Public Events
The Arts Centre is now closed for the winter. We will reopen when the weather warms again in the spring...hopefully in April. Please check back for upcoming public events, since we will post dates as soon as they become available.
Events for June 2014
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Jun 29
Cponcert in the Harbour with Terry Penney
Once again Terry Penney will fill the arts centre with songs and stories of long ago times in English Harbour, and help us to prepare for Newfoundland's Memorial Day.
$15 8 PM
Terry has close family connections to English Harbour: his Dad's family was from English Harbourand and our venue was actually the church his family attended. Terry's great Uncle Steve Penney ran a General Store in English Harbour. And Terry has received strong accolades for his song "Shells" which is on his latest album: the main character in the song, a World War I veteran, is from Trinity Bay. This song was chosen as a Folk Song finalist at last year's Kerrville Folk Songwriting Competition in Kerrville Texas.
Terry Penney is a Newfoundland singer/songwriter whose songs are so vivid and image-driven they have been likened to "3-minute movies". He is a world class storyteller and performer with the uncanny ability to "put you there" in his songs and for the past decade he has done just that. Penney is an old soul who has always had a penchant for the past. Consequently, his songs are often set in a by-gone era when little boys dreamed of helping the Lone Ranger and World War veterans still walked the streets as young men.
Not surprising, the first music Penney was drawn to as a child were records from his parents collection: Buddy Holly's Greatest Hits, Elvis, and The American Graffiti Sound Track. These discoveries started a lifelong appreciation for artists from that era. "There's just something about the rawness and honesty of those early recordings that I've always been drawn to and those are elements that I strive for in my own music." From there he gravitated towards artists like Steve Earle and John Prine, and it's with the afore-mentioned that Penney aligns himself stylistically. "All my favorite artists today are mavericks who don't neatly fit into one genre of music."
Terry Penney is a commanding artist with five full-length albums that have garnered numerous awards and honors, including 2012 Music NL Country Artist of the Year. His extensive touring experience includes major events like the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival, the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Nova Scotia, US tour of Maine and a UK tours in Ireland and England. Penney's fifth album, The Last Guitar, was released on February 14, 2012 to critical acclaim (4 Stars, Maverick Magazine, UK).
Events for July 2014
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Jul 05
Concert in the Harbour with Ian Foster
$15 at the door, concert begins at 8 pm.
*Ian will be releasing his new CD The Great Wave*
Ian Foster is familiar with the cycle of a song. Since 2006, the Newfoundland-based songwriter has been writing, recording and touring his work around Canada and Europe. His latest release, The Evening Light, showcases songs inspired by the road, and by an examination of home that can only be made from the distance of travel.
His music combines many of the classic elements of folk songwriting and storytelling with newer approaches to the genre. His albums contain a mix of traditional instruments (banjo, upright bass, accordion, violin and cello all appear on his newest release) and modern instruments and effects. He regularly plays both electric and acoustic live, making tasteful use of looping and delay effects to create a bigger sound than one would expect from a solo player.
A road warrior, Ian spends about half of every year playing shows, festivals, and conferences abroad, and regular shows all year long in his home province. His music has been played on radio internationally, from Newfoundland to the Netherlands. He has been nominated for multiple MusicNL (Newfoundland) and ECMA (East Coast Music Awards) over the last few years (including SOCAN Songwriter of the Year), and has been a finalist in the ISC (International Songwriting Competition), based out of Nashville, TN. He also has numerous co-writing credits, including one with the legendary folk songwriter Ron Hynes.
One can expect a dynamic live show, with regular stories interspersed throughout a set, adding a level of insight into the songs that can only come from an "in the flesh" performance.
Popular to fans and critics alike, Ian's music resonates. Glenn Meisner, long time producer at CBC Radio in Halifax has this to say: Ian is special There are those special things about he and his music that you cannot quite put your finger on " hard to express qualities that allow him to creep into your consciousness and superimpose his imagination on yours rare qualities that separate the wheat from the chaff in this business." Tony Ploughman, chief music purchaser at Fred's Records in St. John's, notes, "For those who appreciate, embrace and applaud artistic quality, commitment, drive, and the fruits of a laborious creative process, Ian Foster is reason to take notice."
