ArtSpring Newsletter December 21, 2020

Dear Friends,

We will be closed for the holidays and back on January 4, 2021. We wish you and your families a joy filled and restful holiday season. I think we all need a bit of a break right now! Four of us got together for a zoom staff Christmas party and put together a little video of greetings for you. We will be taking a “newsletter vacation” and will be back on January 18, 2021 with the next instalment.

Wishing you all a merry holiday and a new year full of health and fabulous live arts events!

Status report: my rum-soaked fruit cake tastes fabulous! Looking forward to sending some to my sister and my parents though it may be Easter before they receive it, the poor post office being so busy. Here is the recipe I used: fabulous fruit cake recipe.

The Pandemic Limerick Project book, Limericks in the Time of Covid, is available! Donate to the Salt Spring Foundation (through their PayPal account) and get your book in the new year. If you want a book before Christmas they are available at Salt Spring Books. They make a fabulous gift! Donation amounts over $15 will also get a charitable donation receipt.
Get your book.

This past November 19 BC’s Provincial Health Order has been extended. Unfortunately this means that ArtSpring will be closed until at least January 8, 2021.

With thanks,
Cicela Månsson
Executive & Artistic Director, ArtSpring

 

Interesting Articles

Vetta Chamber Music
Schubert Piano Trio in E flat major – Scherzando
Arthur Rowe, piano
Joan Blackman, violin
Brian Yoon, cello

Handel’s Messiah Live from the Sydney Opera House
Watch a 600-strong Sydney Philharmonia Choirs sing Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah, in this live performance from the Sydney Opera House. This performance was filmed on Saturday 14 December 2019. It is two hours and 32 minutes, so get comfortable and enjoy.
Watch it without ads from the “more” link below or through YouTube. more>

The Pandemic Limerick Project book
It is back from the printer and ready for Christmas! Get a copy by donating a minimum of $15 to the Salt Spring Foundation through their PayPal account. Donation amounts over $15 will also get a charitable donation receipt. Also available at Salt Spring Books. more>

Fundraising

This month ArtSpring launches its Annual Donor Appeal campaign. Please consider making a donation to ArtSpring. Every little bit helps and there are many ways to donate including monthly. Donate now.

 
 

ArtSpring Presents 2020-2021
It has been a wild ride and we are grateful to be back doing what we do.
Please see the complete season listing.

 

ArtSpring Newsletter December 15, 2020

Dear Friends,

Though the building has been closed it has been a wild and whirlwind couple of weeks at ArtSpring. The team has been focused on getting all the pieces in line so we could live-stream four presentations of The Jeff & Chrissy Show created by Jeffrey Renn and Christina Penhale, with musical selections by Wendy Milton. We were so excited to be able to present their work. Through the live-stream we connected to 171+ households and set up a connection for Greenwoods Eldercare.

Status report: my rum-soaked fruit cake is resting comfortably in the fridge. More on that next week. Here is the recipe I used: fabulous fruit cake recipe.

Sankta Lucia day was on December 13. It is a very special day in Sweden which is where I was born. I found this lovely video shot in Jukkasjärvi of their 2010 Sankta Lucia celebrations. Jukkasjärvi is a community of about 548 people located in Sweden well north of the Arctic Circle. It is all in Swedish but the singing and scenery was so pretty I couldn’t resist sending it out. It is just under an hour, so do get comfortable.

I really like Rufus Wainwright’s voice and found this joy-filled video that Choir! Choir! Choir! They put together a 1500 voice choir and, with Rufus, they sing Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah together.

The translations of Bach Chorale titles gave me such a good chuckle I just had to share.

The Pandemic Limerick Project book, Limericks in the Time of Covid, is available! Donate to the Salt Spring Foundation before December 17 (through their PayPal account) and get your book in time for Christmas. The book is also available at Salt Spring Books. They make a fabulous gift! Donation amounts over $15 will also get a charitable donation receipt.
Get your book.

This past November 19 BC’s Provincial Health Order was extended last week. Unfortunately this means that ArtSpring will be closed until January 8, 2021.

With thanks,
Cicela Månsson
Executive & Artistic Director, ArtSpring

 

Interesting Articles

Choir! Choir! Choir!
Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman (AKA “DaBu”) started Choir! Choir! Choir! as a weekly drop-in singing event in February 2011. It was a magical evening. 1500 singers came to Luminato Festival at the Hearn Generating Station in Toronto. Daveed and Nobu taught them back up parts to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, then Rufus Wainwright joined them on stage to sing lead. more>

German Translation gone wrong…
Titles of Bach Chorales, as translated by Nolan Bonvouloir’s niece after one semester of German. By Nolan Bonvouloir. more>

Christmas With Scrooge
Newman Family Productions Christmas with Scrooge is a movie this year! Grab some popcorn and your favourite holiday drink and enjoy this Salt Spring tradition of the all-local musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol on Vimeo! For access please email saltspringscrooge@gmail.com more>

The Pandemic Limerick Project book
It is back from the printer and ready for Christmas! Get a copy by donating a minimum of $15 to the Salt Spring Foundation through their PayPal account. Donation amounts over $15 will also get a charitable donation receipt. Also available at Salt Spring Books. more>

Fundraising

This month ArtSpring launches its Annual Donor Appeal campaign. Please consider making a donation to ArtSpring. Every little bit helps and there are many ways to donate including monthly. Donate now.

