Powerful Soweto Gospel Choir performs in Huntsville, following Massey Hall show

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Dec. 10, 2008.)

By Gillian Brunette

Stirring gospel music, energetic dancing and vibrant costumes are a feast for your eyes and ears.

The Algonquin Theatre will resound with the emotional sounds of pure African gospel music when the Soweto Gospel Choir performs there on Dec. 20.

Thanks to good fortune and timing, the Huntsville Festival of the Arts has managed to secure the booking of this amazing 26-strong choir.

The choir comes to Huntsville direct from the 3,000-seat Massey Hall, said festival general manager Rob Saunders. “Compared to the $84 ticket price being charged to patrons at Massey Hall, the adult ticket price of $40 is a great deal and would make a perfect early Christmas gift.”

The Soweto Gospel Choir, whose patron is Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, was formed to celebrate the unique and inspirational power of African gospel music and is dedicated to sharing the joy of faith through music with audiences around the world.

OUT OF AFRICA: The world-famous 26-voice Soweto Gospel Choir performs at the ­Algonquin Theatre on Dec. 20 at 8 p.m.

The choir, under the direction of David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Bryer, draws on the best talent from the many churches in and around Soweto. It performs in six of South Africa’s 11 official languages.

When it comes to vocal talent, Africa, and more particularly South Africa, has spawned the most evocative sounds on earth and still produces the very best that the world has to offer in this art form. The Soweto Gospel Choir is that very best.

This young, dynamic choir performs both traditional and contemporary music, adding its own unique feel and interpretation to both. Concert patrons can expect earthy rhythms, rich harmonies, a capella numbers, as well as accompaniment by an exciting four-piece band and percussion section. Add to this, energetic dancing and vibrant, colourful costumes, and the mix is awesome.

This magnificent choir, styled with a contemporary feel, leaves all who hear it stunned with emotion. It is no wonder that they are charting a meteoric rise to international fame.

Those who saw the 46664 Concert in Cape Town in 2003, under the auspices of former president Nelson Mandela, will have witnessed the Soweto Gospel Choir in action alongside other musical greats, such as Bono, Queen, Anastacia, Peter Gabriel, Jimmy Cliff, and the Eurythmics.

However, no amount of glittering international recognition and praise has diverted the Soweto Gospel Choir from the mission it holds close at heart, its own AIDS orphans foundation, Nkosi’s Haven Vukani, which the choir founded in 2003. Mindful of the plight of South Africa’s sick and impoverished, the foundation supports families and organizations that receive little or no government support. These destitute families and children rely on the Soweto Gospel Choir to sing all over the world for very much more than their supper. To date, the choir has collected over three million rand ($370,000 Canadian) for Nkosi’s Haven Vukani.

Over the years, the choir has accumulated many awards, including Australia’s Performing Arts Award for Best Contemporary Music Concert in 2003, the 2003 American Gospel Music Award for Best Choir, following it up with another gospel music award for Best International Choir in October 2004. Also in 2004, the choir’s debut CD Voices from Heaven was nominated for a South African Music Award, and on Feb. 11, 2007 received a Grammy award for the CD Blessed. This year, the choir received a second Grammy for its new CD African Spirit.

Tickets for the Soweto Gospel Choir are $40 for adults and $20 for youth under 18, plus GST, and are available by visiting the Algonquin Theatre box office, by calling 789-4975 or online at www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca.

The concert, which begins at 8 p.m. on Dec. 20, is expected to sell out, so don’t wait to purchase tickets and be disappointed.

More information about the Huntsville Festival of the Arts can be found at www.trumpeterhfa.blogspot.com.

Dozens audition for Wizard of Oz musical

(The following column originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Dec. 3, 2008.)

By Rob Saunders, HFA General Manager


Have you ever asked yourself, “What happens if I throw a party and no one comes?”

Well, that was the mild concern of some Huntsville Festival of the Arts board members, prior to the casting call for their 2009 spring presentation of the Wizard of Oz.

Director Gregg Evans had no such concerns and he was proven right, with over 140 members of the community coming out last week and sharing their talents with the judges. They were big and small, young and old (ranging in age from three to 75), but all had to face their fears, stand on the Algonquin Theatre stage and present a song.

Some chose Somewhere Over the Rainbow, while others chose to Ha-Ha-Ha! Ho-Ho-Ho! their way through the merry old Land of Oz. The littlest ones sang We’re Off To See The Wizard, while those with grander aspirations put themselves in the role of the Tin Man, Scarecrow or the Cowardly Lion, and sang those characters’ reprises.