Learn more about Ian at www.ianfoster.ca -
Jul 12
Concert in the Harbour with The Ennis Sisters
You won't want to miss this evening of wonderful music.
8 pm. $20
The lyrics by Maureen Ennis from the Song "John William", speak of the lineage into which she and her sister, Karen, were born. Along with their sister, Teresa, the girls learned to sing around the time most people learn how to walk.
And while that may not be a unique thing for many people from Newfoundland and Labrador, the level of success they have attained since then, certainly is.
With a Juno award, a SOCAN award, multiple ECMA and Music NL awards and nominations, Maureen and Karen have performed in Australia, The Middle East, Europe, America and Canada, accumulating 3 gold records along the way and sharing the stage with such widely respected artists as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Mary Black, Jann Arden and the Chieftains.
Having released 6 CD's as the Ennis Sisters, ENNIS are poised to release their follow-up to the award winning album, "Lessons Learned". -
Jul 18
Concert in the Harbour with Steve Maloney
Steve Maloney is a young singer-songwriter whose "vocal abilities, musical chops and laid back songs have no shortage of potential" (The Newfoundland Herald). His unique brand of alternative-folk music has a strong focus on vocal performance, which derives from Steve's classical training at university. Throughout his short career Steve has opened for many well respected acts, including Mark Bragg, Repartee, The Once, Hey Rosetta!, Mike O'Neil (of the Inbreds), Wintersleep, Matt Epp and Steve Poltz. He also landed in the Newfoundland Herald's "Artists to Watch" in 2012 and in 2013 won "Best Solo Artist" and "Best Artist to Enjoy Quietly" in the Scope Magazine's final "Best of Music" issue.
8 pm $15 -
Jul 25
POSTPONED UNTIL LATER NOTICE: Concert in the Harbour with The Blue Drop, and Michael Crummey
CONCERT POSTPONED....
PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR AN UPDATE.
The Blue Drop
Allan Byrne and Holly Hogan are a singer/song-writer duo from St. John's Newfoundland. The Blue Drop combines their unique styles and beautiful harmonies with Allan's intricate guitar arrangements on original songs, and fresh takes on a wide range of folk country and jazz favourites.
Michael Crummey has published four books of poetry, a book of short stories, and three novels. His most recent novel, the bestselling Galore, won the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for Best Book. A new novel, Sweetland, will be published in Fall, 2014. He lives in St. Johns. Newfoundland.
$15 8 pm -
Jul 27
Concert in the Harbour with Ron Hynes
Newfoundland's most beloved singer songwriter comes to English Harbour. This is a concert you will not want to miss!
8 pm $25
Hynes was born in St. John's in December 1950, and raised in Ferryland. He was a founding member of The Wonderful Grand Band, one of Newfoundland's most popular performing groups, and has released seven solo albums. His debut album, Discovery, released in 1972, was the first album composed of totally original content by a Newfoundland artist. Hynes is a seven-time East Coast Music Awards winner, and past Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards nominee.2 He was named Artist of the Year ('92) and was presented with the prestigious Arts Achievement Award (2004) by the Newfoundland/Labrador Arts Council. In 2002, Hynes received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Memorial University in St. John's in recognition of his original songwriting and his contribution to the cultural heritage of Newfoundland. In 2006, Hynes was honored as the recipient of the St. Johns Folk Arts Councils Lifetime Achievement Award.
Most recently, Hynes was the winner of Male Solo Recording of the Year at the 2007 East Coast Music Awards, and picked up three awards at the 2006 MusicNL awards show in November 2006. The awards included Entertainer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Folk/Roots Artist of the Year.
Events for August 2014
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Aug 02
Concert in the Harbour with Tuckamore Chamber Group
7:30 pm $20
This will be a special evening at the Arts Centre. Will a baby grand piano fit through the door, we were asked??
