Heralded by another of The Kube gallery’s signature gala openings on Sept. 8, painter Cindy Riach has unveiled a new series of maritime-inspired abstracts. The works, collectively titled Quiet Places, dreamily blend water and beach landscapes across the Sunshine Coast with Riach’s distinctive sunlight-dappled palette.
Some of the works are inspired by Riach’s walks near the Skwxwú7mesh Nation lands around Armours Beach, in Roberts Creek, and at Sechelt’s Snickett Park.
“I’m retired, I’m away from the big city, and I appreciate the quiet,” said Riach. “There’s a lot of stuff going on right now with politics and climate change, so quiet places are more precious now.”
Riach alternates her methods when starting a piece. Sometimes she begins with a realist representation and lets it grow into diffused impressionism. Other times she starts with shapes and colours that find direction as a rust-mottled vessel at berth or a languid shoreline. She likes to make her process plain in finished works by layering colours and making fissures with a palette knife.
“A lot of these works were really experimental,” she said. “For each one, there may be 15 or 20 that don’t work out. It’s a little bit like research: you get an idea and off you go.”
Riach’s Quiet Places exhibition remains on display at The Kube until the end of September.
Songs for September
As autumn beckons, a dozen Sunshine Coast choirs are starting rehearsals and preparing for concerts in late fall or winter. Coast Reporter has prepared an encyclopedic listing of these euphonious ensembles (with help from musical polypath David Poon).
The Threshold Choir (women only) honours the ancient tradition of singing at life’s thresholds. They are women with compassionate voices who sing at the bedsides of those who are seriously ill or dying. For information, browse to thresholdchoir.ca.
The Mozart Requiem Choir (sponsored by the Suncoast Phoenix Choir) rehearses regularly until performances on Remembrance Day. Contact Sara Douglas at [email protected].
The Inspirito Vocal Ensemble (women only) is a 35-voice treble ensemble that continues to strive for artistic excellence as they explore a wide range of choral music from classical and contemporary choral to folk, Broadway and jazz. Browse to inspiritovocalensemble.ca.
The Sunshine Coast Children’s Choir welcomes kids aged 8 to 15. More details are available online at synergyatplay.ca.
The Wild Voices ensemble is an adult song circle for all voices, beginner to professional. Its website is accessible at synergyatplay.ca.
The A Cappella Strait choir celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024. Details about membership and concerts can be found on the group’s Facebook page.
The Pender Harbour Choir is the longest-running choral group on the Sunshine Coast of B.C. Browse to penderharbourmusic.ca/choir.
The Choralations Children’s Choir was started in 1990, and has provided opportunities for young singers on the Sunshine Coast for over 30 years. Its website choralations.ca provides further information.
Coastal Lights, a non-audition choir, sings a diverse selection of music, with lots of familiar favourites, some carefully-selected traditional choral pieces, and original works by its director. Email director Kenneth Norman Johnson for details: [email protected].
The Coast Messiah Choir focuses on “masterworks” of the choral repertoire, performed with orchestra. In some years they mount a production of Handel’s Messiah in December in addition to a spring concert. Browse to coastmessiahchoir.ca.
The Suncoast Phoenix Community Choir sings a wide variety of music, from classical to folk, jazz to musicals. The group maintains a web presence at suncoastphoenixchoir.ca.
The Vespersong choir rehearses for and sings exclusively for church services: vespers and evensong. Currently they present three services each year in November, March, and June. For more information about rehearsals and appearances, contact David Poon at [email protected].
The Quiet Girl is a Gaelic hit
The Sunshine Coast Film Society’s next screening takes place on Sept. 25 (at the Heritage Playhouse, in Gibsons) and Sept. 30 (at the Raven’s Cry Theatre, in Sechelt).
The Quiet Girl is a 2022 Irish movie presented in Irish Gaelic with English subtitles. It tells the story of a neglected young girl, Cáit (newcomer Catherine Clinch), who is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with “her mother’s people” for the summer. Slowly, in the care of a middle-aged couple she has never met, Cáit discovers a different lens through which to view the world, and a new way of living. Of the Film Society’s eight shows this season, it is president Doug Dyment’s particular favourite.
Tickets are $10 and membership is required to attend screenings. Browse to scfs.ca for details.
Lines plays in Pender Harbour
The Pender Harbour Music Society plans to welcome vocalist and pianist Diane Lines at the Pender Harbour School of Music with her jazz/blues/swing trio on Sept. 24. Lines has been inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame and is a favourite on the Coast, having played for the Pender Harbour Jazz and Blues Festivals. Further details and ticket information are available online at penderharbourmusic.ca.
