A quaint Alberta hamlet, brown and yellow leaves adorning the countryside and some cozy spots to listen to live music.
Sounds like heaven.
Bragg Creek Performing Arts recently released its fall season schedule and it’s a must-see line-up for arts enthusiasts.
The Wardens along with Tom Allen and Friends make up this year’s lineup set to kick off Oct. 15 (8 p.m.) at Redwood Meadows.
“This season we’re only doing two shows, then we’re planning on announcing three later in November for the spring season,” said organizer Brenda Bone. “Before, we used to announce everything for the whole year at one time, but a lot of people said they couldn’t commit that far ahead, which is understandable.”
This season the two acts, which have been chosen, are polar opposites of one another.
Based in Banff, The Wardens are made up of two retired park wardens and one current employee of Banff National Park.
Bradley Bischoff (lead vocals and lead and rhythm guitar), Scott Ward (fingerstyle guitar and vocals) and Ray Schmidt (upright bass and harmony vocals) were formed in 2009, and play songs about their experiences roaming and working in national parks across the country.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Tom Allen and Friends is a more classical-based act, which mixes storytelling, chamber music and original songs bringing their symphonies to life in an inspiring format.
Allen is the host of Shift on CBC Radio 2. At the Bragg Creek Performing Arts Centre this year, his group will be presenting From Weimar to Vaudeville.
The premise of the story follows an American and German prince – both of whom are musical royalty.
As America emerges from the Great Depression and Germany descends into Nazi chaos, the two reach out to each other as the world spirals toward war.
Featuring a cast consisting of Allen, Kevin Fox (voice, cello, guitar), Lori Gemmell (harp, trumpet, piano, voice), Bryce Kulak (accordion, voice, piano), Patricia O’Callaghan (percussion, piano, voice) and Peter Gemmell (woodwinds), the performance features a vivid imagining of the 1920s and 1930s, as well as music from Charlie Chaplin, Richard Strauss, Fletcher Henderson and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, among others.
More and more, the lack of venues in the Bragg Creek area has stopped groups from being able to perform, which makes this new season all the more important to promote artists from surrounding communities.
“Because of the internal flood of talent here and lack of venues, it’s hard to get as many acts,” Bone said. “Since the committee doesn’t want to have any concerts outside Bragg Creek we can’t go to Calgary where we’ve had luck before either.
“Still, it’s important for us to put these things on. It’s good for the community and brings business to restaurants and shops, as well as showcases Bragg Creek.”
After The Wardens kick-off in October, Tom Allen and Friends will be playing Nov. 12 (8 p.m.).
Tickets and information for both shows can be found at www.braggcreekperformingarts.com.