You won't want to miss hearing this first ever concert of classical music in our lovely old restored church, as the Tuckamore Chamber group fill the room with chamber music on their pre-festival tour.
Duo Concertante (Nancy Dahn, violin and Timothy Steeves, piano) and Tuckamore Festival alumnus, pianist Timothy Brennan, will present a recital of chamber music on Saturday, August 2 at 7:30 pm at the English Harbour Arts Centre. It will be a delightful evening of solo and chamber music by Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Grieg, and Scriabin.
Duo Concertante maintain a busy touring schedule, with frequent performances across North America, as well as in Europe and China. They have appeared at Wigmore Hall (London), Carnegie Halls Weill Recital Hall (New York City), Old First Church (San Francisco), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles), Roy Thomson Hall and the Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), the Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), and the Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur (Montreal). Based at Memorial University in St. Johns, Dahn and Steeves are energetic, experienced teachers who have given hundreds of master classes and workshops across Canada, in the US, and in China. Their commitment to working with young musicians gave rise to the annual Tuckamore Chamber Music Festival, which they founded in 2000 to bring together young chamber music performers with world-class artists and ensembles for an intensive two weeks of learning and performance.
Timothy Brennan is entering his fourth year as a Piano Performance major and composition minor at Memorial Universitys School of Music and studies with Timothy Steeves. He is on the Deans List and holds the Dr. David and Dorothy Peters Scholarship in Music. Timothy holds an
Associate Performance Diploma (A.R.C.T.) in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is a past winner of the Senior Instrumental Rose Bowl at the St. Johns Kiwanis Music Festival and the piano division at the NL Provincial Music Festival. In July 2013, Timothy received the Dorothy Buckley Prize for the Best Performance of a Canadian Composition at the CFMTA National Piano Competition in Halifax, NS. He has participated in the Piano Master Class at the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Orford Arts Centres Piano Master Class, and New York Universitys Summer Piano Intensive where he had the privilege to
perform in Steinway Hall. This summer, he will be attending the Art of the Piano Summer Program at the University of Cincinnatis College Conservatory of Music and the International Piano Festival at the University of Florida. Timothy is thrilled to be performing with Duo Concertante in the Tuckamore Festivals Outreach Concerts in August and is looking forward to returning as a Young Artist in this years festival.
The 14th season of Tuckamore Festival will run from August 4 to 17 in St. John's.
http://www.duoconcertante.com
http://tuckamorefestival.ca
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Aug 09
Concert in the Harbour with The Freels
$ 20 8 pm
The Freels are an exciting addition to the Newfoundland folk music scene and have quickly earned a strong reputation for their unique sound. Performing regularly around St. John's, the group makes use of light harmonies and solid rhythms to bring energy and life into their playing. The dynamic balance of passionate ballads and fiery dance tunes offered by The Freels promises a show not to be missed. Members include: Andrew Fitzgerald (fiddle, bodhran, vocals), Danny Mills (flute, bouzouki, vocals), Marie Peddle (fiddle, vocals), Anthony Chafe (guitar, accordion, vocals) and Fergus Brown-O'Byrne (accordion, concertina). -
Aug 15
Concert in the Harbour with Morgan Davis
8 pm $15
Morgan Davis has been on the road for 43 years, playing traditional and original blues on guitar and 3 string cigar-box guitar. Over the years he has won several songwriting awards (he wrote "Why'd You Lie?", Colin James' first big hit) as well as the JUNO in 2003 for Blues Album of the Year.
His performances are laced with a good dose of humour and many stories about the artists and history of the blues....don't miss it ! -
Aug 17
Concert in the Harbour with Fortunate Ones
8 pm $20
Fortunate Ones are Andrew James O'Brien and Catherine Allan. Their earnest blend of acoustic folk/pop and roots, bare-bones arrangements and delicately precise harmony allows for the intimate musical conversations that make their performances so special.
Most Canadian music fans are aware of St. John's, and the hyperactive pub scene that has produced so much music and theatre over the past two decades.
