Festival’s Trumpeter blog serves as information forum

(The following Trumpeter column originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on May 30, 2007.)

By Jenny Cressman

As a new member of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HFA) board of directors, I wanted to work on something new for the festival's 15th year. So, with the support of others on the marketing committee, I set up a blog for the HFA.

For the uninitiated, a “blog” – derived from “web log” – in its purest and most personal form, is essentially an internet journal. It floats around in cyberspace somewhere (I can’t explain that part) and anyone whose computer is online can go to a blog address and read the writing or view the images posted by whomever is associated with that particular site.

At the other end of the blog spectrum, it can be used as a laid back but effective marketing tool by businesses seeking a casual way to relate to clients.

The HFA blog is somewhere in between. It’s certainly not a personal diary, although board members are welcome to write personal comments for posting – such as encouraging people to attend a festival event they’re helping to organize, or explaining what goes on behind the scenes.

Nor is this blog strictly a marketing project, though that is at its root.

Along with a little gentle promotion, the intention of the HFA blog is to help raise the profile of Huntsville’s festival beyond the bounds of the town and to inform the public, near and far, about what we’re doing and why. In the same way that a newspaper or magazine article can offer a more in-depth story than a radio or television report often has time for, the blog is an easily accessible forum for information that you won’t necessarily find elsewhere.

The blog is named after this newspaper column (www.trumpeterhfa.blog spot.com). That’s because some of the material posted on it comes from the Huntsville Forester, through the monthly Trumpeter column or articles pertaining to the festival that have appeared in the paper.

There are also exclusive blog postings, both written and photographic, as well as links to sites we hope you’ll find interesting or useful. For instance, you can click a link to the website of a musician who will be performing here, thanks to the HFA, then you can click the link to the Algonquin Theatre site and order tickets. Or, while you’re clicking, you can let the link zap you to the festival’s home site (www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca) so you can check out the full summer lineup, which is awesome, if I may be permitted to offer a quick opinion.

I am going to be quite busy this summer, partly because there are so many festival shows I want to attend. In other words, if I don’t seem to be updating the blog in a timely fashion, please bear with me; my hands may be sore from applauding.

One update in the works is the creation of an e-mail address for comments, either pertaining to the blog or other aspects of the HFA. When it’s up and running, I’ll note it on the blog, of course. I’ll be looking forward to receiving your comments and, hopefully, posting some.

Local writer Jenny Cressman is a Huntsville Festival of the Arts board member. The black and white photo accompanying this article is from a full-colour portrait painted of her by Mendelson Joe, who was one of the generous donors supporting the Huntsville Festival of the Arts May Marche this year by contributing a piece of art for the silent auction.

Marché magnifique!

(The following photos, taken by Laura MacLean, originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on May 30, 2007.)

A TOAST TO GOOD TIMES: Kareen Burns, president of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, and Tony Clement, Parry-Sound Muskoka MP, toast to good times while attending the festival’s annual May Marché at Deerhurst Resort on Friday evening.

FOOD EXTRAVAGNZA: The food served at the May Marché was nothing short of absolutely delicious.

WORKING HER MAGIC: Shelley Westgarth, chef de partie for Deerhurst’s Eclipse Restaurant, gives the finishing touches on her wonderful creation.

OH, THE CHOICES! It appears as though Tim Green is having a hard time trying to decide which scrumptious offering to sample.

Huntsville Festival of the Arts launches 15th season line-up

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on May 23, 2007.)

Brochure outlining July events and new August jazz festival is available

The Huntsville Festival of the Arts is celebrating its 15th season of presenting quality, diversified Canadian arts fare to Muskokans, seasonal residents and cottagers.

The 2007 festival runs July 4 to 22. Most evening performances take place at the state-of-the-art Algonquin Theatre.

“We are looking forward to three performance-packed weeks of arts entertainment, not to mention some great concerts through to the year end,” said Kareen Burns, festival president.

“Now firmly ensconced in the intimate 400-seat Algonquin Theatre, our patrons are truly able to enjoy their festival experience.”

Headliners for this year’s festival include tenor John McDermott (July 14), gold and platinum recording artist Bruce Cockburn (July 18) and Jim Cuddy (July 4), known for his work as the lead singer of Canadian supergroup Blue Rodeo.

