Scottish pianist Steven Osborne will make a return engagement to the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt on Sunday, March 23 at 2:30 p.m. for the final concert of the regular season presented by the Coast Recital Society.
Osborne was previously a guest artist of the society in 2015 and 2017.
Osborne, who was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for his services to music, has recorded 34 albums on the Hyperion Label and has played recitals and concertos all over the world. His program in Sechelt will reflect his wide-ranging musical interests, opening with sensual arabesques by Robert Schumann and the Children’s Corner Suite by Claude Debussy. The second half ventures into the world of jazz and includes his own improvisations along with transcriptions of works by Keith Jarrett and Ira Gershwin.
“The first time I improvised it was thrilling,” he said in advance of a recent concert of the same program at Wigmore Hall in London. “I was influenced by Keith Jarrett and his unplanned concerts. What happens when you sit down in front of an audience with a completely blank page and you have to play something? I found that something actually happened, and it felt like it was mine — honest and beautiful in its way. The sense of silence becomes very heightened when you don’t know what’s going to happen and there can be real pleasure if you relax into it.”
In addition to the Sunday recital at the Raven’s Cry (where he will take part in a pre-concert chat at 1:30 p.m.), Osborne will also perform for the residents of the Silverstone Care Centre as part of the Coast Recital Society outreach program.
For ticket information e-mail [email protected] or call 604 885-0991.
The society has added a bonus concert with CBC’s Tom Allen (host of CBC Music’s “About Time”) on Sunday, April 27 at the Raven’s Cry Theatre. JS Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow will feature a lineup of iconic Canadian musicians capturing the life and music of one of the greatest composers of all time. Allen will share the stage with soprano Suzie Leblanc, Joe Phillips on bass and guitar, pianist James Parker and violist David Harding.
A remarkable road trip
The Sunshine Coast Film Society has added a second Gibsons screening to its upcoming run of the 2023 American drama Ezra.
Ezra had its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival two years ago. The plot follows Max Bernal (Bobby Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (Robert De Niro), while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (William Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Rose Byrne). When the parents are forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent effect on both their lives.
Directed by Tony Goldwyn, who also appears in the film alongside additional cast members Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg, Ezra offers a winning exploration of a family determined to find its way through life’s complexities with humour, compassion, and heart.
The movie will play at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons on March 17 and 18 (7:30 p.m. both nights). It appears in Sechelt at the Raven’s Cry Theatre on Thursday, March 20 at 2 p.m.
Tickets ($10) and society memberships (ages 18+) are available for cash at the door and via the society’s website at scfs.ca.
Chance to get Ripped early
Impatient fans of upcycled and repurposed fashion don’t have to wait for the upcoming Ripped Open Anti Fashion Cabaret (scheduled for May 4 at the C3 gym in Gibsons). Teenaged designers, artists and models who are contributing to the show will present a “teaser” preview of the spectacle on March 20, from 6 to 8 p.m.
The teaser event takes place at Sunnycrest Mall. A runway will be demarcated in the mall’s main concourse, just steps from the Ripped Open Studio which has been buzzing with activity every day since its mid-February opening. Ranks of sewing machines are in regular operation; a display of paintings and mixed-media artworks adorns the studio’s entrance (visitors are welcome).
Both the March 20 teaser and the May 4 cabaret have seized the theme of transition, promising “a journey through time and beyond humanity” expressed through youth-led antifashion.
Are you part of a uniquely creative event on the Sunshine Coast? Share details with the Coast Reporter’s arts and culture department by emailing [email protected].