Less known is Corner Brook, Newfoundland's other city, the sturdy west coast blue-collar mill town situated at the base of a breath-taking fjord. It is a city of contrasts the town and economy is built around a huge paper mill, there are no colourful row houses or winding lanes, and it is rarely featured in the provinces popular tourist ads. On the other hand, it boasts a site rich in natural beauty, and it is the gateway to Gros Morne Park, the Islands natural treasure. In winter it becomes a city of skiers and snowboarders filling the surrounding pine-hills and valleys with the energy of outdoor sports. And above the city sits the Grenfell campus of Memorial University, home to the provinces school of Fine Arts. In the past decade, this school has become a wellspring for artistic creativity, and now Corner Brooks millwrights and lumbermen have been joined by a growing population of dreamers.
It is this city that gave birth to the Fortunate Ones.
During my first semester I began writing songs and performing them live, Andrew says. "Through the course of my four years, acting took a significant backseat to music. I became more and more self-conscious as an actor and had trouble believing anything I was doing or saying. Conversely, my songwriting gave me an opportunity to be entirely honest, and left me with no choice but to believe in what I was saying."
In 2010, Andrew recorded and released his debut indie album, Songs For Searchers. Intensely autobiographical, the album is a deeply personal expression that was masterfully written with lightness and beautiful melody. Somehow it managed to capture the timelessness of Newfoundland's west coast while sounding utterly contemporary. The album was an instant local sensation. Andrew began touring heavily, drawing on the skills he learned playing in Newfoundland's rowdy pubs. He has also become a cult favorite in the UK, recently supporting acts like Sharon Shannon and Paul Brady.
Meanwhile, his future partner and Corner Brook native, Cat, was also finding her own voice. A member of a musical family, her natural diffidence had kept her offstage while she pursued her college degree.
"I've always loved playing music, but for the longest time it was just something I kept to myself," she says. "I would quietly play keyboard and guitar in my bedroom and learn songs by The Beatles, Hawksley Workman, Feist, etc. I really enjoyed playing, and particularly enjoyed singing, but the idea of doing that in public terrified me. When I met Andrew, he had formed a band with my brother and some childhood friends, and one night while hanging out I sang along with a couple of songs they were playing. Two days later, I sang with the band at the Ship Pub in St. John's."
Gradually, Andrew and Cat's artistic relationship blossomed into an off-stage romance, and now they make their music together under the name "Fortunate Ones." It is an apt name, as their music is what brought them together. Now it's not just a part of their lives it is their lives.
Cat finds that their music has offered her the chance to become something she had never envisioned.
Performing always used to frighten the hell out of me, and still does at times. But sometimes the things that scare you the most are the things that you need to challenge yourself with and will eventually make you grow as a person.
Just as he does in his songs, when it comes to discussing music, Andrew wears his heart on his sleeve.
For me, music is the one unwavering constant in my life. As a medium, it is transcendental and innately powerful, Andrew explains. It was the first drug I ever took and the most powerful I've tried. One of my favorite elements of listening to great music is the physical feeling of hearing something amazing a great lyric, a beautiful melody, the cadence of instruments blending perfectly provides a joyful pang, goose bumps, tears, sweat, laughter. It is physically all encompassing. It is a feeling I live for and have lived for since I was very little.
Now recording and making songs together, the duo will be releasing a new album later this year. -
Aug 22
Concert in the Harbour with Matthew Byrne
$15 8 pm
Matthew Byrne was born into a family of music makers from Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, and his repertoire is heavily influenced by this unique singing tradition. It is a tradition that thrives on the song the weaving of a great story with a beautiful melody and Matthew's music reminds us how satisfying traditional songs can be when stripped down to these basic elements. His live performance offers tasteful and honest interpretations of folk music delivered with polished guitar work and powerful vocals. His repertoire transcends time and place and offers a collection of traditional songs from both sides of the Atlantic.
Matthew is also bouzouki player and vocalist for The Dardanelles a super group of young traditional players from Newfoundland who've made quite a name for themselves throughout the North American folk festival circuit in only a few short years. Since his entry into the group in 2010, Matthew has performed at numerous notable venues including the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Celtic Connections in Glasgow, UK, and The Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland, Australia.