Evans quickly concluded that, based on the talent pool, he would create two full casts. It was, of course, the role of Dorothy that drew the largest interest. Thirty young ladies put their names in the hat as potential Dorothys and, once again, the talent pool in our community ensured that choosing the play’s star would be a difficult task indeed. Six young stars were identified as deserving of a second look and callbacks followed, where both the applicant’s voice and theatrical skills were reviewed.

Final cast decisions will be made by early December and then the real work begins. For those who have leading roles, scripts will have to be reviewed. Costumes will be a major challenge, not just for their complexity, but also for the sheer volume of costumes required.

Staging will also present a major test, such as recreating a Kansas tornado on a 40-foot-by -40-foot stage and, once the director has the scenes blocked out, set designers must figure out how to best create the magic of Oz given the tools at their disposal.

During the auditions and the discussion that followed, festival members involved in guiding this process reminded themselves that this is not just any play. The Wizard of Oz is one of the all-time children’s classics.

That brings many challenges. For instance, how do you change the status quo? Everyone knows Dorothy for her frail but firm personality and her overall sense of wonder. Bert Lahr was the perfect Cowardly Lion and Ray Bolger, the wise Scarecrow. The characters they developed, how they talked and acted, seem to be the only way those characters could be.

Evans will have to guide the evolution of his young cast over the next few months so they will be ready for opening night. The final product will run from Apr. 16 to 18 and also from Apr. 23 to 25, for a total of eight performances.

As an added bonus, the festival has asked the Rotary Club of Huntsville to assist in delivering the production. The Rotary Club has a long and esteemed history in Huntsville of being associated with some of the grandest theatrical productions ever mounted here. It is hoped that this inaugural collaboration between the two groups will rekindle that artistic flame.

Over the next months, further needs will be identified and, possibly, there will be further opportunities to get involved. If you think you have a skill or talent that might help, jump right in. This promises to be a great community collaboration and often those involved take away as much, or more, than they give.

For more information about the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, go to www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca, or visit our blog at www.trumpeterhfa.blogspot.com.

Festival presents popular Celtic tenors

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Nov. 19, 2008.)

By Gillian Brunette

The Celtic Tenors, Daryl Simpson, James Nelson and Matthew Gilsenen, are three of Ireland’s most prized possessions.

These young men, superstars in their homeland, have established themselves as the most successful classical crossover artists ever to emerge from that country.

The Tenors are returning to Huntsville for the third time, performing in concert at the Algonquin Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 27. Showtime is 8 p.m.

UPLIFTING: The unique voices, charm and wit of the three Celtic Tenors (from left), Daryl Simpson, James Nelson and Matthew Gilsenen, are sure to thrill when the three men take the Algonquin Theatre stage on Nov. 27. (Photo by Jon Snelson, HFA photographer.)

Presented as part of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts’ fall season, the Celtic Tenors, with their eclectic mix of classical, folk, Irish and pop, have proven to be a festival favourite, selling out their two previous Huntsville appearances in 2005 and 2007.

With total album sales worldwide, including compilations, of over one million, and a full international touring schedule, the Celtic Tenors have topped the charts in the USA, Canada, Germany, the UK and Ireland.

The Celtic Tenors are blessed with beautiful voices, many influential fans and friends and more than their share of Irish charisma and good looks. During former U.S. president Bill Clinton’s visit to Dublin Castle, the lads performed and their version of Danny Boy is now Clinton’s favourite.

They also gave a private performance for then-secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. This was a gift from U2 frontman Bono.

According to Phil Coulter – the composer of the Tenors’ hit Remember Me – the Celtic Tenors continue to re-invent the whole tenor idiom by pioneering a new style of ‘cool,’ never before seen on the classical stage, and by breaking the traditional stuffy tenor mould.

While each of the Celtic Tenors has been influenced by the musical traditions from their own individual parts of Ireland, Simpson (from Omagh in Northern Ireland), Nelson (from Sligo in the heart of Yeats country) and Gilsenen (born into a hard-working farming family in North Meath) show great flexibility in melding their voices to suit the appropriate classical, folk, Irish and pop genres.

The Tenors’ live show is an experience overflowing with vitality and variety from start to finish. The unique voices, charm and wit of the three men, combined with talented young musical director Colm Henry, combine an emotive journey with a thoroughly uplifting experience, as anyone who has heard them sing You Raise Me Up can attest.

