About Longshadow 2019

The first Longshadow New Music Festival happened June 14-16 2019 in Yellowknife Northwest Territories, as a celebration of music from the 20th and 21st Centuries.

THANKS!

So many thanks are needed to give for making this first Festival a success:

For opening your ears to this Festival: all the audience members! For your wonderful musicality and your commitment to playing contemporary mjusic: performers Nia Devetzis, the Midnight Blue Big Band, Andrea Bettger. For writing such a wonderful, joyful new piece for the first Longshadow commission: Wesley Hardisty. For amazing technical work that touched on pure artistry: Peter Skinner, Cory Chibry, Jeff Pitre, Martin Emslander, Maddy Skinner, Ollie Williams. For local hosting of our visiting musicians: Judy Murdock, Karen Johnson and Dave.For promotional and broadcast: CBC - Loren McGinnis, Cory Chibry, Peter Sheldon. Cabin Radio - Ollie Williams, AJ Goodwin, Adam Vivian, Jesse Wheeler. For City support: City of Yellowknife. Soundwalk support: NWT Recreation and Parks Association. For venue and instrument contributions: the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, Sir John Franklin High School (Peter Curran, Susan Shantora), Music Space, Sean Robson and Azure Degrow. Volunteers: Elaine Look, Rob Warburton, Joanne Stassen, Jason Carrie, Minnie Joldersma, Kienan Ashton, Mary Kelly, Randy and Naya Henderson, Beverley Rockwell, Ardith Dean, Tomiko Robson, Darha Philpot, Karen Johnson. School outreach: Weledeh Elementary School (Kara Cherland), St. Joe’s Elementary School (Stephen Richardson). National support: Canadian Music Centre. Personal thanks: Eli Purchase, Teagan Braden, Val and Bill Braden, 49a Ave neighbourhood, and the loon, mosquitos and muskrat for joining the Midnight Sun Soundwalk

2019 Longshadow Schedule

Friday June 14
7:00 Opening reception - Sir John Franklin High School Main Lobby
8:00 Music + panel discussion. A new work by Welsey Hardisty (world premiere) performed by Andrea Bettger, other music featuring local musicians, and a panel discussion led by Artistic Director Carmen Braden and featured performers. Sir John Franklin High School Main Lobby

Saturday June 15
10:30am Improvisation workshop - guiding musicians at any level - Sir John Franklin High School Music Room
11:30am Free concert - improv workshop participants and community musicians - Sir John Franklin High School Main Lobby
2:30 Feature Concert 1 - Northern Arts and Cultural Centre
- post concert discussion and adjudication component
8:00 Feature Concert 2 - Northern Arts and Cultural Centre
12:00am (see Midnight Sun Soundwalk below)

Sunday June 16

12:00am Midnight Sun Soundwalk, starting at the Woodyard Brew Pub, Old Town
11:00am DaySun Soundwalk, starting at the Woodyard Brew Pub, Old Town
2:00 Composition and Contemporary Music - workshop and listening session - Music Space

Wesley is a fiddler / guitarist/ composer / singer, whose unique blend of rock, folk, Celtic and Metis music is compelling and emotional. He is passion driven, his love of music clearly evident.

He has an impressive resume - hundreds of gigs including a performance for the Royal couple Will and Kate, the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Folk on the Rocks Festival collective, Northern Scene at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Truth and Reconciliation Commission national event in Inuvik, live broadcast on the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards show on APTN and dozens of festivals.

His debut CD won the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award for Best Fiddle CD. The CD, released in May 2011 featured the band Wallabee Indeed and Quinn Bachand. The CD is entitled 12:12, which is personal shorthand for life is good, appreciate and enjoy, make the most of life.

Largely self taught, he took up the fiddle at age thirteen in his Northern hometown of Fort Simpson, NT through the outreach work of the Kole Crook Fiddle Association. Moving to Saltspring Island BC at age fifteen, he attended the prestigious Gulf Islands School of Performing Arts. Wesley has come full circle and is now teaching with the Kole Crook Fiddle Association. He loves teaching Aboriginal youth and being a positive role model. Wesley was featured on the 2012 Breaking New Beats TV show as one of the cutting edge young Aboriginal talents in North America.
Wesley is a soulful, natural musician and inspiring young man.