 
 

ArtSpring Presents 2020-2021
It has been a wild ride and we are grateful to be back doing what we do.
Please see the complete season listing.

 

ArtSpring Newsletter December 7, 2020

Dear Friends,

Perhaps you will recall the fruit cake recipe I posted last week? Well I put all the dried fruit together and soaked it in rum for two days. I felt it was profoundly unfair that the fruit above the bottom inch was high and dry so I promptly doubled the amount of rum. At the moment both cakes are resting at the bottom of the fridge bound in layers of rum soaked cotton, wax paper, and tin foil. I am sure there’s a party going on in there. I will report back once we’ve tested the cake in a few weeks. Here is the recipe I’m using: fabulous fruit cake recipe.

For me Jessye Norman was one of the finest artists of our time. The instrument of her voice was remarkable and what she was able to do with it equally so. She was such an intelligent and well educated musician. I am currently reading her autobiography, Stand Up Straight and Sing!. She was a truly amazing singer and person. I’ve included a lovely interview that she did with CBC’s Eleanor Wachtel from February 16, 2019 at the Toronto Public Library. It is clear from the video that Ms. Norman has a great sense of humour.

Jane recommended an online arts centre called Xanadu Online Theatre, the world’s first online arts centre. They’ve created an alternative Christmas show that you can watch from the comfort of your own home. It is free but tickets are limited so reserve yours.

Finally I’m really excited that The Pandemic Limerick Project book will be back from the printer this week! A big thank you to Diana Hayes (Rainbow Publishing) for bringing the book together. Donate to the Salt Spring Foundation through their PayPal account and get your book in time for Christmas. They make a fabulous gift! Donation amounts over $15 will also get a charitable donation receipt. Get your book.

This past November 19 BC’s Provincial Health Officer issued a new order that affects events and gatherings. Unfortunately this means that almost all events between November 19 and December 7 have been cancelled and the building closed. If the order is extended past December 7 we are looking at ways to live-stream Makana Youth Choir concert, and The Jeff & Chrissy Show.

With thanks,
Cicela Månsson
Executive & Artistic Director, ArtSpring

 

ArtSpring Events

ArtSpring Presents
Makana Youth Choir Concert
December 5 | 7:30pm
CANCELLED
Under the direction of Caroni Young, these young singers from grades 2-5 have been singing together since September. We hope to find a way to bring this concert to you once ArtSpring reopens. More>

ArtSpring Presents
The Jeff and Chrissy Show
December 10, 11, 12 | 7:30pm
December 13 | 2:30pm
Join Jeff and Chrissy and their friends, as they prepare for the opening night of their show “A Salty Holiday”. The festive season is in the air. It’s the last hour before showtime at the theatre. More>

 

Interesting Articles

Jessye Norman
CBC’s Eleanor Wachtel interviews the great soprano Jessye Norman, from February 16, 2019 at the Toronto Public Library. The interview is an hour and 15 minutes, so get comfortable. Also included is her obituary from The New York Times.
The New York Times article

Xanadu Online Theatre
December sees the debut performances from the Xanadu Online Theatre with a double bill of classic tragedy and comedy: Riders to the Sea by JM Synge and The Proposal by Anton Chekhov. Tickets are free but limited. More>

The Unheralded Artists of BC
The Unheralded Artists of BC, from Mother Tongue Publishing, is a beautiful, lively, and well-written series of ten books dedicated to introducing people to the many forgotten 20th-century BC artists and recognizing their artistic significance. More>

The Pandemic Limerick Project book
It is back from the printer and ready for Christmas! Get a copy by donating a minimum of $15 to the Salt Spring Foundation through their PayPal account. Donation amounts over $15 will also get a charitable donation receipt. More>

Fundraising

This month ArtSpring launches its Annual Donor Appeal campaign. Please consider making a donation to ArtSpring. Every little bit helps and there are many ways to donate including monthly. Donate now.

 
 

ArtSpring Presents 2020-2021
It has been a wild ride and we are grateful to be back doing what we do.
Please see the complete season listing.

