Elsie Gallinger: Artist

 Now that’s entertainment.

The Intimate Acoustics show  December 15 at Morrisburg’s St. Lawrence Stage was highly eclectic, and musically, great fun.

One of the mandates of the Stage is to create a show case for up and coming young artists. The board invites young performers to audition, then offers them the chance to perform in a professional venue. 

As Sandra Whitworth, on the St. Lawrence board, told Saturday’s audience, “We’ve got six incredible performers for you tonight.”

Leading off the program were Alex Boyd and Ian Sabourin, two very young artists, who (in a different incarnation) are also members of the popular Ottawa-based group, Riot Police. 

They seemed genuinely at ease on this stage, although I suspect this may have been an ‘older’ audience than they are accustomed to.

Alex and Ian are already versatile vocal and instrumental musicians, who really have exceptional voices. Listening to them harmonize on original numbers like River Styx and The World Doesn’t Start to Turn, I began to think of them as balladeers with rocker souls. Or possibly vice versa. 

Christina Tracy, whose music board member Tony McCadden described as “a pleasure to listen to”, was joined on stage by accompanist Brian Flynn. 

Tracy’s voice is warm and sweet and strong, her lyrics simple sounding, but often with a wealth of meaning behind them. Saturday Night on the Town blended a touch of country with a touch of blues, conjuring up nostalgic memories.. “music was real/And we thrilled to its touch…lifting our spirits/As high as our hopes.” She drew a truly warm audience response.

The Douglas Poirier Trio from Cornwall is so new on the music scene, that, as Tony McCadden put it, “we’re making a little musical history here tonight. This is their first gig.” Poirier, a guitarist, was accompanied by Jamie McKiver and Mark Atchison. 

There are strong Celtic undertones to their work, very notable in numbers such as Galway Forever. It is these unique undertones that I hope will be  refined as their personal style develops. On stage, these young performers exhibit passion and infectious energy, qualities that I think they will continue to channel as their music matures.

Gen Lacroix seems shy, almost diffident when she first comes on stage. Then she begins to sing, and the extraordinary artist emerges.

Lacroix’s is a strong, carrying voice, rich and full, that immediately captures attention. She truly does let her lyrical poetry, and that voice, speak for her. With only a keyboard for accompaniment, every song “takes on new life of its own.” 

“Can I forget myself/Can I forget me/ Can I let go of this present moment?” 

There are touches of jazz and folk in her work, but I suspect Gen Lacroix will never let herself be limited to any one genre.

Nor will musician Binaeshee-Quae.

Winner of the Taylor Mitchell Award, Binaeshee simply takes over a stage, making it her own. 

Hers is unusual, intensely personal music, coloured perhaps by her First Nations heritage, and delivered in a powerful, confident, beautiful voice that fills a hall. Life anecdotes, flavoured by her strong sense of humour, strike one as the heart of Binaeshee’s lyrics. Saturday’s audience particularly loved her song of Hallowe’en in the deep Northern bush (“the beasts are loose/the ghouls are free/They are all coming after me…Uh, oh!”) 

With her first album due for release very soon, this young artist made it clear on Saturday that she is an up and coming musical powerhouse.

A powerhouse of a different type was the drumming group, Kunundrum, who literally exploded on to the stage in a flurry of sound and colour.

Made up (on Saturday) of seven very talented singers, drummers and dancers too, Kunundrum is based in Ottawa. Current board member, Tony McCadden, is a member, and so is former board member Jeanne Ward.

Exuberant and elated, the performers were clearly enjoying  creating music. And the audience was just as enchanted. (The beat of the percussion really does get into your head and soul.) 

Chanting, singing and often dancing Kunundrum put on a wonderful performance. With musical numbers distilled from the traditional rhythms and instruments of West Africa, Haiti and Cuba, the artists demonstrated their versatility and high energy to the obvious delight of the audience. 

As board member Derek Hunter expressed it at the end of the Intimate Acoustics concert, “We decided to end our fall season with a bang… or should I say, a ba-dum-dump!”  

[…]

“Last night was amazing,” said Iroquois Public School (IPS) Principal Kelty Grant.

She was referring to the February 8th Digital Literacy event sponsored by IPS Parent Council. 

The event, the first of its kind at IPS, offered parents a chance to learn how they can use technology and the Internet to help their children’s learning.

Grant, who was on hand to greet parents and usher children to the free on-site childcare, said “we had a really good turnout – about 40 parents and about 12 children.”

