Three unique summer music series culminate this weekend with performances in Gibsons, Sechelt, and Roberts Creek.
In Gibsons, Music in the Landing features the Lucky Ol’ Sun ensemble on Friday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. under the breakwater gazebo. On Saturday, Sept. 2 at 3:30, the amphitheatre in Winegarden Park comes alive with the sounds of singer-songwriter Deborah Holland with bassist Arista Hawkes and fiddler Garth Bowen. The Knotty Dotters, probably the Sunshine Coast’s finest marimba ensemble, will also perform. Later that evening at 6:30 p.m., the Brothers in Farms band delivers a high-energy mix of roots, reggae, funk, Latin and Balkan rhythms.
At the Sechelt Summer Music Series, two musical acts appear on the stage at Hackett Park on Saturday, Sept. 2. At noon, Lowry Olafson appears with his trusty guitar. Olafson is a performing songwriter who has released nine CDs and toured the globe. His hummable songs and uplifting stories have heart-warming appeal to listeners of all ages. An hour later, the swinging alt rock band Amberola takes some classic rock ‘70s guitar stylings, adds a little punk attitude, throws in some rhythm and blues plus funk swagger, and tops it off with New Orleans swing and spice before bringing it all to a boil in a bubbling voodoo brew.
On Sept. 3, during the final Slow Sunday in the Creek — which takes place at the bandstand behind the Roberts Creek Community Library —, the Beachcombers Ukulele Group Singers will perform starting at noon. Guest singers, including Antonia Robertson and Maria Kotyza from the Czech Republic, will join the group. Music from two bands will follow: SpinDrift Street, with Randy Shepherd, Charlie Veaudry and Garth Bowen; and Blue Sky Motel, with Steve Schwabl, Bill Barclay, Cousin Albert Klassen, Randy Shepherd and Charlie Veaudry. The series comes to an end with all performers filling the stage and joining the audience in song.
Love to save the world
An upcoming event at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons promises to be a night of laughter, introspection, and a shared vision for global harmony.
“Save the World with Lizzie Allan” (Sept. 15 at 7 p.m.) is an immersive experience created by Lizzie Allan, an accomplished performer, therapist and spiritual explorer. The show will offer comedic performance, therapeutic work, and a spiritual odyssey, resulting in a two-hour journey unlike any other.
Allan’s performance and a silent auction will support the creation of local singer-songwriter Deanna Knight’s heartfelt upcoming album. The evening will include a special premiere performance by Knight.
Tickets ($30) are available at the One Flower One Leaf gallery in Lower Gibsons, or online at heritageplayhouse.com.
Moving pictures are back
The Sunshine Coast Film Society returns with its first screening of the season: Empire of Light. The movie plays at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons (Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m.) and at the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt (Sept. 16, 2 p.m.).
The story is a tribute to the power of cinema and human connection. It’s set in an English coastal town in the early 1980s. Hilary (Olivia Colman) is a cinema manager struggling with mental health issues. Stephen (Micheal Ward) is a new employee longing to escape the provincial town where he faces daily adversity. Together they seek a sense of belonging through the healing power of music, cinema, and community.
Annual memberships in the society are $10 and are good until Aug. 31, 2024. Tickets are $10 for each film.
Bracing keyboard performance
The Coast Recital Society plans to launch its 2023-2024 season with rising piano superstar Jaeden Izik-Dzurko. The Salmon Arm-born artist was named by CBC in 2021 as one of “30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30.”
Izik-Dzurko will perform a program of solo keyboard works at the Raven’s Cry Theatre on Saturday, September 9 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets ($30 for adults, $10 for students) are available by emailing [email protected].
The pianist, a Juilliard graduate, is currently studying at the University of British Columbia. Jon Kimura Parker, a legendary B.C. performer in his own right, describes hearing Izik-Dzurko as being “in the presence of a sensationally talented young artist.”
