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Creative Current - Get ready for a summer of great music

Nadine Davenport's bi-monthly column of music, art and theatre in the local area.

Ashcroft Street Banners

Communities in Bloom invites everyone to join them to celebrate the new street banners along with the artists who painted them. Come and celebrate with cake and refreshments on May 3 at 10 am at Heritage Place Park in Ashcroft.

Hand bell concert at Cache Creek Pentecostal

Coming up on Sunday, May 4 is a Spring Concert from the Desert Bells Handbell Choir. They will be performing in the Cache Creek Pentecostal Church on Stage Rd. They don’t play often, so come out enjoy their music in the great acoustical setting of the church. Concert starts at 3 pm and is by donation.

Sandy Scofield shares stories and songs May 9

Winding Rivers Arts & Performance Society presents the final Dessert Concert on Friday, May 9 at St Albans Hall in downtown Ashcroft. Tickets are now available at The Ashcroft Bakery, Natures Gifts and at The Jade Shoppe in Cache Creek.

Closing out the Dessert Concert Season will be First Nations Artist, Sandy Scofield,  a multi-award winning composer, musician and singer.

The night will see Sandy alongside an amazing guitarist from Vancouver Stephen Nikleva. Stephen has been teaching guitar on and off most of his life when he hasn’t been touring the world with the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Ray Condo, Mae Moore, Veda Hille and many others. He is world famous for his guitar styling’s, he also plays and teaches bass and mandolin.

Sandy is a great story teller and sees her music as a pathway for raising awareness and celebrating culture.  She actually came to Aboriginal music later in life, embracing her heritage through song.

Sandy has always been a musician. Leader of the all female Cree band of singers, Iskwew, Sandy started making music before she can even remember and has played and sung in many bands over the years. From Cajun to rock, classical, and jazz, the foundation she had before coming into Cree Aboriginal music incorporated a wide variety of sounds and instruments. She plays piano and guitar in addition to being a singer.

A Métis from the Saulteaux and Cree Nations, she hails from four generations of fiddlers, singers and musicians. Over the years, she has mentored innumerable First Nations singers and songwriters in rudimentary music theory, vocal techniques, song writing craft and music-industry protocol.

She has toured to festivals on four continents, and in 2011, performed at the International Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo making this the fifth continent where she has performed. She has composed for dance, film, television and theatre, with the Aboriginal Welcoming Song for the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, the highlight to date.

It’s evening performance at 7:30 pm. Tickets are now available at; Natures Gifts, the Ashcroft Bakery and the Jade Shoppe in Cache Creek or call (250) 453 9100 to reserve your advance tickets. If you would like to Volunteer for the production - please give them a call. For a few hours work, WRAPS offers a half price ticket.

Music In The Park starts June 11

The WRAP Society is also working hard on this year’s line up for Music In The Park.

This is a series of live outdoor concerts held every 2nd and 4th Wednesday evening during the warm Ashcroft summer months. Staged in the gazebo in the beautiful and unique Ashcroft Heritage Park on Railway Ave. you can enjoy the finest in live musical entertainment of a wide and diverse choice of genres - pop and rock, country and western, folk, jazz and even reggae and world music!

From single acts and duos to entire bands, you will see and hear musicians from all over British Columbia and Western Canada as well as spotlighting our own awesomely talented home-grown talent.  Bring your family and friends, a comfy lawn chair and a blanket and prepare to enjoy wonderful live music in a relaxed, family friendly venue.

The dates this year - all Wednesday Nights - will be; June 11, 25, July 9, 23, Aug 13 and 27. Admission is free, but pass-the-hat donations are encouraged. Stay tuned to this site and look for posters around town for more information coming soon!

Nadine Davenport