Nia Devetzis is a percussionist driven by the vivid and vast world of contemporary music, whether as a soloist or chamber musician. As a teaching artist, she is dedicated to education through performance and instruction, leading by example and questioning audience expectations by asking, what exactly is percussion?

Notable performances include solo engagements with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Calgary Wind Symphony, as well as Calgary’s contemporary music and sonic arts festival, Forms of Sound and the Stratford Summer Music Festival. As a chamber musician, she is dedicated to the support of new music in Calgary as a core member of Timepoint Ensemble and has made appearances with The Rubbing Stone Ensemble and Land’s End Chamber Ensemble.

Nia is an instructor at the Mount Royal Conservatory and is currently assisting with the University of Calgary’s Percussion and World Music ensembles. In addition Nia is a member of the creative faculty at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity for the annual youth orchestra symposium.

She completed her Masters of Music in percussion performance at the University of Calgary.

The Midnight Blue Jazz Band is a traditional big band with 17 musicians plus 1 director. They are based in Calgary, Alberta and their repertoire spans a wide variety of styles from the early 20th Century through the 21st Century — swing, jazz, blues, latin, funk, classic rock, and new compositions!

The Midnight Blue Jazz Band was formed in Calgary in September of 2001. The founding members were friends and musicians – Dave Hiley, Sheilah Hammerton and Deb Watson. The music director was Richard Condon who was the music teacher at Bowness High School for numerous years. Other musicians were subsequently invited to join the group to round out the 17 member ensemble and our current Artistic Director is Lael Johnston. The Midnight Blue Jazz Band strives to provide a learning and teaching process, top quality music education to maintain a standard of excellence, peer encouragement in a supportive environment and the opportunity to perform in public.

Director Lael Johnston is a percussionist, a conductor, and an educator. After completing a Masters of Music Performance from the University of Alberta, Lael spent several years touring North America with a variety of musical groups, covering a spectrum of musical styles. Returning to Calgary to pursue a career in education, he has spent the past decade with the Rocky View School Division as the Music Director at Chestermere High School. His current program includes Concert Jazz Bands, Jazz Ensembles and a Drumline. These groups have received international recognition with numerous tours including The Harrogate Youth Festival in England and the Wurzburg Festival in Germany.

THANKS!

So many thanks are needed to give for making this first Festival a success:

For opening your ears to this Festival: all the audience members! 

For your wonderful musicality and your commitment to playing contemporary mjusic: performers Nia Devetzis, the Midnight Blue Big Band, Andrea Bettger

For writing such a wonderful, joyful new piece for the first Longshadow commission: Wesley Hardisty 

For amazing technical work that touched on pure artistry: Peter Skinner, Cory Chibry, Jeff Pitre, Martin Emslander, Maddy Skinner, Ollie Williams

For local hosting of our visiting musicians: Judy Murdock, Karen Johnson and Dave

For promotional and broadcast: CBC - Loren McGinnis, Cory Chibry, Peter Sheldon. Cabin Radio - Ollie Williams, AJ Goodwin, Adam Vivian, Jesse Wheeler

For City support: City of Yellowknife 

Soundwalk support: NWT Recreation and Parks Association

For venue and instrument contributions: the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, Sir John Franklin High School (Peter Curran, Susan Shantora), Music Space, Sean Robson and Azure Degrow

Volunteers: Elaine Look, Rob Warburton, Joanne Stassen, Jason Carrie, Minnie Joldersma, Kienan Ashton, Mary Kelly

Supporters: Randy and Naya Henderson, Beverley Rockwell, Ardith Dean, Tomiko Robson, Darha Philpot, Karen Johnson, 

School outreach: Weledeh Elementary School (Kara Cherland), St. Joe’s Elementary School (Stephen Richardson)

National support: Canadian Music Centre

Personal thanks: Eli Purchase, Teagan Braden, Val and Bill Braden, 49a Ave neighbourhood, and the loon, mosquitos and muskrat for joining the Midnight Sun Soundwalk