Calgary artists will gather in concert to raise funds for a Canadian-founded, Haitian orphanage in Calgary Artists for Haitian Relief, presented at the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts on March 10 at 7:30pm.

In a joint initiative between the cities of Windsor and Calgary and sponsored by Field Law, funds generated from Calgary Artists for Haitian Relief ticket sales will go directly to a Haitian charity founded by Windsor, Ontario native, Frank Chauvin. 

Chauvin, a retired police detective from the City of Windsor, opened Le Foyer de Filles Chretiennes Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1988. The girls' orphanage operated in an oppressed neighbourhood for over 20 years, until it was destroyed in the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010.

In a cross-country effort to rebuild the orphanage, Calgary musicians and artists have donated their time and talent to present an evening of entertainment to help in fundraising efforts for the charity. Featured artists include: The Dudes, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra with Kris Demeanor, Corb Lund, Woodpigeon, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald with his Loud Love Choir, The Polyjesters and Denise Clarke, Jan Lisiecki, Sheri D. Wilson, Bravo!FACT, Cantos Music Foundation, DJ Rob Faust and Curiously Canadian Improv.

Tickets for the event are $25 and available at EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts box office, by calling 403-294-9494 or online at tickets.epcorcentre.org. All ticket sales will go directly to the charity. Donations are also accepted at helpfrankhelphaiti.org.

For more information visit the event's Facebook page.

Read the full news release.

For ten days, March 5 - 14, Dine Out Calgary presents a once-in-a-year opportunity to sample some of the city's top restaurants at value prices. The event makes the perfect pairing to this week's arts events like Theatre Junction's On the Side of the Road and the Calgary Artists for Haitian Relief concert.

Over 90 of Calgary's best restaurants, all located in the heart of the city, will participate in Dine Out Calgary with set price dining for lunch at $15 and $25 and dinner at $25 and $35 per person. The Ultimate Food and Wine Experience features chef's favourites and wine pairings for $85 per person.

In addition to set price dining, Dine Out Calgary offers not-to-be-missed dining experiences. At Rush, River Cafe and Charcut, the newest restaurant in the Cultural District, foodies can enjoy specially prepared menus and informative and engaging conversation with noted food author, Calgary Herald food writer and CBC restaurant critic, John Gilchrist.

For those with a sweet tooth, Olives Restaurant does Desserts on March 9th, where Pastry Chef Rachel Bergan and Executive Chef Johnathan Canning will 'whisk' diners away into a world of sweet decadence with a hands-on cooking class.

Choklat Snobbery 101 at Choklat on March 13th is a fun and fascinating evening of chocolate tasting and wine pairing. Chocolate fans learn the history of the "Food of the Gods" and the artisanal process of "making" chocolate right from the bean. Choklat is the only company in all of Western Canada that gives visitors the opportunity to see and learn how this incredible confection is made.

For the ultimate in wine tasting, on March 11th, Dave Henderson and his staff at The Cellar Wine Store share a variety of fine wines chosen from their extensive inventory of specialty wines from around the world. On March 12th, David Walker at 100 Wines takes a look back at the producers that have made Napa legendary. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse gives meat lovers a delicious course of big reds that perfectly match a succulent cut of Ruth's Chris tasty steak on March 13th.

Seating is limited for the events hosted by John Gilchrist. Tickets are $40 for lunch and $50 for dinner through DineOutCalgary.com. All other bookings can be made directly with participating restaurants.

For more information and a full list of restaurants and events visit DineOutCalgary.com.

Read the full press release.

The city’s best and brightest young artists in musical theatre, drama, vocal and instrumental performance compete at the 79th annual Calgary Kiwanis Festival from March 1 - 20.

As one of North America's largest amateur competitive classical music festivals, the Calgary Kiwanis Music Festival showcases almost 12,000 amateur performers from 5 to 25 years of age. The festival gives up-and-coming artists the opportunity to perform and compete for scholarships in 1,005 classes in 16 categories including piano, speech, choirs, musical theatre and, for the first time, harp.
 
Daily sessions are open to the public at no charge. Four additional concerts highlight some of the most outstanding performances in Musical Theatre, European Masters classes and Speech Performance.
 
The Stars of the Festival concert on March 20 highlights some of the festival’s most outstanding performers in a final showcase and concludes with the presentation of the prestigious Rose Bowl. The Registered Speech Teachers Association of Alberta joins the Calgary Kiwanis Festival to present their most promising young speech and drama performers on March 19 in the Outstanding Speech Performers Showcase. On March 13 in the Musical Theatre Showcase, select students perform selections from popular Broadway classics in addition to new works.
 
Throughout the year, festival participants also have the opportunity to share their love of music with the community, performing at a number of events around the city. In addition, the Peer Performance Project brings music students into schools to share their passion for music with their peers.
 
“The Festival offers something for everyone. Our participants are of all ages and skill levels. It’s a wonderful opportunity for those who love the arts to perform in front of an internationally recognized panel of adjudicators and a very enthusiastic audience," says Mary Ross, Executive Director of the festival.
 
For more information and a full events calendar, visit CalgaryKiwanisFestival.ca.
 
Read the full press release.