 

ArtSpring Newsletter November 30, 2020

Dear Friends,

I am thinking ahead to the holiday season. Since we are all going to being hanging out exclusively within our household this year I’m thinking it might be useful to have something fun to focus on in our household aside from my terrific sense of humour. In typical form the first thing that came to mind was food. When I was a child my mother would make cookies, fruit cake, pudding, etc. It was never a question of making a batch but (I kid you not) often time the recipes were multiplied by 10! We didn’t want to run out. It meant that we were hand grinding several pounds of hazelnuts for the hazelnut, egg white, sugar mixture that made the most delectable cookies. Perhaps I’ll dig out the recipe and post it for you. In the mean time…I found a fabulous fruit cake recipe, let me know if you have a better one.

I lived in Montréal for 15 years. In amongst the lovely old architecture was Moshe Safdie’s Habitat ’67 which remains to this day a beloved apartment community. I found his interview with CBC very interesting. Mr. Safdie talks a bit about how to make communities liveable especially in light of all the isolation in sealed apartment units, a very timely discussion.
ArtSpring has presented First Nations’ dance company Dancers of Damelahamid on a couple of occasions. We were so excited to hear that their executive and artistic director, Margaret Grenier, is receiving the 2020 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts.
To help us all get moving I’ve included a free theatre dance class from Alvin Ailey, and finally a celebration of the Saguenay Quartet’s 30th anniversary.

ArtSpring is a community resource, a place for community to create, perform, and exhibit. Please consider supporting ArtSpring in one of several ways: giving a one-time donation, emailing us to arrange a monthly donation, purchasing a raffle ticket, etc. It all helps make ArtSpring possible.
Donate Now

This past November 19 BC’s Provincial Health Officer issued a new order that affects events and gatherings. Unfortunately this means that almost all events between November 19 and December 7 have been cancelled and the building closed. The good news is that as a group support meeting, the Death Café on December 2 is able to continue. If the order is extended past December 7 we are looking at ways to live-stream Makana Youth Choir concert, and The Jeff & Chrissy Show.

With thanks,
Cicela Månsson
Executive & Artistic Director, ArtSpring

 

ArtSpring Events

ArtSpring Presents
Death Cafe
December 2 | 10:30am
A Death Café is a group directed discussion of death. Limited space, please register in advance. More>

Swing Shift Presents
Nothin’ Virtual About It!
December 4 | 7:30pm – CANCELLED.
If variety really is the spice of life, then Swing Shift will deliver an evening full of life! More>

 

ArtSpring Presents
Makana Youth Choir Concert
December 5 | 7:30pm
CANCELLED
Under the direction of Caroni Young, these young singers from grades 2-5 have been singing together since September. We hope to find a way to bring this concert to you once ArtSpring reopens. More>


 

Interesting Articles

Moshe Safdie – Israeli-Canadian Architect
How should urban design evolve from the pandemic? World-renowned architect Moshe Safdie has ideas. More>

Margaret Grenier receives the 2020 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts
Dancers of Damelahamid has announced choreographer, dance artist and the company’s executive and artistic director Margaret Grenier has been awarded the 2020 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts. The $50,000 prize, administered and presented by the Canada Council for the Arts, recognizes artistic excellence and distinguished career achievement by a Canadian professional artist in music, theatre or dance. More>

Alvin Ailey – Ailey Extension
Alvin Ailey has a YouTube channel with a number of free dance workshops. Here is one that looked like fun. Theater Dance class taught by Lainie Munro with Ailey Extension. More>

The Saguenay Quartet’s 30th Anniversary
The Saguenay Quartet visited ArtSpring in the 2019-20 season when they played here as an octet with The Lafayette String Quartet. To celebrate their 30th anniversary here is The Saguenay Quartet with Mendelssohn’s opus 44 no. 2 scherzo. More>

Fundraising

This month ArtSpring launches its Annual Donor Appeal campaign. Please consider making a donation to ArtSpring. Every little bit helps and there are many ways to donate including monthly. Donate now.

 
 

ArtSpring Presents 2020-2021
It has been a wild ride and we are grateful to be back doing what we do.
Please see the complete season listing.

 

ArtSpring Newsletter November 23, 2020

Dear Friends,

This past November 19 BC’s Provincial Health Officer issued a new order that affects events and gatherings. Unfortunately this means that almost all events between November 19 and December 7 have been cancelled and the building closed. The good news is that as a group support meeting, the Death Café on December 2 is able to continue.

I often think back these days to my childhood. Perhaps because things seem from my current perspective to have been a little simpler. Time certainly didn’t rush by like a freight train. The simple pleasure of lying in the grass staring up at the sky or curling up to read a book for a whole day. The time just drifted. Things are a little challenging at the moment. My operative phrase is “put one foot in front of the other”. Easier said than done sometimes but somehow the reflection on a simpler time gives me confidence.

