Ottawa Youth Orchestra to perform in Almonte

On Jan. 28th at 2:30 p.m. The Ottawa Youth Orchestra will perform a varied classical music program as a warm up to their February 25th anniversary concert. The concert will take place in Almonte at R. Tait McKenzie School, 175 Paterson St.

The concert is being presented by Almonte in Concert's Music Club. Almonte in Concert's Music Club provides a unique opportunity for music students of all ages and abilities to develop their performing skills in the musical style of their choice, in a fun, supportive and non-competitive environment.

The program will feature works by Vivaldi, Wagner, Chausson, Rival, Mussorgsky and Dvorak. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and free for children under the age of five. Tickets are available at The Miller's Tale, 52 Mill St., Almonte 613-256-9090 or at the door.

For information on this concert go to: http://www.almonteinconcert.ca/oyo.htm

Information on Almonte in Concert's Music Club can be found at: http://www.almonteinconcert.ca/music_club.htm or by contacting John M. Seck at 613-851-8528

Posted by Chris at 11:53 AM | Permalink

On Stage For Kids presents
The Funky Mamas
dance and jump and shout to funky music
January, 28, 2007
2:00 PM
Naismith Memorial Public School

Foot stomping, Finger snapping, Giggle inducing good times!
The Funky Mamas are a collective of musical women who came together back in 1998 to play music for their young children. Their delightful songs that include a mix of blues, bluegrass, folk and pop infused with madolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle, musical saw and a whole whack of other instruments, inspire happiness, celebrate life and grow imaginations. The Funky Mamas have 15 children between them and really know what kids like. Don't worry parents; we have a good idea of what gets you singing along too! Good vibes and danceable tunes make The Funky Mamas a huge success!

Posted by Chris at 9:29 AM | Permalink

On Saturday, January 27th at 8:00 pm., The Folkus Series of Almonte will bring musician and songwriter Ian Tamblyn to the acoustically fabulous Almonte Town Hall. Ian will be accompanied by Ottawa's Fred Guignon and Kenny Kanwisher. Opening the evening will be Ottawa's own Joshua Morin. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the door. For ticket orders and information call The Miller's Tale at 613-256-9090. Doors open at 7:30. To find out more about this and future concerts visit http://www.thehumm.com/folkus.

Considered a national treasure by critics and peers alike, Ian Tamblyn is a musician, songwriter, playwright, producer, and traveller. He has penned more than 2,000 songs in three decades, recorded twenty-five albums, and countless soundtracks for theater and film for which he has won numerous awards. Although he is intensely and unmistakable Canadian, writes Les Semeniuk in Penguin Eggs, when citing Ian's lyric, 'Cowichan colours ache in the cold and the Tim Horton's donut is always fresh', he is also the most international of our artists.

Ian's work in adventure travel and on scientific expeditions has taken him to the outposts of Scotland and Ireland, the icebergs of Greenland, Canada's north, the underwater world of Antarctica and all points in between. Angela LePage writes, His travels have equipped him with a reverence and appreciation for nature unmatched by most, (A. LePage, Sing Out! Spring 2002). Ian's impressions, the people he meets, and the experiences nature throws in his path, weave their way through his songs like whales swimming through water.

Some of Ian's most memorable songs can be heard on the 2006 Coastline of Our Dreams, a tribute album which features artists such as Lynn Miles, Hart Rouge, Valdy, Ken Whiteley and Georgette Fry.

A multi-instrumentalist, Ian creates musical textures, landscapes and atmosphere for his lyrics as he moves from the guitar, to the piano, the flute, and on to the hammer dulcimer.

On Saturday, January 27, Ian will be accompanied by Ken Kanwisher and Fred Guignon.Visit http://www.tamblyn .com.

Ottawa-based Joshua Morin will perform an opening set of his distinct combination of folk storytelling and indie rock.

Upcoming Folkus concerts are a double bill featuring Ember Swift and Layah Jane on February 17th, and The Hootenany Revue on March 31.

Posted by Chris at 12:00 PM | Permalink

Hi

This is a reminder that the We Can Do It! course, Goal Setting with Barb Pierce, starts this Saturday, January 27th.

We will be in the basement hall of the Anglican Church on Clyde Street. The course is to start at 9am. If it is possible please come in advance for the administration side of things - and the hey, I haven't seen you in awhile thing.

Fingers crossed we'll figure out the coffee machine.

I spoke with Barb last week and she is looking forward to working with us. We reviewed her plans and I am looking forward to the whole experience. She makes it sound as if I can be reborn in one morning! Won't my husband be surprised!

Please bring a pen and paper. There will be a work book provided. The cost is $10 as a drop in or $60 for nine sessions. Reva Dolgoy, the collage instructor, will be dropping in at the end of the morning to explain what we should be collecting for her course.