GETTING THE WORKS: Huntsville’s own Hawksley Workman performs at the Algonquin Theatre on July 21. Workman is one of the many performers in the Huntsville Festival of the Arts 2007 summer line-up.

“Huntsville’s own Hawksley Workman (July 21) will perform on the festival’s closing weekend in recognition of our 15th anniversary celebrations, followed logically by maestro Kerry Stratton leading the festival orchestra in Last Night at the Proms,” said festival general manager Rob Saunders.

In addition to 2007 being the 15th anniversary of the festival, it will also be the inaugural year for the Huntsville Jazz Festival.

Running from August 2 to 5, the jazz festival will feature great jazz offerings at restaurants, bars and outdoor venues during the day, and four evening concerts at the Algonquin Theatre.

Confirmed shows to date include Cuban/Canadian Hilario Duran leading an eight-piece salsa band in a traditional Latin evening, and legendary jazz pianist Oliver Jones, returning to Huntsville to share his dynamic keyboard skills.

A full schedule of the summer events can be found in the Huntsville Festival of the Arts brochure now available at various outlets around town, or on the website www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca.

Prices range from $20 to $45 and there is special pricing for youth.

Free events include 10 Music at Noon weekday concerts, co-ordinated by pianist Marion Haggart, weekend Jazz on the River with the Trillium Dixie Jazz Band, the return of the family-focused Arts Splash (July 8), the interactive Art Walk (July 28) and two Music on the Dock concerts.

Also featured are a Literary Café open-mike poetry event (July 16), and the fourth annual Novel Marathon (July 20 to 23), a three-day writing fest that is co-ordinated by the Muskoka Literacy Council.

The Huntsville Festival of the Arts is supported by grants from the Canadian Department of Heritage; sponsorship from several corporations, foundations and local businesses; individual donations; and hundreds of generous volunteers and artists in the community.

Tickets can be purchased through the festival website, at www.algonquintheatre.ca, or by calling the box office at 789-4975.

Call 788-2787 or e-mail info@huntsvillefestival.on.ca to add your name to the Huntsville Festival of the Arts mailing list.

May Marché silent auction features boat, sports car

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on May 16, 2007.)

The Huntsville Festival of the Arts fabulous May Marché food sampling and wine tasting evening is fast approaching.

This year’s event, to be held Friday May 25 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Deerhurst Resort, will feature a few new additions that are sure to be a hit with those in attendance.

As well as 13 restaurants, including Deerhurst Resort, Delta Grandview, Three Guys & a Stove, and Spencer’s Tall Trees, there will be 10 wineries from across the province and this year a special Muskoka martini station featuring Polar Ice vodka in a colourful concoction.

The Polar Diamond Group is the marché sponsor and will be providing a $3,000 value diamond pendant that will be raffled off throughout the evening. The Polar Diamond Group represents Polar Bear Diamonds and Polar Ice Diamonds, both of whose diamonds are mined, cut and polished in Canada.

Originating from Canada’s first producing diamond mine in the Northwest Territories just south of the Arctic Circle, these diamonds are carefully selected, measured and calibrated for their precise proportions and maximum brilliance. Only then do they receive their own specific “gemprint” that allows them to be registered in an international database.

The gemprint for the Polar Bear Diamond is actually a laser-engraved polar bear, ensuring you have a 100 per cent Canadian certified diamond.

Also featured at the marché this year are two large-ticket items that could well be great bargains. One is a new 2006 Seadoo Sportster 4-cylinder, 155 HP, sport boat and trailer provided by Lakeland MotorSports.

MAKE A BID: Huntsville Festival of the Arts directors Ross Kirwin (in the boat) and Mike Malone unveil two of the top silent auction items going on the block at the May Marché. Bids are being accepted in advance of the event with the purchase of a Marché ticket.

The boat has a retail value of $20,294 plus taxes and licence, but at the marché will be available for an opening bid of $16,500 plus taxes and licence.

Prior to the auction the boat can be viewed at Lakeland MotorSports – Hwy. 35 in Dwight – where bids can be placed. However, the bidders must pre-qualify by purchasing a marché ticket. They do not have to be at the marché for their bid to win.