Equally at home performing to large festival crowds or intimate concert halls and theatres, and whether backed by a live band, symphony orchestra, solo piano or even a capella, their voices and personalities always shine through alongside their undeniable Celtic charm.

The group’s fifth album is due for release just before Christmas. Recorded in the Hollywood Hills, this new album is a collection of songs from North America by various songwriters, including Stephen Foster and Bob Dylan.

Tickets for the Celtic Tenors are $35 for adults and $15 for youth 18 and under, and are available at the theatre box office, by calling 789-4975 or online at the festival website www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca or the Algonquin Theatre site www.algonquintheatre.ca.

And don’t forget to check out the festival’s blog at www.trumpeterhfa.blogspot.com

Wizard of Oz show in April will mark return of the big community musical productions

(The following article originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Nov. 12, 2008.)

By Gillian Brunette

There can’t be too many people who have never heard of the wonderful Wizard of Oz.

The story of little Dorothy Gale of Kansas and her friends Scarecrow, Tinman and the Cowardly Lion in the Land of Oz has been a firm favourite with children and parents since the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum was first published in 1900.

The book was soon followed by a 1902 musical play extravaganza, titled The Wizard of Oz, and in 1939 was made into an American musical-fantasy film of the same name. The film is still screened on television today, notably at Thanksgiving on several American channels.

Now, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, the North Muskoka Players and the Huntsville Rotary Club, the Wizard of Oz will once again take the stage, this time at the Algonquin Theatre.

“I really miss the old Huntsville Rotary musicals. They were great community productions. The last one was in 1995 and that was directed by (the late) Jane Hutcheson and music was by Lynn Sargeant,” said North Muskoka Players producer Gregg Evans.

With an idea forming in his mind, Evans approached festival of the arts general manager Rob Saunders this past spring.

“I said I’d like to resurrect the big community musicals, marry the North Muskoka Players with the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and bring Rotary back in,” said Evans. “Both organizations liked the idea.”

The proposal went to the festival board at its last meeting and it was agreed by the members that the festival should underwrite the cost of the production. Rotary will provide technical and backstage support.

“Wizard is tricky and I need the festival and Rotary to make it work. I would never have attempted it on my own,” Evans said.

The one stipulation put forward by the festival board was for an open casting call to involve as many members of the community as possible.

Evans also agreed to direct the first show. “I chose Wizard of Oz because the show transcends generations. Whether you are five or 85, everyone loves the Wizard of Oz.”

The show will require a cast of at least 50, plus 15 musicians, and that number again to help with make-up, set design and construction, props, and costumes, said Evans.

“There will be a total of 100 to 120 people involved. There are lots of talented people in town, and we will need people of all ages.”

The staging is very ornate, very technical, Evans continued. “There are flying monkeys and flying witches. Even Toto, Dorothy’s little dog, will be a child in a dog’s costume.”

The casting call, for anyone in whatever capacity, who is interested in becoming a part of the lavish production, is asked to be at the Algonquin Theatre on Nov. 22 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Evans is also hoping to draw the interest from the town’s youth. “We will need lots of kids to play parts in Munchkinland. Munchkins, trees, poppies, flying monkeys and Winkies, the Wicked Witch of the West’s soldiers.”

Auditions will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, with eight shows scheduled over the last two weeks of April 2009.

Presenting a production of this magnitude does not come cheap. Royalties alone are in the region of $8,000, said Evans.

“It cost $42,000 to produce Jesus Christ Superstar. Big productions are expensive, but will always fill seats.”

Evans is hoping this musical will be the first of what will become an annual event. He already has other shows in mind, including the King and I and Music Man.

“It will be great to resurrect what was once a wonderful Huntsville tradition and bring back the big community musical.”

2008 a challenging year for Festival of the Arts

(The following column originally appeared in The Huntsville Forester on Nov. 5, 2008.)

By Gillian Brunette,
HFA director

This past year, 2008, was one of ups and a few downs for the Huntsville Festival of the Arts (HFA).

Following one of the best years in its 16-year history in 2007, which resulted in a healthy $20,000 surplus, this past season offered more in the way of entertainment but netted less in terms of dollars.

“Ticket sales, on paper, were up $11,000, our highest sales ever, but the artists’ fees were also higher,” HFA general manager Rob Saunders told those gathered for the festival’s annual general meeting, held Oct. 18 in the Algonquin Theatre Partners Hall.

“We also had the most sold-out shows, 14 in total. It seemed that we either sold out the 400 seats or we had audiences in the 200 range. The shows we paid high dollars for all sold out. It was the medium-priced acts we lost money on.

