Longshadow 2022 is a wrap!
Longshadow returned June 23-26 2022 to the sub-Arctic city of Yellowknife NWT, featuring strings! Founded by composer Carmen Braden, with new AD Robert Uchida, this second Longshadow event featured four unique concerts in four different venues. Under the long shadows of the Yellowknife summer solstice, local and visiting performers treated audiences to incredible interpretations of works both new and old, including world premieres and NWT premieres!
Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty - “After two long years, it’s exciting to hear that the Longshadow Music Festival is coming back to Yellowknife! The Festival is a great opportunity to showcase local and Canadian artists and it is sure to contribute to the growing music and arts scene in the North. I wish the organizers all the best, and encourage residents to mark their calendars and check it out!”
Audience comments from the four Longshadow 2022 concerts:
“I want to thank you for 2 evenings of great music! What a treat to be part of the Sundog intimate performance (the viola player often on one foot!) And the formal concert at NACC. Fantastic quality, casual, enjoyable and so very much enjoyed by us and by our visitors from England.”
“It was an amazing concert and a fantastic festival.”
“So fabulous! Thank you for your commitment to Yellowknife and to music!”
“We went to the Thursday night concert and it was so fantastic.”
“Rave reviews from the under-5 crowd this evening. Can’t wait for Sunday’s family concert!”
“The performances were wonderful and a real treat for YK. Great variety of venues and music. Appreciate the opportunity to hear these musicians in YK. Well done.”
“Longshadow was a darn big part of my life for a few days there. Happy to say that!”
“Awesome musicians, Awesome composers!”
reflections and reactions below
“Duo at Sundog - Robert and Raf” - a sold-out, all-ages concert at the Sundog Trading Post in iconic Old Town Yellowknife, with support from co-presenter Prairie Debut. The show sold out 5 days before concert date! Amazing acoustic performance in an unique log-cabin cafe with Robert Uchida (violin) and Rafael Hoekman (cello), as well as Keith Hamm (viola). Audience reviews of this concert raved about the intimate feel being so close to the performers, seeing their facial expressions and interactions, and the powerful musical choices. Music on the program ranged from some of the most widely-performed works for string duos from past centuries,as well as gorgeous and passionate music by Canadian composers + arrangers. The encore performance brought Daniel Gervais (violin) to the stage where they played a blazing quartet piece that had the audience on their feet for the second time that evening! Special features of this concert included wonderful appetizers and bar service prepared by the Sundog kitchen. Notable contemporary works on the program Jocelyn Morlock’s “Serpentine Paths” and John McPherson’s arrangement of several traditional jigs and reels.
Thursday June 23 2022 - Duo at Sundog
Violin+Cello Duo “Robert and Raf” with guest Keith Hamm
Sundog Trading Post - Prairie Debut Co-presentation
8:00pm
Program
Fritz Kreisler “Preludium and Allegro”
Jocelyn Morlock “Serpentine Paths”
J.S. Bach “Courante” from Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin
Handel-Halvorsen “Passacaglia”
arr. McPherson “Wha’ll be king but Charley, MacPherson’s Lament & Ossian Jigs”
Intermission
Ernõ Dohnányi: Serenade for String Trio, op. 10
“Kitchen Party at the Elks” was close to capacity audience at the Elk’s Lodge: a 19+ event in a bar setting that allowed fiddle music and classical music to collide! This evening featured world-class fiddling, extraordinary interpretations of classical masterpieces, and broke down barriers to the traditional ‘classical’ music setting. Daniel Gervais (two-time Canadian GrandMaster Fiddle Champion) was the featured guest soloist, along with Wesley Hardisty (Dene First Nation fiddler from Fort Simpson) who was the Longshadow 2022 official Emerging Artist (Thanks GNWT for supporting Wesley’s involvement!). Wesley and Daniel each performed solo and supported each other, and built into incredible collaborative fiddle works that moved from original compositions to new interpretations of traditional tunes. Violist Keith Hamm had a special solo moment - a real treat for local audiences not accustomed to hearing solo viola! They were joined by three other string players for works that involved improvisation for all members (definitely a wonderful challenge for those player who were more used to reading music!). A special quartet piece by 21st Century Danish composer Rune Torngaard Sørensen ended the night in a spectacular way, with a final encore of Daniel’s piece “Jam with Matts” with all 5 players bringing the house down!
Friday June 24th - Kitchen Party at the Elk’s
“Kitchen Party with fiddler Daniel Gervais and Friends”
Elk’s Lodge 8:00pm ages 19+
Featuring World Champion Fiddler, Daniel Gervais
and Longshadow emerging artist Wesley Hardisty
Program - To be called from the stage!
“Strings at NACC” was a concert at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre that included the oldest and the newest music in the entire Festival! Opening the concert was Yellowknife fiddler Andrea Bettger with an original tune, joined by Longshadow founder Carmen Braden on keys. This element featured Andrea who has roots in both classical and fiddle, and also included different ways to explore sounds of traditional instruments including with pedals, electronics and stomp boards.