Shake off your winter blues during the Calgary Midwinter Bluesfest, running February 22 - 27.

The festival showcases acts like Grammy award-winner Alvin Youngblood Hart, who performs on February 25, and offers a sneak peek at the Calgary International Blues Festival, which takes place in August.
 
The Maritime Blues Dance Party is a double header on February 26 with 19 year-old New Brunswick guitar player Keith Hallett and the Carson Downey Band from Halifax. Virtuoso Sonny Landreth plays a sold-out show of blues, zydeco and funky rhythms on February 27.

“The Carson Downey Band packs a powerful, up-tempo punch. They're one of Canada’s best dance bands,” says Maurice Ginzer, Festival Producer. "Don't miss them."

The festival also offers free workshops including the Singing the Blues vocal camp on February 22. In this master voice class, students perform in front of a live audience and a panel of experts who offer constructive advice. Acoustic Blues in Two Languages is held in both English and French at the Alliance Francaise on February 23. Both workshops are followed by performances by workshop leads. 

On February 24, the 3rd Annual Calgary Blues Music Association Hall of Fame Awards honour local and regional artists who have dedicated their careers to blues music. Winners in each category were chosen by the public in an online vote that took place earlier this year.

For more information, visit CalgaryBluesFest.com.

Read the full news release. 

A new report from cultural research firm Hill Strategies provides an analysis of artists and cultural workers residing in five Canadian cities including Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Calgary findings include information on the city’s 5,100 artists and 23,300 cultural workers and show that Calgary’s creative labour force tends to cluster in centrally located neighbourhoods near the downtown core.

The research study was commissioned by the five Canadian cities included in the study. The City of Calgary, Calgary Arts Development and Calgary Economic Development have all been involved and will be using the research findings in ongoing work to support the city’s arts and creative industries sectors. Comments from each of the organizations follow:  read more »

Romance-themed arts and culture events on this week offer unique Valentine's experiences to share with that special someone.

The Cantos Foundation presents a special edition of their musician-led tour through their instrument collection on February 11 and 14. The tour kicks off with a screening of the silent film I Do featuring Harold Lloyd, and is accompanied by a live performance on the Kimball Theatre organ.

Market Collective hosts a Valentine's weekend edition of their independent market. Held on February 13 and 14, the market is a great place to browse the works of local artists and musicians and find that unique last-minute gift.

On Saturday, February 13 at 7pm, over 120 works of art "bare all" at the opening of the Glenbow's latest art exhibitions, Kent Monkman: The Triumph of Mischief and The Nude in Modern Canadian Art 1920-1950.

Art Central and the newly-opened Fashion Central host a Valentine's Shopping Day on Thursday, February 11 from 5-9pm, where you can find that special something for that special someone.

OX: A Crash Course on Loving Calgary tells stories about what we love about Calgary. Hear about the love other Calgarians have for the city and record your own story by taking a photo and linking it to Google maps.

Read the full news release.

Fashion Central's grand opening celebration takes place during First Thursday, the Cultural District's monthly cultural crawl, on February 4th from 5-9pm.
Located in the Cultural District at Stephen Avenue and First Street SW, the retail complex will sell unique, contemporary and cutting edge fashions of both recognized designer brand stores not typically found in shopping centres, and local and Canadian designer boutiques. The project contains seven street-front shops and eighteen interior units and is the project of Encorp, the developer behind Art Central.

Also launching on First Thursday is the month-long photography festival Exposure 2010, which will open with the exhibition Counter-Photography: Japan's Artists Today at the Triangle Gallery at 7:30pm.  read more »

Throughout the month of February, Exposure 2010 celebrates nearly 40 exhibitions of photographic works in galleries throughout Calgary, Banff and Canmore, alongside panel discussions, lectures and special events.  read more »

Update: The policy was passed by City Council on February 8, 2010.

Update: This policy passed community and protective services unanimously on Feb 3, 2010.

Calgary Arts Development, The City of Calgary and key stakeholders in Calgary’s festival and events community have engaged in research and planning to improve City support for festivals and events over the past 18 months. The result of this work is a proposed Festival & Events Policy that will be heard by a committee of City Council on Wednesday, February 3, 2010. The new Policy recognizes the social, economic and cultural value that events and festivals bring to the city and declares the City of Calgary’s commitment to creating a supportive environment for festivals and events.

Key areas of support outlined in the proposed Festival & Event Policy include:

Recognition of the value of festivals and events as a vital ingredient in Calgary’s ongoing development as an active and creative city.

• The policy recognizes that festivals and events enhance quality of life in Calgary and are an essential element in creating complete communities.

• Community consultations show that festival and event experiences are recognized to have significant value among both citizens and visitors.

• Because of the value festivals and events bring to Calgary, The City considers its support to these events part of its core business.  read more »

The Happening Festival of New Music and Media 2010, running until January 29 at the University of Calgary, highlights established and emerging new media practices in sound and music, including a live music concert with participants from around the world.NetTets: A Network Music Concert connects collaborators from China, New Zealand, Greece, Singapore, Canada and the U.S through Syneme, the studio/lab of the Canada Research Chair in Telemedia Arts. The high-speed fibre optic network lets multiple artists engage in real-time, high-definition telepresence.  read more »