The second large item is a 2003 “previously loved” Honda S 2000 2-litre sports coupe convertible, with leather package, supplied by Jason Armstrong’s Huntsville Honda. The car is currently listed on the lot for $35,900, plus taxes and licencing and is available for an opening bid of $30,000 plus taxes and licencing. As with the boat, the car can be viewed on the Huntsville Honda lot prior to the marché and bids will be accepted accompanied with the purchase of a marché ticket.

The May Marché is the Huntsville Festival of the Arts largest fundraiser and relies on the generosity of many community businesses, and individuals, for its success.

It is recommended that tickets be purchased early as the event sells out each year.

Tickets are $50 and limited to 425. They are available from Treasures and Trophies, Robinson’s Independent Grocer, the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, through the website at www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca, or by calling the festival office at 788-2787.

Ahh, the sweet sounds of Carlos del Junco’s harmonica – coming to Huntsville on May 19

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on May 9, 2007.)

Huntsville Festival of the Arts brings world's best blues harmonica player to the Algonquin Theatre May 19.

Carlos del Junco plays the harmonica like nobody else in the world, and on Saturday, May 19 at Huntsville’s Algonquin Theatre patrons can experience his extraordinary talent.

TRUE BLUES: Recognized as one of the finest blues harmonica players in the world, Carlos del Junco performs at the Algonquin Theatre on May 19.

Born in Havana, Cuba, del Junco (loosely translated it means ‘of the reeds’) immigrated with his family at the age of one.

In his early 20s, del Junco was immersed in a visual arts career; he graduated with honours from a four-year program majoring in sculpture at the Ontario College of Art.

Sculpture has definitely had an influence on his outlook on music: “Music is just a different way of creating textures and shapes,” del Junco explained.

While respected as a blues artist, harmonica maestro del Junco plays music that transcends all categorization into sheer artistry, bringing musical credibility to what has still been considered by many as a fringe folk instrument.

His command of the harmonica is absolute – he plays with all the subtleties and nuances of a classical violinist to the edgier sounds of a blues rocker. The sophisticated sound is at once sensitive, soulful and sexy, while never forgetting the rawness inherent in blues music.

Playing a 10-hole diatonic harmonica, del Junco has developed the unique ability to play chromatically by using a recently developed ‘overblow’ technique taught to him by jazz virtuoso Howard Levy.

Overall, this approach to the diatonic harmonica, although much more difficult to achieve, is in many ways more expressive and communicative than the mechanized tone produced by the chromatic harmonica.

During the 1980s del Junco performed with many bands, including a six-year stint with rhythm and blues group The Buzz Upshaw Band. With Kevin Cooke in 1990 he formed a blues/jazz/fusion band called The Delcomos.

In 1991 del Junco performed and composed the music for Tomson Highway’s Dora award-winning play Dry Lips Oughta Move To Kapuskasing. The production toured Canada and was held over for seven weeks at Toronto’s Royal Alex Theatre.

In 1993 he won two gold medals at the Hohner World Harmonica Championship held in Trossingen, Germany. He was judged the world’s best in both the diatonic blues category and the diatonic jazz category.

With the late Bill Kinnear, del Junco released his first CD Blues in November 1993. The rich collection of blues classics was a collaborative effort with Kinnear playing acoustic and dobro guitars and handling lead vocals.

In March/April 1995 del Junco travelled to Chicago with a Canada Council grant to study with Levy. The year saw the release of the critically acclaimed Just Your Fool, a sizzling live session with Kevin Breit on guitar, Al Duffy on bass and Geoff Arsenault on drums. It was this CD and the collaborative effort with Thom “Champagne Charlie” Roberts Big Road Blues that won del Junco the 1996 Blues Musician of the Year Award.

Del Junco has toured Canada, Germany and the United States regularly since 1996 and has played all the major jazz, blues, and folk festivals across Canada.

The Carlos del Junco concert is a presentation of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts.

Tickets for Carlos del Junco are $25 for adults and $15 for youth under 18, plus GST and are available from the Algonquin Theatre box office, 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca. Bookings can also be made through the festival website at www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca.