The concert moved on to the NWT / Yellowknife premiere (and the second performance since its world premiere at the Edmonton Fringe in 2021!) of Carmen Braden’s work for solo violin I can finally feel the sun and a performance of her nationally-acclaimed Raven Conspiracy string quartet. The concert went on to include Canadian-Sri Lankan composer Dinuk Wijeratne’s a letter from the afterlife from two pop songs on antique poems” and Dvorak’s masterpiece American String Quartet.
A very special addition to the concert was a Yellowknife high school student’s first composition! Alex Ketchum (age 17, grade 11 at Sir John Franklin High School) wrote Glimpses of a Singularity for string quartet. As part of the outreach work prior to the concert, four Longshadow performers read through his composition giving feedback and constructive criticism. They then offered to premiere it at the NACC concert - to great acclaim! It is a special part of the Festival to have outreach, education and support for young musicians - and to have a World Premiere by these world-class musicians is an incredible opportunity for young Alex Ketchum!
Four of Alberta’s top chamber musicians played in this concert: Robert Uchida (concertmaster of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO)), Rafael Hoekman (principal cello of the ESO), Daniel Gervais (Grandmaster Fiddler and violinist), and Keith Hamm (principal viola of the ESO).
Saturday June 25th - Strings at NACC
Northern Arts Cultural Centre 7:30pm
Program
Andrea Bettger - “So they call me”
Carmen Braden - “I can finally feel the sun” - solo violin
Carmen Braden - “The Raven Conspiracy”- string quartet
Dinuk Wijeratne - “a letter from the afterlife” from “two pop songs on antique poems” - string quartet
Intermission
Dvorak - American String Quartet
The “Family Friendly Outdoor Concert” at Somba K’e Plaza was a free, public, outdoor event open to all ages, bringing music normally heard indoors in concert halls outside with the wind and the bugs! Opening the show was the Yellowknife Fiddle Cats with Andrea Bettger and Daniel Gervias. These young fiddlers had taken a workshop with Grandmaster Fiddler Daniel Gervais earlier in the week as part of the Longshadow’s outreach programming. Daniel wrote a completely new tune just for the Fiddle Cats to premiere (another Wold Premiere!) and Daniel played along to support and encourage. The rest of the outdoor concert featured highlights from the Festival that got kids up dancing and adults tapping their toes.
Dancing to Dvorak by a sub-Arctic lake! Can’t get more Longshadow than that.
Sunday June 26th- Free Family Friendly Outdoor Concert
Somba K’e Plaza 11:00am
Special guests - the Yellowknife Fiddle Cats!
Highlights from the festival
Longshadow by the numbers
11 Total performances: 5 outreach; 2 pop-up concerts; 4 featured concerts
480 Total audience numbers: Sundog (45), Kitchen Party at the Elks (85), NACC (100), Somba K’e estimate (150), pop-up (30), Aven Manor outreach (15), daycare outreach (35), workshop/educational outreach (20),
45 compositions performed:
2 World Premieres
7 Yellowknife/NWT Premieres
20 Compositions by Canadian composers and arrangers
4 Compositions by Canadian women
4 Compositions by minority-representing composers
18 performers:
13 Yellowknife performers
1 Deh Cho performer (Fort Simpson)
4 Southern visiting performers (Alberta)
3 Visiting presenters and technicians
29 Nights stayed in Yellowknife by out-of-town performers, presenters and technicians
Outreach impacts and community engagements
Music for elders - hour-long concert at Aven Manor seniors centre
Music for early-childhood - two outdoor concert at Centre for Northern Families daycares for over 35 youth under 5 and their teachers.
Private instruction for two young cellists (age 13) who had only ever had online lessons on the cello.
Private instruction for three adult musicians - at the amateur and professional levels.
Two workshops for Aurora Fiddle Society members including youth fiddlers The Fiddle Cats
Longshadow 2022 Emerging Artist fiddler Wesley Hardisty (Fort Simpson, Dene First Nation member) given featured part of one of the concerts, and mentorship throughout the Festival
New composition workshop + world premiere of new work by high school student Alex Ketchum
Yellowknife fiddler Andrea Bettger given featured part of one of the concerts
CBC North Radio live performance
NNSL two-page feature
Thank you sponsors, partners, funders, volunteers!
Prairie Debut - presenting sponsor
Julie Green - MLA Yellowknife Centre
Kevin O’Reilly - MLA Frame Lake
Rylund Johnson - MLA Yellowknife North
Caroline Wawzonek - MLA Yellowknife South
Caitlin Cleveland - MLA Kam Lake
Caroline Cochrane - MLA Range Lake
Backbay Productions - audio + lighting services
Events Rental Yellowknife - amazing tent
GNWT ITI - Supporting venue rentals
GNWT ECE - Support for Northern Performers supporting technicians, equipment rental, local performer fees/transportation