their students, to introduce them to professional arts performances.
We are also proud to announce the Theatre Angel Program, whereby 20 seats are made available one week before every ArtSpring Presents performance for only $15 a ticket. Available in-person or by phone, the program allows for two tickets per purchaser. The intent is to help individuals or families feeling the pinch gain access to the arts. No income qualifications are requested, and this program is proudly supported by ArtSpring and the corporate and individual donors who believe experiencing the arts should have ways to make it universally attainable.
If you are interested in contributing to this program, it can be done online with every ticket you buy via the “Donate” Button or contact ArtSpring directly. I’m excited to officially kick off this new season and, as always, we deeply appreciate your support.
With thanks,
Howard R. Jang
Executive & Artistic Director
ArtSpring
ArtSpring Presents In The Theatre
Entitled taqəš and Other Works, this high energy three-in-one performance promises to please a wide range of audiences with powerful Indigenous storytelling, a mesmerizing interpretation of Ravel’s Bolero, and audience favourite MAMBO, featuring a vibrant soundtrack of Latin, swing, and jazz standards.
Community favourite and piano maestro Michael Kaeshammer returns to Salt Spring with an ensemble of musicians on October 11 to serve up his brand of eclectic yet accessible jazz-based pop from his superb 15th album Turn It Up.
The award-winning Love Bomb takes to the stage in what has been described as “a rock concert within a play – and a mystery on top of that.” Love Bomb takes an intimate and emotionally brave look at sex trafficking, an issue that impacts lives in Canada and around the world. Described as an important, powerful, and positive work for teen students to also see.
For the first time, a curated collection of outdoor and adventure films from the world-renowned Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival will be screened at ArtSpring in support of SSI Search and Rescue. Expect thrilling cinematography, poignant storytelling, and a deep environmental connection to our natural world.
Quebec-based world music group Oktopus entertains by combining klezmer with components of classical, Quebecois, jazz and Balkan themes in a festive show sprinkled with humour and audience engagement. The group of eight has been deemed “simply rollicking and spectacular fun!”
Canadian chamber music sensation Trio Fibonacci presents a concert that goes straight to the heart of the melody. The highlight Max Richter’s masterful re-composition of the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, which takes us to the convergence of past and present. Works by Glass, Nyman, Amar, Eno, and Einaudi complete this program of spellbinding simplicity.
The Met Opera: Live in HD is back with its popular Saturday morning broadcasts with October 21 seeing the first of six operas this season. Dead Man Walking is a contemporary opera based on Sister Helen Prejean’s memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer. Susan Sarandon won the Oscar for Best Actress in the film of the same name.
The Fugitives are back with RIDGE — a performance that combines historical WWI stories, powerful lyrics, and music from their 2022 JUNO nominated album Trench Songs. A poignant and thought-provoking theatre show, it carries on the long tradition of folk music reshaping songs over time — the same way soldiers reshaped their protest songs in the trenches.
Have a laugh with the real-life scenarios in live sketch comedy MIDDLE RAGED, written and performed by Geri Hall (a regular on This Hour Has 22 Minutes) and Gary Pearson (a writer for Corner Gas, MadTV, and Just for Laughs.) Geri and Gary play a married couple dealing with the madness of childrearing, empty nesting, aging parents, financial stresses, and even trying Outlander-style role play to spice up the bedroom. A break-out success at Canada’s largest Fringe Festivals.
Community Presentations
Hosted by the Salt Spring Community Response Network and the Salt Spring Film Festival, this award winning film highlights age-defying actresses and activists, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, who comment on their original 1980 film, the highest grossing comedy of that year. Screening in honour of International Day of Older Persons, seniors who bring younger companions receive a gift!
Scott Merrick’s final performance before his Celebration of Life 2pm Sunday, October 8 is a Readers’ Theatre presentation of Gently Down the Stream, written by acclaimed playwright Martin Sherman. Beau meets Rufus, an eccentric young lawyer, at the dawn of the internet dating revolution. After a life of hurt of loving men in a world that refused to allow it, Gently Down the Stream is a moving love story, reflecting the triumphs and heartbreaks of the gay rights movement.
Join Scott, his family, and friends to celebrate his fabulous life! Speakers, music, and a wonderful slideshow including images of Scott’s stage performances and varied parties. Many of you are included!
Free to attend. All are welcome.
Join RAVEN and SS Public Library for an evening with CBC journalist and author Angela Sterritt, in conversation with Cowichan educator Maiya Modeste (Stqeeye Society) about her new book, Unbroken. Although the topic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited (MMIWG2S) people is heavy, Sterritt’s storytelling is life-affirming.
Amy Beach was a trailblazing composer who wrote with her heart on her sleeve. Join pianist Jane Coop and the Vetta String Quartet performing the Haydn Sunrise Quartet, Shostakovich’s earliest quartet, and the Amy Beach Quintet.
SS FORUM: Erin O’Toole
Tue Oct 17 | 7:30 | $15-20
The Salt Spring Forum are delighted to welcome Erin O’Toole, former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and widely regarded as one of the last true gentlemen of Canadian politics. There will be much to discuss with him, not least whether social media and US influences have set us on the same course as our American neighbours, but also whether cross-party cooperation is now even possible in Canadian politics.
The culmination of the Salt Spring National Art Prize 2023/24 Exhibition. An evening of world-class art, exceptional Canadian artists, fine food, and exciting award presentations. The awards ceremony will announce this year’s prize winners, including the top award of $20,000. Many of the finalists from across Canada will be attending.
Songs of life, peace, and love will be told during this evening of glorious sound with Cicela Månsson and Don Conley on voice and piano. These life journeys offer a small view into the creator’s life, sharing how they viewed the world around them with songs by Barber, Copland, Debussy, Faure, Finzi, R. Strauss, and others.
Songs of life, peace, and love will be told during this evening of glorious sound with Cicela Månsson and Don Conley on voice and piano. These life journeys offer a small view into the creator’s life, sharing how they viewed the world around them with songs by Barber, Copland, Debussy, Faure, Finzi, R. Strauss, and others.
Exhibitions & Galleries
The Parallel Art Show 2023/24 (PAS) is a juried competition and exhibition of Southern Gulf Islands artists that runs concurrently with the Salt Spring National Art Prize.
This year’s jury – Sophia Burke, Helen Mears, and Richard Steel – have chosen 44 local artists for the exhibition. The finalists are showing two- and three-dimensional works across many mediums.
“I have had a love of colour for forty years.This show is about my sense of colours within a space and how it affects the space.I am known for my landscape. I consider painting from the landscape my understanding of the subtle complexity of colour and it’s multitudinous combinations.”
— Josephine Fletcher
The SSI Weavers & Spinners Guild is celebrating more than 50 years of learning together and from each other to make yarn and cloth. At their annual sale, you will find products made by someone you know, or can get to know. Unique, handcrafted articles range from hand-dyed fibre and handspun yarn to towels, linens, clothing and accessories.
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