Matthew is currently promoting his brand new album, "Hearts & Heroes", which is now available in stores and online. Visit www.matthewbyrne.net for more info. -
Aug 26
Concert in the Harbour with Rick Fines
8 pm $15
Rick Fines is a veteran of the folk and blues circuits in North America. He is an engaging storyteller and songwriter. He won the MapleBlues Award for Songwriter of the Year, Acoustic Act Of The Year (twice), and has received eight additional nominations. His song "Riley Wants His Life Back" won first place in the blues category of 2003 International Songwriting Competition, with B.B. King one of the judges! His work with Jackson Delta (for 15 years) brought nominations from both the Juno and the Handy Awards. He has played for legendary blues piano player Pinetop Perkins, songstress Colleen Peterson, folk icon Penny Lang and many others. He toured from Newfoundland to B.C. to the Arctic last year alone, bringing his understanding of blues, finger-style and bottleneck guitar.
Rick is currently promoting "Muskoka Moon" a compliation of original songs and is busy recording his new CD due out this year -
Aug 31
Concert in the Harbour with Fergus O'Byrne and Jim Payne
8 pm $15
Two of Newfoundland's most respected performers combine
instrumental prowess and humorous repartee, to cover a broad spectrum of Newfoundland folk culture, including songs, stories and dance tunes. Their repertoire includes rousing sea shanties and work songs, poignant ballads, comic ditties, folk tales and recitations, and toe-tapping jigs, reels and polkas on a variety of instruments.
Jim Payne (vocals, accordion, mandola, guitar)
A native of Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, Jim Payne is a leading performer, collector and producer of traditional Newfoundland music. He is also one of the province's most prolific songwriters, as well as being a singer of traditional songs, a storyteller, writer, actor, step dancer and instructor and caller of traditional Newfoundland set and square dances. He has performed extensively on radio and television both in Canada and abroad, and has toured throughout North America, the US, Europe, Japan and Australia.
An ECMA nominee, Jim owns and operates his own record label, SingSong Inc., which has released twenty seven titles to date featuring traditional and contemporary music that reflects the Newfoundland experience. They include recordings by legendary Newfoundland traditional musicians as well as those by contemporary folk and traditional artists.
He has appeared in most of Rising Tide Theatre's annual REVUEs, and is also member of the Newfoundland band A Crowd of Bold Sharemen. In April 2005, along with Fergus O'Byrne, he was the recipient of the inaugural Arts In Education Award by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council. He is a recipient of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council's Outstanding Cultural Achievement Award, and teaches a course in traditional Newfoundland accordion music at Memorial University's School of Music.
Fergus O'Byrne (vocals, 5 string banjo, guitar, bodhran, concertina)
Fergus, originally from Ireland, became a familiar voice on radio and television as a member of the renowned folk group, Ryan's Fancy, with whom he recorded 14 albums. Since then, he has followed a busy solo and freelance career, touring throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Hong Kong and Australia. He can be heard on recordings by Newfoundland artists Great Big Sea, and he has contributed to several anthologies of Newfoundland music. Fergus has also developed a curriculum-based school production that he tours throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.
Fergus was a member of the celebrated Newfoundland traditional band Tickle Harbour, whose album Battery Included, besides being an ECMA nominee, won three awards at the 1999 Newfoundland Music Industry Association Awards. In 2001 he produced a Ryan's Fancy retrospective CD Songs From The Shows, featuring songs from the renowned 1970's CBC National television series, Ryan's Fancy and in 2011 he produced the highly acclaimed CD Ryan's Fancy & What A Time!
In 2004, as part of Ryan's Fancy, he received the ECMA's Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes an individual who has had a profound and lasting effect on the Atlantic Canadian Music Industry. In 2010 he was awarded Music Educator of the year by MUSICNL and in 2011 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society. Along with Jim Payne, he is a member of the Newfoundland band A Crowd of Bold Sharemen. For the last thirteen years he has produced a program for young folk and traditional musicians under the auspices of the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Arts Society and other folk organizations around the province.
