The Sonic Boom Festival is a multi-day celebration of music by BC composers. Each year a composer in residence is featured along with talented musical ensembles and dozens of new works by emerging and established BC composers.
What: Sonic Boom 2014 Festival of New Music by BC Composers When: March 26th to March 30th, 2014 Where: Orpheum Annex, 823 Seymour and Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour in Vancouver Tickets: Available online or at the door
Two acoustically beautiful venues on Seymour Street will find themselves surrounded by the sounds of BC’s vibrant, contemporary, classical (New Music) scene. Sonic Boom’s Composer in Residence is John Oliver, the Ensemble in Residence is Erato Ensemble, and the Featured Artist is Heidi Krutzen (harp). There will be events every day throughout the festival.
If you would like to attend, I have a pair of tickets to give away (you pick your performance). Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tickets to #SonicBoom2014 from @VanProMusica + @Miss604 http://ow.ly/uXP4J
Since the festival starts tomorrow, I’ll run this for a quick 24 hours and draw one winner at random from all entries tomorrow – Wednesday, March 26, 2014 – at 4:00pm. Sonic Boom is presented by Vancouver Pro Musica, find them on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Browsing the Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s roster of upcoming bus and walking tours I found the mother of all tours – the history of local histories – the Musqueam Tour!
Metro Vancouver is situated within the unceded traditional territories of Coast Salish First Nations, specifically Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, and Squamish. The Musqueam people have lived on the South Coast for thousands of years and their traditional territory makes up much of the City of Vancouver today.
This spring, the Vancouver Heritage Foundation and the Musqueam Indian Band are developing a pilot project bus tour.
Led by Musqueam youth leaders with stories passed on from Elders, the tour will visit xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, the main village of the Musqueam people; ʔəy̓alməxʷ, a Musqueam village site at the time of the warrior Capilano, which is present day Jericho Beach; and c̓əsnaʔəm, an ancient village and burial site of the Musqueam people.
The bus will travel through Vancouver from the c̓əsnaʔəm site in South Vancouver, stop at several locations in Stanley Park, travel the water edge around Second Beach, English Bay, Kitsilano, and Spanish Banks, stop at the grounds of the Museum of Anthropology, and visit Musqueam including a tour of the Musqueam Cultural Centre Gallery.
What: Learn about historically important sites while also hearing about how thy are used now and how they fit in with modern Musqueam culture. As the bus travels between destinations you’ll learn from Musqueam guides about traditional practices, arts and crafts, songs, legends and even some personal stories. When: Saturday, May 3, 2014 from 9:00am to 1:00pm Tickets: Available online for $40 a piece. Each bus tour will visit 8-10 sites.
Add a Comment
by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Review — This is not a paid post. Views are my own. I was offered a discounted media rate. Overnight parking was $33 (valet only, which I covered) and there was a $9 for WIFI access (our was taken care of). Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
The highly-recommended Hotel Max in Seattle was my home for one night last week when I went down to cover We Day with my niece. This landmark hotel, originally opened in 1926, has been transformed into a rockin’ boutique hotel.
The building is a classic example of Beaux Arts Classical Eclecticism, with the distinctive characteristics of this architectural style. In 2005, Provenance transformed the Vance Hotel into the Hotel Max. Inspired by its artistic and architectural roots, the Hotel Max has become a magnet for musicians, art lovers and the creatively inclined.
I loved the location of the Hotel Max. It was about a 2 minute walk from Westlake Center where we hopped on the Seattle Monorail to get to Key Arena, the Space Needle, the EMP and the Seattle Center area. It’s also located in between two Starbucks, which was handy in the morning before we checked out and headed off to We Day.
I’ve stayed in several Seattle hotels and each usually has its own unique touches. At the Hotel Max those included a mobile number where guests could text front desk, and a funky rock and roll theme throughout the hotel, hallways, and room decor. The Get It Now menu was nice, although we didn’t use it. It featured custom pillow selections, iPod lending, pet room service, and a spiritual book menu.
As it turns out, we were staying on the Sub Pop Floor so there was also a record player and choice Sub Pop vinyl in our room.