I found a 1984 video of the recording session of West Side Story conducted by Leonard Bernstein himself. The cast includes Kiri Te Kanawa, José Carreras, and Tatiana Troyanos. Pour yourself a glass of wine, get into a comfy chair, and be prepared for an enjoyable 90 minutes. Being an avid knitter I was really excited to find out about Shetland Wool Week which went virtual this year (now I really want to visit the Shetland Islands). Many videos are still available which give an insight into this art form and its cultural significance. Vancouver presenter DanceHouse has a new live online series called Speaking of Dance-Future Memory which focuses the spotlight on the exceptional artists who have previously presented work on the DanceHouse stage.

ArtSpring is a community resource, a place for community to create, perform, and exhibit. Please consider supporting ArtSpring in one of several ways: giving a one-time donation, emailing us to arrange a monthly donation, purchasing a raffle ticket, etc. It all helps make ArtSpring possible.
Donate Now

With thanks,
Cicela Månsson
Executive & Artistic Director, ArtSpring

 

ArtSpring Events

ArtSpring Presents
Death Cafe
December 2 | 10:30am
A Death Café is a group directed discussion of death. Limited space, please register in advance. More>

Swing Shift Presents
Nothin’ Virtual About It!
December 4 | 7:30pm – CANCELLED.
If variety really is the spice of life, then Swing Shift will deliver an evening full of life! More>

 

Interesting Articles

West Side Story – Leonard Bernstein
A behind the scenes look into the 1984 recording sessions with Kiri Te Kanawa (Maria), José Carreras (Tony), Tatiana Troyanos (Anita) and Kurt Ollmann (Riff), conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Get comfy…its an hour and 30 minutes.

Shetland Wool Week
Shetland Wool Week ran as a virtual event this year from September 26 to October 4. There are a number videos still available that offer a view into this art form and the cultural significant that it holds for the people of the Shetland Islands.
More>

DanceHouse
Speaking of Dance – Future Memory
Co-Presented with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs
DanceHouse’s new online series Speaking of Dance focuses the spotlight on the exceptional artists who have previously presented work on the DanceHouse stage. Each of their alumni artists are asked the same questions, centred around upcoming creative practices and projects, as well as their individual perspectives and histories. Utilizing the theme of future works is intended both as a protest against the uncertainty of our times, as well as a call to creativity and the importance of hope. The first in the series of eight artists will be presented on November 26 at 11am PST. More>

Fundraising

This month ArtSpring launches its Annual Donor Appeal campaign. Please consider making a donation to ArtSpring. Every little bit helps and there are many ways to donate including monthly. Donate now.

 
 

ArtSpring Presents 2020-2021
It has been a wild ride and we are grateful to be back doing what we do.
Please see the complete season listing.

 

ArtSpring Newsletter November 16, 2020

Dear Friends,

Great big blousy flowers. Dahlias, I’m going to miss them. I picked what will probably be the final bunch yesterday. It is so quiet and chilly now, no birdsong. All I can hear is the distant hum of the ferry, and the rustling of the grasses as the deer saunter past.

Two items I found interesting. A new exhibit in the Canadian Senate and an Indian sweet shop in Vancouver. My Auntie Neera (a close family friend) would make burfi/barfi sometimes. It had the most delicate flavour and often had a micoscopic layer of gold leaf on top. My family is Swedish and I’d never seen anything like it. Delish!!!

Now more than ever, ArtSpring depends on your support, and there are many ways to help. Monthly donations are great, the gift that keeps on giving. How about $25 a month, less than a dollar a day. However you support ArtSpring: giving a one-time donation, arranging a monthly contribution, purchasing a raffle ticket, etc. it all helps make ArtSpring possible. This includes our ability to offer the reduced rental rates that the community enjoys.
Donate Now

With thanks,
Cicela Månsson
Executive & Artistic Director, ArtSpring

 

ArtSpring Events

Harry Manx
November 19, 20, 21, 22 – SOLD OUT. Harry Manx is no stranger to Salt Spring Island. A long-time resident, he can often be seen driving his pick-up truck into town with his dog sitting quietly in the back. More>

ArtSpring Presents
Death Cafe
December 2 | 10:30am
A Death Café is a group directed discussion of death. Limited space, please register in advance. More>

Interesting Articles

The Senate of Canada
The Senate of Canada honours Black artists with a new installation featuring the work of Vancouver’s Chantal Gibson. Article>

Indian Sweets
Diwali was on November 14 this year. An interesting article from Stir on a Vancouver company that makes lovely Indian treats PLUS a recipe for burfi/barfi. Article>
Recipe>

Fundraising

This month ArtSpring launches its Annual Donor Appeal campaign. Please consider making a donation to ArtSpring. Every little bit helps and there are many ways to donate including monthly. Donate now.

 
 

ArtSpring Presents 2020-2021
It has been a wild ride and we are grateful to be back doing what we do.
Please see the complete season listing.