“However, we are still in a good financial position. On the year, we lost $13,296 and our challenge is to understand why it happened and to plan to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

The HFA is a non-profit organization which relies heavily on corporate sponsorships and donations as well as ticket sales. Monies raised go toward operational expenses, but a good part of revenues go back into the community by way of arts education initiatives for Huntsville youth, supporting local community theatre groups, and providing arts scholarships.

“Our fundraising efforts were up a bit but corporate sponsorships were down slightly, as were personal donations,” noted Saunders, adding that a new initiative in 2008, the Partners’ Program, attracted 10 new sponsors, which helped boost coffers.

“The Partners’ Program allows existing supporters and potential sponsors to receive various benefits and recognitions by supporting the festival with an investment of $750, which is less than a full sponsorship,” said Saunders. “Our challenge is to continue to develop our sponsorship base and this program has proven to be a creative way to do that.”

The major fundraiser for the HFA is the annual May Marché held at Deerhurst Resort. The 2008 event was the best ever, said HFA president Kareen Burns.

“It was wildly successful, with a bidding war for tickets and great, great food.”

After expenses, the May Marche netted about $39,000.

While artists’ fees were up, so too were production costs. Eight thousand dollars was spent on additional lighting at the theatre and HFA hosted an art show at the Trinity United Church hall for a week at a cost of $2,000. The festival also commissioned local artist Brenda Wainman Goulet to create the Festival Builders Excellence Awards (FBEA) presented to 10 individuals who have made a significant contribution to the growth and success of the HFA.

“This will not be a yearly event. Awards will only be given out when warranted,” said Burns.

In light of the previous year’s success, more money was spent on educational programs in 2008, one example being the 20 murals painted by Huntsville High School (HHS) students, which now adorn the exterior walls of the high school and at Muskoka Heritage Place. Overall, the festival invested over $15,000 in community youth programs. Moreover, arts scholarships were increased by $2,000 to a total of $4,500.

The HFA not only presented mainstage shows at the theatre, but also offered fringe events throughout its summer festival. These included outdoor concerts at Dwight beach and Port Sydney beach with the Muskoka Concert Band, the Poetry Cafe and workshop, Tunes at Tall Trees and Jazz at Tall Trees, Arts Walk, Arts Splash and an extended Jazz Festival.

“Due, in part, to last-minute changes in programming, the Jazz Festival didn’t fare as well as hoped. We will look at that for 2009 and perhaps have a shorter more condensed (event) and make use of the new outdoor park,” said Saunders.

ON BOARD: The 2008/9 Huntsville Festival of the Arts board of directors stand outside the Algonquin Theatre following their Oct. 18 annual general meeting. From left at back are Jon Snelson, Ron Baker, ­Helena Renwick, Ross Kirwin, Suzanne Riverin, general manager Rob Saunders, Peter Wood, Jenny Cressman and Bruce Gowan. Front, from left, Tia Pearse, June Salmon, Gillian Brunette and president Kareen Burns. Missing are Carol Gibson, Mike Malone and Sharon Stock-Feren.

In her report, Burns addressed the many education outreach programs that were supported by the festival in the past year: Kaleidoscope at Spruce Glen, the inaugural HHS film festival, which was open to secondary students across Muskoka, the HHS mural project and Song Project, and spoken-word poetry workshops, which were expanded into Bracebridge and Gravenhurst this year.

“The Children’s Canadian Dance Theatre put on four shows for us and filled the theatre each time. They were absolutely fantastic and will be coming back,” Burns said.

One new initiative this year was a marketing questionnaire handed out to patrons and also posted online. The results are currently being tabulated and, it is hoped, will offer the festival board some idea of what patrons would like to see in terms of future programming.

All artists who are booked by the HFA to perform at the Algonquin Theatre are well taken care of backstage. “Their dinners were provided by Three Guys and a Stove and were much appreciated,” said Burns.

A farewell and thanks were extended to Marion Haggart, who for years has organized the Music at Noon series at Trinity United Church. Board member Carol Gibson has offered to take on the responsibility.

Burns also extended thanks to the “dynamic” members of the board, all of whom are returning for the HFA’s 17th season. “I would like us to be the foremost eclectic festival in Canada,” she said.

Bringing the meeting to a close, Saunders thanked the Algonquin Theatre staff for all their hard work throughout the festival season.

For more information about the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and to review upcoming programming, go to www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca, or visit our blog at www.trumpeterhfa.blogspot.com.