{"id":35218,"date":"2024-10-17T16:53:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T20:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=35218"},"modified":"2024-10-17T16:53:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T20:53:52","slug":"calypso-is-a-sunny-start-for-cultural-centres-spring-performances","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/calypso-is-a-sunny-start-for-cultural-centres-spring-performances\/","title":{"rendered":"Calypso is a sunny start for Cultural Centre\u2019s spring performances"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The unique sounds of Trinidad will bring a sense of sun and warmth to the Aurora Town Square Performance Hall this March when Danny Michel, supported by Drew Gonsalves, opens up a springtime set of performances for the Aurora Cultural Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michel will open a busy spring season for the Centre as he takes the stage on March 22 at 7.30 p.m., supported by Drew Gonsalves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA creative spark plug that turns a phrase into an anthem, Danny Michel is a songwriter\u2019s songwriter. He also supports the Ocean Academy School in Belize, recorded with the Garifuna Collective and has had David Suzuki playlist his Feather, Fur & Fin animal rights appeal,\u201d says the Centre, of the artist who is known for work that blends rock, pop, folk and world music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gonsalves\u2019 act will feature vocals from the frontman of Juno Award-winning world music combo Kobo Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDrew crams words into rapid-fire song essays that make the head spin,\u201d says the Centre. \u201cDrawing on his Masters thesis on the history of Calypso, Drew is at the forefront of reshaping Trinidad\u2019s original music artform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

World music will give way to homegrown music styles on March 29 at 7 p.m., when Genticorum, a leading voice in Quebecois traditional music, takes over the Performance Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor over 20 years, the trio has earned a place of privilege on world, traditional, folk and Celtic music stages,\u201d says the Centre. \u201cThe trio has won over audiences at such prestigious events as Celtic Connections in Scotland, the T\u00f8nder Folk Festival in Denmark, the National Folk Festival in Australia, the Independent Music Festival in Alexandria, Egypt, the Rain Forest Festival in Malaysia, as well as countless venues across North America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWeaving intricate fiddle, flute and accordion lines, subtle guitar textures and exhilarating foot percussion, the pleasure that these three musicians have creating and playing together is palpable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April showers may provide a fitting backdrop for the first of April\u2019s concerts when the \u201cblues\u201d sets in with Genius + Soul: The Music of Ray Charles, presented my musical director Lance Anderson, with a \u201call-star Canadian cast\u201d of award-winning roots and blues musicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set for a 7.30 show start, artists set to grace the stage will be Kenny \u201cBlues Boss\u201d Wayne, gospel singer Quisha Wint, saxophonist Gene Hardy and percussionist Keavn McKenzie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t miss the powerhouse lineup of hits, including What I\u2019d Say, Hit the Road Jack, The Nighttime is Right Time, and Hallelujah, I Love Her So.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family Fare returns to the Performing Arts Hall on April 12, with an afternoon family show starring Karima Essa, part of the Centre\u2019s Up Close & Joyful Family Package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBlending Bollywood dance with body positive messaging, this BC South Asian dancer and choreographer entertains and educates simultaneously with swirling colour and movement,\u201d says the Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An additional performance from the Up Close & Joyful series will take place in Brevik Hall on May 10 at 2 p.m. as Russel Sprout plays the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you haven\u2019t met Russell Sprout yet you are in for a fun surprise!\u201d says the Centre. \u201cYou\u2019ll find him on stage with all sorts of cool instruments and props, often wearing the strangest things. He loves music of all sorts. Enjoy a family-friendly concert mashup of many musical styles from folk, to rock, to beat boxing electronica to\u2026 you never know!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRussell Sprout is an Ontario-based musician and educator. His second record was produced by Grammy nominee and Juno recipient Ken Whiteley, who has worked with many great musicians such as Fred Penner and Raffi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comedy returns to Aurora with Martha Chaves\u2019 \u201cUnited Colours of Canada,\u201d Chaves\u2019 second of two appearances in the Aurora Cultural Centre\u2019s 2024-2025 Performing Arts Season. Showtime is 7.30 p.m., with additional comedians on the bill yet to be announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Great Artist Music Series returns to the Performance Hall on May 3 with Cheng\u00b2 Duo \u2013 a brother-sister act that has ranked on CBC Music\u2019s 30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have gained worldwide recognition after winning major international competitions and receiving a 2024 JUNO nomination for \u2018Classical Album of the Year; Small Ensemble,\u2019\u201d says the Centre. \u201cCaptivating audiences and critics alike with their unique and refreshing programs, cellist Bryan Cheng and pianist Sylvie Cheng share an undeniable chemistry, and demonstrate a rare balance of infectious exuberance and mature and profound interpretations. Their recitals are in high demand in major concert halls throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Don\u2019t miss their Aurora debut.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will be a pre-concert talk with Rick Philips at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Once, billed as \u201cSt. John\u2019s, Newfoundland\u2019s gift to vocal harmonies,\u201d will give the community plenty of things to talk about when they perform on May 24 at 7.30 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[The Once] is sometimes a capella, sometimes traditional, sometimes original and always heartwarming due to lead vocalist Geraldine Hollett\u2019s remarkable voice,\u201d says the Centre. \u201cA \u2018port in the storm,\u2019 their latest material is soaked with the poetic charm and sunny sadness of the trio\u2019s collective disposition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blues returns to the Centre on June 7 at 7.30 p.m., in a concert by Angelique Francis with the supporting act of Jay Blues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOttawa\u2019s gifted multi-instrumentalist and prodigy emerged out of her Carlton University music degree playing acoustic bass and shouting out her debut \u2018Kissed By The Blues,\u2019\u201d says the Centre. \u201cIn 2023 she won the Blues JUNO Award for the sophomore \u2018Long River,\u2019 elevating her further to national and international touring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJay Blues, fresh from Toronto\u2019s curbside busking, jamming and electric sessions that display his love of Jimi Hendrix and the pantheon of blues heroes, is an inspired fresh face\u2026that is digging into the roots of blues from a Caribbean perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bringing the curtain down on the 2024-2025 Performing Arts Season on June 21 at 7.30 p.m. is Sue Foley with her \u201cOne Guitar Woman\u201d show, dedicated to female guitar pioneers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are the women who were expressing themselves through the instrument as far back as the 1920s, at the inception of radio and recorded music including Maybelle Carter, Memphis Minnie, Mary Osborne, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and more,\u201d says the Centre. \u201cCelebrating these women of excellence, Sue presents an evening of varied guitar styles and musical genres interspersed with their stories and her own personal narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more on the season, including ticket information, visit auroraculturalcentre.ca.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The unique sounds of Trinidad will bring a sense of sun and warmth to the Aurora Town Square Performance Hall this March when Danny Michel, supported by Drew Gonsalves, opens up a springtime set of performances for the Aurora Cultural Centre. Michel will open a busy spring season for the Centre as he takes the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[27,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","category-general_news","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-9a2","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-16 08:08:41","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35218\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}