Interested parents were given the opportunity to attend any two of the four offered presentations, all of which were free, while their children were safe and having fun with some local high school volunteers.

According to Grant, the high school students “set up tables with games and activities in the gym.” 

Among the seminar presenters were Mike Singh, teacher with Soft-Where to Learn; Laura Oliver and Candy Campbell, Regional Student Engagement teachers; Elaine Gribbin, Regional Speech Language Pathologist; and, Alison Sutherland, Learning Resource Coach and teacher at IPS.

Grant reported that all four seminars were “well attended.”

“Parents who didn’t have a chance to get to the iPad/iPod technology seminar have been asking if that one will be offered again,” she said.  

“We had borrowed enough iPads for all parents to get a chance to try out some apps, and then at the end of the session they had an opportunity to show what they had discovered on the SmartBoard, which was plugged into an iPad.”

“Parents also seemed to love testing out the educational websites that are available,” said Grant, adding that “the evening was a result of our Pro Grant. We are using the Pro Grant money to purchase a membership to an educational website that parents and students will be able to access at home.”  

Iroquois Public School’s Digital Literacy event was such a success that they’re planning to do it again. Grant indicated that while a date had not yet been set, late March looked like a definite possibility.

“It is well worth the time and effort when you see our school community coming together like this,” said Grant. “We have some pretty amazing parents at IPS!”

[…]

“This, guys and dolls, is the Private Eye,” says private detective Harry Monday at the end of Monday Always Leads to Murder. 

Then, with a flourish, he holds up the Egyptian jewel that has been the source of two hours of murder and mayhem in Pat Cook’s comic whodunit set in New York, 1939. 

The 15th Iroquois-Matilda Lions’ play, Monday Always Leads to Murder, which ran at Upper Canada Playhouse April 26-28, scored another major hit for the cast and for the Lions’ Club. 

For the cast of 12, who has been in rehearsals for the production since January, the three day run was the culmination of a lot of hours of hard work and dedication.

Judging from the audience laughter and cheers at all four performances, it was definitely worth it.

The cast brought to life a collection of colourful characters,  all of whom appeared to have their own reasons for landing in Harry’s seedy office on a spring day in 1939.

Pop (Bill Rumble) was definitely more than just a “know nothin’” custodian.

The enigmatic Pearl Van Beesley (Joan Mann) was clearly interested in a lot more than just a play about Harry’s life.

Miller Bannister (Brian Speer), fearful client, and Desmond Sloan (Jim Mustard), ham actor, had a lot more up their respective sleeves than undershirts. So did Veronica Reynolds (Ruth Robertson), the weepy actress, who may or may not have been as confused as she claimed. 

Professor Hamadan (Donna Swank) experienced a major, very final surprize in Harry’s office.

Two comic burglars (Pat Goetz and Sam Decker, who also played Horace Barnstable) came to steal a priceless jewel but left with Harry’s wooden desk chair.

The very sultry Courtney Delecroix (Margaret Swerdfeger), was definitely after more than just Harry’s…heart.

Lt. Brogan (Glenn Swerdfeger), one of New York’s finest, couldn’t figure out which murder suspect he should nab.

Sol Johar (Barry Fawcett, using one of his very unique accents) arrived to collect a poker debt, and ended up knee deep in corpses.

And detective Harry Monday (Rick MacKenzie) had to survive bootleg hooch, gunshots through his window, burglars in his office, dead bodies on his desk, the enmity of the police and Sol Johar’s prophetic statement, “I’d like to report a murder. Somebody shot my car.”

Albert Dejong, prompting for the first time ever, did not lose his mind or his cool.

The office set for the play, designed by John Thompson, featured an impressive New York skyline. Sean Free, technical director at Upper Canada Playhouse, handled sound and lighting effects. Donnie Bowes, artistic director of UCP, and his entire staff, remained supportive and endlessly helpful throughout the run.

Club members (under Jim Locke) built and later struck the set: others handled publicity, programs and tickets, posters, photographs and video taping, as well as ushering duties.

 Stage manager Diane Fawcett kept props and actors under control during the production, while some truly outstanding volunteers handled make-up and wigs and catered great food for the final reception.

Wendy Gibb directed the show.

Although the final tallies are not all in, Monday Always Leads to Murder, should net the Lions nearly $15,000. 

Combined with past shows, the Iroquois-Matilda Club has raised nearly $200,000 through their theatre productions. 

Funds from this show, as has always been the case in the past, will be channeled back into local Lion charities and into the Club’s many community works.

[…]