Join us for our first concert of the summer
This coming Sunday, July 19, the Impressions in Jazz Orchestra returns to the Billings Estate for a Concert in the Park. This is the third year we’ve been invited to perform at Billings. In 2007 we performed two concerts focusing on the 1920s and 1940s. Last year we covered 100 years of music from 1850 - 1950. This year in view of the economic climate, our theme is The Great Depression and we will perform music from 1929 to 1939 with a 14-piece repertory orchestra. Once again we’ll be joined by the fabulous dancers from Swing Dynamite. Our musical tour through history will look at how the depression affected jazz and how jazz affected the ways in which people coped with the financial hardships of the time.
We’re always delighted to be invited back by the City of Ottawa to participate in these historical retrospectives. Check out photos from last year’s concert. The musicians and the dancers kept the excitement going even through a torrential downpour that never let up.
In previous years the Billings Estate Museum has staged multiple concerts with one concert per week. This year the format is different with a single day full of unique and interesting performances and workshops. Admission of $20 per adult or $45 per family (maximum of two adults) includes the following:
| 3:00 - 4:00 PM | A workshop on hand-jiving and hamboning with Sheesham & Lotus |
| 4:15 - 5:15 PM | Singing our Heritage - a vocal workshop led by Maura Volante |
| 5:30 - 6:30 PM | A performance by Sheesham & Lotus |
| 7:00 - 9:00 PM | Concert featuring the Impressions in Jazz Orchestra and Swing Dynamite |
You can join in the festivities at any point with the price of admission fixed for the entire day.
This concert will kick off our summer festivities which will then be followed by our 2009-2010 season beginning in September. Between now and next March we will deliver twelve performances for our most packed season yet. It’s an exciting time for us and includes a move to a new venue at the recently opened Shenkman Arts Centre. Last month we provided ensembles for two evenings during the opening of this fabulous new arts complex and we’re proud to be on the roster to perform at the new hall. Our impressive programming for this season is made possible by an arts grant from the City of Ottawa, similar to the one we received last year which enabled us to stage our spectacular season finale.
We hope you’ll join us at the Billings Estate Museum this Sunday evening. Tickets are available at the estate museum at 2100 Cabot Street or by phoning (613) 247-4830.