I will have a short description of what Rob Riendeau plans to discuss in February and a list of possible future events from which we can collectively choose the remaining 5 courses.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me (613 256 9266). I look forward to meeting everyone this Saturday morning.

Catherine Illingworth

Posted by Chris at 9:27 AM | Permalink

The 2007 January New Year's Almonte Lecture: The Imperial Mystique

On Friday, January 26, 2007, meet Carleton University Professor emeritus and award-winning teacher and lecturer, Alan Gillmor. Alan is discussing The Imperial Mystique: Sir Edward Elgar and the Twilight of Empire and also presenting a slide show and a 15 - 20 minute piece of Imperial-era music. The lecture takes place as usual at the Almonte United Church Social Hall, Elgin Street, Almonte, at 7:30 pm.

This might seem like a dry subject but... Gillmor has the following to say about Sir Edward Elgar and this lecture - and there's a twist (read on below!): "Elgar was forty years old in 1897, the year of Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, and he saw himself then as a musical laureate, summoned by destiny to hymn Britannia's greatness. Between 1897 and 1898 he wrote three celebratory works: the cantata called The Banner of St. George, with a grand finale glorifying the Union Jack; the Caractacus, predicting out of its ancient context the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the British; and an "Imperial March," played first by massed bands at the Crystal Palace, and later, by special command of the Queen, at a State Jubilee Concert. Then in 1901, came the first Pomp and Circumstance march, whose trio section, later set to the famous words, "Land of Hope and Glory," gave Britain a virtual second national anthem. In short, Elgar became the musical laureate of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, expressing the mixture of idealism and imperialism prevalent during those years."

HOWEVER - here's the twist (and yes, it might be "reaching" to characterize this twist as "exciting" vs dry but really I don't know much - it probably will be very "exciting"!) - Alan's talk will demonstrate that this popular view of Elgar as the very musical incarnation of British Imperialism is seriously unbalanced, for there is another side to Elgar - in his greatest music many hear the funeral march of a great civilization...

A native of Fort Frances, Ontario, Alan Gillmor is an excellent ("exciting") speaker and was educated at the University of Michigan (B.Mus., M.A.) and the University of Toronto (Ph.D.). He taught at McGill University and Carleton University, from which he retired in 2003. Alan's scholarly publications have appeared in journals both in North America and Europe, and his book on the French composer Erik Satie (1988, 1990) was short-listed in 1990 for the Ottawa-Carleton Book Award for non-fiction.

The Almonte Lectures are offered free of charge. (Although a free-will donation is much appreciated and goes toward hall rental and advertising the series.) For further information, please phone Don Wiles at 256-4376. The Almonte Lectures (www.almontelectures.ncf.ca) are affiliated with the Mississippi Mills Residents' Association (www.mmra.ca) and Carleton University, Ottawa.

see you at the Lecture,

Jill

Posted by Chris at 9:22 AM | Permalink

Standing Room Only, the Swingin' Big Band from Almonte, is holding a series of Sunday afternoon swing dances, beginning this Sunday January 21st in the Almonte Old Town Hall.

An afternoon dance is generally referred to as a tea dance. Tea Dances evolved from afternoon teas and were most popular in the 1920's. These dances were generally held in hotels where live music was provided. Over the winter months, Standing Room Only recommends dancing as an extension of your exercise routine or for those who shy away from winter sports.

Three Sunday tea dances are planned so far, for January 21st, March 4th and April 29th. The dances will be held in the atmospheric Old Town Hall in Almonte; doors open at 12:30, and the band will play until until 4:30 - bar a few breaks for the lips!

Light refreshments will be available, provided by TYPS. The Ironworks will also be offering dancers a 15% discount on the day of the dance upon the presentation of their ticket. The Ironworks serves brunch, afternoon snacks and early dinners if you wish to take advantage of this limited offer.

Tickets are $10 per person, $8 for seniors & students and will be available at the door or in advance from The Miller's Tale, Almonte 613 256 9090 - Visa & MasterCard. For more information please call Catherine at 613 256 9266.
So come on out and DANCE !!

Posted by Chris at 11:48 AM | Permalink

Live at Capital Slam 2006 CD Launch
Hosted by CBC's Adrian Harewood (All In A Day)
Open mic and performances by the Capital Poetry Collective
Jan. 20, from 5pm
The Ironworks Pub, 79 Little Bridge St. Almonte, 256-7840
Admission $3
for more details see the current issue of theHumm or check out this link to an article from the Ottawa Citizen
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=efad03da-c09e-44f6-8210-f7aa85dae2a2&k=0

Posted by Chris at 11:55 AM | Permalink