Events for September 2014
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Sep 06
Recitation Night in the Harbour
Dave Paddon, Chris Brookes, Hubert Furey, and Harry Ingram will present an evening of original and traditional recitations. Most will be funny, a couple will be serious but all will be in keeping with a rich Newfoundland tradition.
One of those not-to-be-missed evenings.
8 pm $15 -
Sep 13
Concert in the Harbour with Katie Baggs and Sherry Ryan
8 pm $20
Katie Baggs
Katie Baggs was born and raised in St. John's. She started writing music while studying anthropology at Memorial where she met and collaborated with Matthew Hornell, Benjamin Rigby, and Jonathan Bungay to form the folk group Dead Language (2008). Katie currently collaborates with fellow songwriters and musicians Jared Klok, Benjamin Rigby, Jake Nicoll and Billy Nicoll on a project called All the Wiles, and frequently takes to the stage all alone. Some notable solo performances include Water, Woods and Wide Prairie Sky at the LSPU Hall (with Joanna Barker and Ingrid Gatin, May 2012), Bluebird North songwriter's circle (November, 2010, hosted by Lenny Gallant), the Lawnya Vawnya Festival (headlining act at the closing night performance, April, 2011), the Cape St. Mary's Performance Series (July, 2011), and A Ship of Sirens (July, 2011, hosted by Pamela Morgan). Katie's first solo record, home again, home again will be released on June 15, 2012.
Recordings:
Dead Language (released December 2008. Recorded by Jake Nicoll. Produced by Dead Language)
All The Wiles, Painted (released September 8, 2011. Recorded by Jake Nicoll. Produced by All the Wiles)
Katie Baggs, Home again, home again
www.katiebaggs.com
Sherry Ryan
Sherry Ryan's third album, Sister of Mine, marks the latest accomplishment by this talented Newfoundland singer/songwriter. Ryan hired the multi-talented and uber-versatile Phil Sedore to produce the album and play an impressive array of instruments, including the wurlitzer piano, gospel organ, clarinet, and cello, among others. Says Ryan of her latest record, "I love how Phil Sedore made the record sound like the songs that were on AM radio when I was a kid in the seventies." The album also presents her debut piano recordings.
The album explores themes of escape and draws on images from time she spent in the South. It was while working at a nursing home in the Mississippi delta that Ryan found the inspiration for her title track. The main lyric, "Call that sister of mine", came from the mouth of a feisty 92-year old woman, wishing her sister would drive down Route 61 and rescue her.
The songs on Sister of Mine offer a rich fusion of genres and styles, from the catchy, toe-tapping country tune "Blue Ridge Mountains", to the bluesy true story about a horse her dad tied to their back step in "Back Step Blues".
It's not hard to understand why Ryan has devoted fans. With her unforgettable voice, and lyrics that warm the hearts of her listeners, Ryan's talent is indisputable
www.sherryryan.com -
Sep 20
Concert in the Harbour with Sherman Downey and the Ambiguous Case
8 pm $20
Sherman Downey and the Ambiguous Case have been wowing critics and fans since their 2010 debut release Honey for Bees with a melodic roots-rock sound which embraces folk, pop and country. Their November 2013 sophomore effort, The Sun in Your Eyes, has been the best selling album since its release at the legendary Fred's Records in St. John's, NL. The first single, Thick as Thieves, earned the boys the title of "Best New Act in Canada" in the CBC Searchlight Contest, beating out over 3000 acts across the country. The next two singles "The Right Idea" and "Annalee" have spent an impressive 14 weeks and counting on the CBC Radio 2 Top 20 charts and on various campus charts. Their highly energetic and entertaining live show has floored audiences all across Canada and as far away as the Woodford Folk Festival in Australia.
Sherman Downey and The Ambiguous Case are:
Left to right: Sherman Downey, Andrew Ross, Bill Allan, Neil Targett, Paul Lockyer
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