Two Sunshine Coast musical ensembles enchanted a full house last Saturday at Roberts Creek Elementary School: the Suncoast Concert Band and the Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra. Conductors Tak Maeda and José Ceron-Ortega both appeared in costume, including an oversized head sported by Ceron-Ortega as he led the orchestra in its first number, Dragonhunter.
The nostalgia-themed program featured musical selections the groups have performed during previous seasonal concerts, in honour of the 30th anniversary of the Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra Association.
A pair of spirited orchestra numbers highlighted local string students taught by instructors Sarah Poon, Michelle Bruce, Serena Eades, Tegan Ceschi-Smith and Janice Hamilton.
The band and orchestra will mount another retrospective revue during the holiday season; concerts are listed online at sunshinecoastorchestra.ca.
Duke it out
The Sunshine Coast Film Society will present the unconventional caper The Duke on Monday, Nov. 4 and Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. both nights at the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse — and Thursday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. at the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt.
The film, directed by Roger Mitchell (famous for Notting Hill), is based on a true story: the 1961 theft of a famous Goya portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London by a retired bus driver from Newcastle.
It was the first and only theft in the Gallery’s history.
The culprit, Kempton Bunton (played by Jim Broadbent) sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on the condition that the government invest more in care for the elderly. His wife Dorothy (Helen Mirren) expertly conveys both exasperation and love for her husband.
Membership is required to attend the screening. Memberships and tickets can be purchased with cash at the door and online at scfs.ca (ages 18+). Membership is required to attend SCFS screenings.
Spellbound after Halloween
The latest production of the Driftwood Players hits the stage this weekend — Pat Cook’s comedy Two Witches, No Waiting.
The full-length play features eccentric sisters Arlene and Elzbeth who live comfortably in their family home deep in the woods. But Arlene’s son is determined to sell it to his spoiled fiancée’s father. He might also be falling in love with the new housekeeper. Chaos ensues when the house itself makes it known that it does not want to be sold.
The play (directed by Marissa Fischer and starring a large cast of Driftwood alumni and newcomers) is an intoxicating brew of twists and turns.
Two Witches, No Waiting appears at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons on evenings and matinees from Nov. 1 to 17. Full dates and details are available at driftwoodplayers.ca. Tickets ($25) are available at Fong’s Market, MELOmania, Earth Fair Bookstore, and the Sechelt Visitor Centre.
Diening, Black re-unite
The Sunshine Coast Jazz and Entertainment Society plans to welcome Trudi Diening and Miles Black to St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church in Gibsons this Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. for a special tribute to love stories. The duo performed earlier this year in a sold-out concert during the Gibsons Landing (and Beyond) Jazz Festival.
Diening pairs her rich vocals and eclectic repertoire with Black’s widely-acknowledged talent on piano, guitar, and vocals. Black is a career musician based in Vancouver who makes regular appearances on the Sunshine Coast.
Tickets are available at the Sechelt Visitor Centre, One Flower, One Leaf Gallery in Gibsons, or (by cash or e-transfer) at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.
