Highlights of Calgary’s arts and culture scene in 2016
by elizabeth chorney-booth
Both residents and frequent visitors have seen Calgary grow considerably over the last couple
of decades and our local arts organizations have grown along with the rest of the city. Mayor
Naheed Nenshi has already declared 2016 to be the “year of music”—which is reflected by the
opening of the National Music Centre and Calgary playing host to the 2016 Juno Awards in the
spring—but this will be a busy year for all kinds of arts and entertainment companies in the city.
Here are some highlights to look out for in 2016:
The Juno Awards
For those whose musical interests skew towards contemporary hits, the event of the year will
be the 2016 Juno Awards and the accompanying week of Juno-related events, running from
March 28 to April 3. The Juno’s road show consists of a number of public events, including the
Juno Cup (a hockey game between Canadian musicians and NHL all-stars), the Junior Junos
(a concert featuring the nominees for Best Children’s Album), a Juno Fan Fare where fans can
rub shoulders with nominees, the Juno Songwriters’ Circle concert, and Juno Fest, a three-night
affair that sees the bulk of the city’s music venues hosting local and national artists for a series
of live shows. The crown jewel is the televised awards show, taking place at the Scotiabank
Saddledome so that thousands of fans can experience the show, red carpet photo ops, host
antics, and live performances in its live glory.
“In a traditional awards show you have all these artists performing to industry, but really they
love performing to fans,” says Allan Reid, President and CEO of The Juno Awards. “It makes for
a better performance when you’re in front of 10,000 people who are excited by your music.”
The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra
The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is also celebrating an anniversary, marking 60 years
of performing instrumental music in Calgary. As it does every year, the CPO has programmed
over 100 concerts ranging from meaty classical performances to lighthearted pop fare, but to
celebrate this milestone, the season will offer some some special treats.
“We’ve really packed in a lot of major works and very special works that we don’t perform
very often,” says Heather Slater, the CPO’s Director of Artistic Planning. “We’re bringing back
lots of artists that are real favourites with our audience.”
Some of those special performances include a collaboration with Rufus Wainwright on
January 13, a Brahms festival from February 18 - 27, and, to close the season, Mahler’s
grandiose 8th Symphony on June 10 and 11. Heeding this season’s slogan “Music is
Everywhere,” the CPO will bring certain performances to the Southern Alberta Jubilee
Auditorium and the brand-new Bella Concert Theatre at Mount Royal University, as well as
their home base at the Jack Singer Concert Hall.
Arts Commons
Another multi-stage facility in Calgary just underwent a refresh and rebranding: the former
EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts is now known as Arts Commons and is still home to
Alberta Theatre Projects, The Calgary International Children’s Festival, Theatre Calgary, One
Yellow Rabbit, and Downstage. The rebranding has left the building essentially the same — it’s
been brightened up a bit, has a kicky new logo, and now houses Ca’Puccini, a brand new café
— but there is a renewed energy circulating throughout the venue. Part of what makes Arts
Commons exciting is that the building provides both performance and administrative office
space for the resident companies, so the place is buzzing both day and night.
“We have our own little thriving community going on and it’s just a neat place to run into
people,” says Richard Lam, Arts Commons’ communication manager.
All of the resident companies have packed seasons for 2016 and Arts Commons also
presents its own programming, including the popular National Geographic Live speaker series
and a number of free events including a regular documentary film screening series. Arts
Commons also hosts a number of touring shows and concerts in the beautiful Jack Singer
Concert Hall—Corb Lund, RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles, and John Irving will all be performing
in the upcoming year.
All of this means that there something going on in the Calgary arts scene nearly every night
of the week, and one doesn’t have to look too hard to find a rich artistic experience (or a little
bit of fun) while visiting the city. With so much to celebrate culturally throughout the year, 2016
is going to be a banner year to get out and experience the very best of Calgary.
The National Music Centre
Part of the reason the team behind the Juno Awards chose Calgary
as the 2016 host city was to coincide with the opening of the
National Music Centre (NMC), which is projected to fully open
this summer, though portions of the building will be ready to host
events during Juno week. Once the construction is finished and
everything is set up, the facility will not only house interactive
exhibits, including the first physical home of the Canadian Music
Hall of Fame, but will also showcase regular performances by
touring musicians.
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