Deadline looms for arts festival scholarships

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on May 9, 2007.)

This Friday, May 11, is the cut-off date for applications for performing arts scholarships.

Students pursuing studies in dance, theatre, and music are being encouraged to apply for a Huntsville Festival of the Arts scholarship, while vocal students will be eligible to apply for a scholarship provided by the Huntsville Community Choir.

The junior scholarship, of up to $500, is available to applicants 13 years of age and under as of December 31, 2006. The intermediate scholarship, also an award up to $500, is available to students 16 years of age and under as of December 31, 2006, and the senior scholarship, totalling $1,500, is awarded to students 17 years of age or older as of the same date.

Scholarship funds must be used toward the cost of tuition to a post-secondary institution or applied toward lessons from a qualified instructor.

Applications for both scholarships may be picked up from the Huntsville High School guidance department, music department or at the Huntsville Forester office at 11 Main St. W., across the road from the post office.

Applications are to be completed and mailed back to the festival office at P.O. Box 5465, Huntsville P1H 2K8 by May 11.

Auditions for the community choir scholarship will be held at Trinity United Church on Saturday, May 26 and for festival scholarships on Sunday, May 27.

For further information please contact Rob Saunders at 788-2787 or Gerri Mar at 789-3175.

If you missed the deadline this year, contact Rob or Gerri at the above phone numbers regarding applications for next year's scholarships.

Huntsville HS students gain insight from slam poetry workshop sponsored by HFA

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on May 9, 2007.)

By Gillian Brunette

Slam poetry, otherwise known as spoken word poetry or performance poetry, is a relatively new art form in Canada that is increasingly gaining popularity.

Earlier last month the Huntsville Festival of the Arts sponsored two short classes on the art for Grade 9 and Grade 12 Huntsville High School (HHS) students. This was followed on April 26 by a workshop and performance of slam poetry at Sutherland Hall.

Four poets from the Toronto Poetry Slam scene – Electric Jon, Gypsy Eyes (Matt Toth) Mike Smith (a.k.a. the White Noise Machine) and Dave Silverberg – were the workshop presenters.

They also performed for the students as well as introducing different genres of spoken word poetry including group performances.

POETRY IN MOTION: Gypsy Eyes (Matt Toth), right, chats with Huntsville High School student Ryan Ferris during a recent poetry slam workshop held at Sutherland Hall.

The workshop was attended by 60 English and drama students from HHS and facilitated by English teacher Kirsten Corsen. It was also attended by students of Roger Bird and Doug Raisbeck as well as several local poets.

The workshop focused on voice, tone, interpretation and physical aspects of breathing and projection, said festival of the arts director Suzanne Riverin.

“The students then had a chance to share their talents with each other and the poets before sharing with the larger group.”

She continued: “The reaction was incredibly favourable as the students enjoyed the performances of the poets and took away new insight into the meaning of storytelling and the spoken word.”

The festival is holding its annual Poetry Café on July 16 at 7 p.m. at the Algonquin Theatre, and it is expected that some of the students and adult poets will try their hand at slam poetry. The evening will also feature Toronto’s celebrated poet laureate Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, who will share his work and join the “home-grown” poets in an evening celebrating poetry and its many faces.

To learn more about performance poetry in Toronto, go to www.torontopoetryslam.com.

Tickets are now available for the festival's fundraising gala on May 25 at Deerhurst

ON SALE NOW: Ross Kirwin, a director with the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, holds out a ticket for the annual May Marche, which is set to take place at Deerhurst Resort on May 25, 7-10 p.m., in the Waterhouse Ballroom.

Award-winning blues harmonica player takes centre stage in Huntsville May 19

(photo by Sam Bufalini)

Carlos del Junco, an internationally acclaimed harmonica player, will sing the blues and bend a few notes in the Algonquin Theatre on May 19, presented by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts. Get your tickets before it's too late!

Huntsville students 'Touch the Sky' through multimedia project, drawing on area artists

TOUCH THE SKY: This collage of images represents the multimedia show students from Spruce Glen Public School put on at the Algonquin Theatre recently. The Kaleidoscope project, sponsored by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and the Muskoka Lakes Music Festival, brings students, teachers and area artists together for hands-on art education.