The Kestra jazz ensemble is planning a soulful afternoon jazz concert at St. Hilda’s Anglican Church in Sechelt on Saturday, Oct.19.
The local group features saxophone, guitar, bass and drums played by local musicians Steve Giltrow, Ken Grunnenberg, Martin Nemcovsky and Regan Haydu. The group performs jazz classics and original compositions by its members.
“This concert is sure to hit the right notes,” said Haydu, “and keep your toes tapping.”
The concert starts at 2 p.m. on Oct. 19. Tickets ($20) are available at the Medicine Shop in Wilson Creek, at the One Flower One Leaf gallery in Gibsons, online via Eventbrite or by paying $25 at the door.
Film fans supplement screenings
The Sunshine Coast Film Society will present the 2023 drama The Monk and the Gun over three upcoming screenings. The group of movie aficionados has added a Tuesday screening to most of their Gibsons appearances.
The Bhutanese-made film will play at the Heritage Playhouse in Gibsons on Monday, Oct. 21 and Tuesday, Oct. 22 — at 7:30 p.m. on both nights. It will also be screened on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. at the Raven’s Cry Theatre in Sechelt.
The Monk and the Gun is set in the kingdom of Bhutan. The plot involves droll political satire that takes place as the country transitions to become the world’s youngest democracy, complete with mock elections and an American stranger in search of a valuable antique rifle.
As the King of Bhutan cedes his power to the Bhutanese people, a band of instructors travel the land teaching the residents how to vote, with occasionally hilarious results.
Dialogue is in Dzongkha with English subtitles.
Memberships and tickets are payable in cash at the door and online at www.scfs.ca. Membership (ages 18 and up) is required to attend society screenings.
Serial distinction for Hicks
The NYC Big Book Award has recognized the novel Kennedy Girl — by Roberts Creek author and performer Caitlin Hicks — in the category of Historical Fiction as a Distinguished Favorite in its literary competition of 2024. This follows an earlier award for Hicks’s first book in her Annie Shea series: the audiobook of A Theory of Expanded Love also won Distinguished Favorite with NYC Big Book Award in 2022.
The competition was judged by experts of the book industry. Winners and distinguished favorites are based on overall excellence.
Kennedy Girl takes place in southern California amid the political and social upheaval of 1968.
Other recent awards for Hicks’s latest novel include Finalist in Cross Genre Fiction for The 2024 American Fiction Awards. Her novels are available for purchase from local bookstores.
Dance, Piano and Voice
The second-annual presentation of Dance, Piano & Voice by local choreographer Sylvain Brochu will unite adult and teen dancers, pianists Tom Kellough and Caroline Veillette, plus the Choralations Children’s Choir. Brochu is producing four performances from Oct. 18 to 20.
The musical selections — all performed live in the second-storey studio of Sechelt’s Waldorf Ballet — feature a number from the upcoming Remembrance Day performance of John Rutter’s Requiem. The Choralations singers deliver a vocal version of tango composer and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla’s renowned Libertango. In a choice singularly appropriate to the Sunshine Coast, Kellough and Veillette render a powerful duet version of Beethoven’s Egmont Overture.
Tickets are available online at tickets.at/dancepianovoice.
Time to Crawl
The Sunshine Coast's high holiday of arts and culture has arrived: the 2024 Art Crawl features artists from Gambier Island to Earls Cove. Nearly 200 venues are listed in the event's map and online guide, with opening hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 18, 19 and 20.
"Expect to be surprised, amazed, flabbergasted and wowed," writes the nine-year-old exhibitor at Venue 70, the Wackadoodle Wizard Workshop.
Many venues — like High Beam Dreams in Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt — are hosting exhibits by multiple artists.
Nearly two dozen Friday night receptions are scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. The receptions include a live art battle at The Kube gallery in Gibsons, involving competitors Jace Kim, Ciele Beau, Ben Tour, Zac Harding and Kenny Torrence. The 10 finished pieces will be auctioned throughout the weekend, both online and at The Kube.
Complete event listings for the Art Crawl are online at coastculture.com/art-crawl.
