A couple of New Westminster artists are among those featured in the Eastside Culture Crawl.
The four-day event runs from Nov. 17 to 20, inviting people into studios, homes and garages around Vancouver’s Eastside to experience the diversity of art being created in the community. More than 500 artists are featured at nearly 80 locations around the city.
Among the artists featured is Bayoush Mengesha, a jewelry and fabric artist who’s featured for the first time. She lived in New West from 1989 to 2013. Mengesha’s work draws inspiration from her Ethiopian heritage and her travels around the globe – including dyeing techniques she learned while travelling in Bali, Guatemala and India. Her work will be shown at her Vancouver studio at 908 Odlum Dr.
Also featured will be New Westminster resident Martin McLennan, a furniture maker who crafts works from wood, steel, textiles and other materials. His work will be shown at the Vancouver Community Laboratory at 1907 Triumph St.
The Culture Crawl runs Thursday and Friday from 5 to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. See www.culturecrawl.ca for all the details and to plan your route.
TWO ON THE BENCH
Music lovers, here’s another unique opportunity for you to enjoy the sounds of classical organ.
The Music at Queens concert series is presenting Two on the Bench, featuring organists Rachel Alflatt of Queens Avenue United Church and Denis Bedard of Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver.
They’ll be playing a variety of music for four hands and four feet by Haydn, Schubert, Bedard and more.
The concert is set for Friday, Nov. 18 at Queens Avenue United Church, 529 Queens Ave., at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 regular, $15 for students and seniors, $10 for children, available through www.queensavenue.org.
VANDECA OFFERS UP A CHORAL CABARET
Love the sounds of a cappella choral music?
The VanDeca Ensemble is serving up a choral cabaret for its next outing, this coming Saturday, Nov. 19 at River Market.
The choir’s second annual Cabaret on the Keys starts at 7:30 p.m., and it includes a concert along with food by Fork and Knife Catering, plus a cash bar.
Audience members can enjoy live music by the talented young choral ensemble, as well as a silent auction.
Tickets are $30, including food. Check out www.facebook.com/vandecamusic for the details, or buy through Brown Paper Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2712146.
FIND STORIES THROUGH POETRY
Writers, here’s another wonderful workshop from the Royal City Literary Arts Society.
Kagan Goh, an award-winning filmmaker and published author, will lead a three-hour interactive workshop called Mastering the Craft of Writing Short Stories Through Narrative Poetry.
Participants will learn to turn a recollection, a memory, an anecdote or an impression into a short story, and there will be a number of hands-on writing exercises throughout the session.
It’s set for Saturday, Nov. 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. at 737 Sixth St. (parking and entrance at back of building).
The workshop costs $15 for members, $25 for non-members. See www.rclas.com for more details.
WORLD POETRY CELEBRATES
Love poetry? Join World Poetry New Westminster for a celebration of Canadian holidays past and present.
The evening of poetry is set for Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at New Westminster Public Library. It features Candice James, Evelyn Benson, Tony Antonias and more, and it’s hosted by Ariadne Sawyer and Janet Kvammen.
Bring your stories, poems and photos to share during the open mike. There will also be a raffle and refreshments.
Register by emailing [email protected], or call 604-526-4729.
POETIC JUSTICE RETURNS
And another one for the poetry crowd – don’t forget about the Poetic Justice reading series. The next session, featuring poets Kate Braid and Richard Therrien, is set for Sunday, Nov. 20 at 11:30 a.m.
The Poetic Justice readings take place at Boston Pizza, 1045 Columbia St., and they also include an open mike session.
Check out www.poeticjusticenewwest.org for all the details.
FILM SCREENING SET
Film lovers, have you marked your calendars for the next screening in the Last Mondays at the Movies series?
This month’s screening in the Arts Council of New Westminster film series is coming up on Monday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Massey Theatre.
This month, you can enjoy Natalie Portman’s A Tale of Love and Darkness, based on the internationally bestselling memoir by Amos Oz. The film stars Portman (who also directs), along with Shira Haas and Ohad Knoller.
Tickets are $9, or $8 for seniors and students. You can pay in cash at the door or see www.ticketsnw.ca.
See www.acnw.ca for all the details about the film series.
TOP BRASS JOIN NWSS BAND
New Westminster Secondary School music students are getting an awesome opportunity to learn from the best.
NWSS band students are presenting their winter band concert at the Massey Theatre on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.
The evening will feature the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s brass quintet, made up of some of the top classical brass players in the country. The quintet will play some songs of their own and will also join the students of the senior band for a grand finale piece.
And that’s not all – during the day, the quintet members will be on hand helping to mentor the students before joining them for the performance that night.
“It’s a really exciting opportunity,” band director Steve Clements wrote in an email.
Tickets are $10 and will be available soon at www.ticketsnw.ca and through the Massey box office at 604-521-5050. You can find details at www.nwssmusic.com.
MUSIC FOR THE LITTLES
If you’re not in the mood for Christmas yet (and who is, really?), you should be sure to save the date for this concert. I promise it will help make everything sparkle.
Littles and their parents can have a great time ushering in the season at the next concert in the VSO’s Tiny Tots series, coming to the Anvil Centre on Saturday, Dec. 3.
The concerts are presented by Let Your Music Shine! With Lisa and Linda (a.k.a. Lisa Grace and Linda Sebenius), and they’re aimed at the toddler and preschooler set, with parents or caregivers.
The Holiday Hooray! Concert will feature favourites from The Nutcracker, Babes in Toyland and other holiday classics, with accompaniment from a brass trio.
There will be two concerts, at 10 a.m. and at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for kids and $2 for babies.
Check out www.anvilcentre.com.
A CHORAL CHRISTMAS
Here’s a heads-up save the date for choral music fans: Mark Saturday, Dec. 10 on your calendar for a lovely Christmas at Home concert by Amabilis Singers.
The singers, led by Ramona Luengen, are presenting the concert on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. at New Westminster Christian Reformed Church.
The program includes music celebrating the Christmas season, both familiar and unfamiliar – from Connor Koppin’s There is No Rose and Will Todd’s My Lord Has Come to Stacey Gibb’s spirited arrangement of Go Tell It On the Mountain, plus works by Vivaldi and Handel.
Plus, you’ll have your chance to join in the sing-alongs.
Tickets are $20, or free for children under 12. Buy at the door or call 604-503-2074.
(I must publish my usual disclaimer: I am in fact a member of Amabilis, so if you come to the concert, look me up. You’ll find me among the altos.)
SHORT STORY CONTEST COMING
Writers, get out those pens and boot up those laptops: it’s time to get writing again.
LitFest New West is presenting a short story competition this year, and submissions are being accepted until midnight on Jan. 15, 2017.
All stories must be fiction, and they must be set in New Westminster. The contest is limited to one entry per person, and stories must not have been previously published in print or on the web.
Prize money will be available for adult and youth writers. Youth prizes will be awarded in three age categories: 12 to 13, 14 to 15, and 16 to 18.
Adult entries must be between 1,200 and 1,500 words, while youth entries must be from 500 to 1,000 words.
Entry is free for arts council members, or $25 for non-members (or, better yet, become a member of the Arts Council of New Westminster and then enter for free).
You have to send in your entry to [email protected] by midnight on Jan. 15, so you still have some time.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment suggestions to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