They had a complimentary gumball machine near check-in, so that you could leave your mark at the infamous Gum Wall near Pike Place Market, and the lobby also smelled like someone was burning candles that were scented to mimic fresh-baked cupcakes, which was warm and welcoming.
Arriving in the room, there was a set of earplugs on the night stand which made me wonder what noises and disruptions would keep us up at night. Aside from the regular sounds of downtown traffic, I really wasn’t phased at all and we didn’t need the earplugs.
I could have done without the strange bathroom layout (in room 520 at least). I wouldn’t have minded having a window directly in front of the toilet but when we entered the room the blinds were up and the apartment right across the other side of the roof could have really had an eyeful if I had noticed this too late. It seemed like an odd placement, sitting with a window about 1 foot from your face and dozens of apartment windows on the other side.
I also didn’t care for the bowl sink, which was exposed and had no counter at all around it. There was only a small ledge above it for soap and a toothbrush so I didn’t keep my toiletries in the bathroom.
What the Hotel Max lacked in convenient room layout, it made up for with amenities and its great location. My niece and I ended up walking back from Seattle Center, taking a long detour to make a purchase at Glazer’s Camera, and we found a Whole Foods along the way. We bought some snacks and enjoyed them in our room although the in-room dining menu looked very tempting.
The hotel is very well connected on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and the staff was friendly and helpful. I would consider staying here again if I had events to attend in the Seattle Center and South Lake Union areas. Next time I would also try out Miller’s Guild located adjacent to the lobby and get my free beer.
Sometimes when we think we’re just getting to know the ins and outs of our 128-year old city we learn something new. From the funny and fascinating to historical fact, here is a random group of 11 Vancouver History Tidbits:
Although she’s often mistaken for one, the Girl in Wetsuit statue in the water along the Stanley Park Seawall is not a mermaid. However, she was inspired by one. Sculptor Elek Imredy was commissioned to create her based on Copenhagen’s “Little Mermaid”, fashioned after the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen.
In 1898, on October 15, the Nine O’Clock Gun was fired for the first time in Stanley Park… at noon. [Source]
Choklit Park in Fairview was a creation of Purdy’s Chocolates to help with factory access. City Council approved the park (completed in 1970) but told owner Charles Flavelle: “Purdy’s shall be responsible for the creation of a children’s play area.” It’s still around today and provides some of the best city views of any park in the area. [Source]
1910’s – Projection for Vancouver in the 1950s. Archives# LGN 558.
Point Grey and South Vancouver have only been a part of the City of Vancouver since 1929.
Everett Crowley Park is the city’s 5th largest park but was Vancouver’s main landfill (the Kerr Road dump) from 1944 to 1967. [Source]
In 1931, on July 3, Canada’s first baseball game played under lights took place at Athletic Park (Hemlock and West 6th) in Vancouver. [Source]
On February 15, 1965 the new Canadian flag was hoisted at 6:00am at Vancouver city hall. Because of the time differential, this was the first appearance of the flag in Canada after its official proclamation. [Source]
If you enjoyed this quick post then feel free to take a look at the Miss604 archives for historic photos, facts, information, and other oddities in the news. Look for more Vancouver Tidbits next week.
There are many reasons to love Camilo Dominguez, aka Camilo The Magician. He’s an incredibly talented magician who calls Vancouver home, he’s hosting Magic Summer Camp, his shows often support local causes, and he’s also the inspiration for Said The Whale’s popular song.
Born and raised in Colombia, Camilo Dominguez first discovered his passion for the art of magic at the age of four. Today, he is known for his unique approach; blending humor, and a charismatic and heartwarming personality with masterful agility. Using only his hands and a deck of cards, he aims to provide audiences with a truly original and intimate experience.
Camilo has studied at the New York Conservatory for the Dramatic Arts and has attended the Theatre History exchange program in London, England. He has been proud to present four headlining shows, including Unshuffled 2009, Fifty-Two 2010, Continuum 2011, and Continuum-Victoria 2011.
Camilo The Magician 2014 Tour
I was actually on stage for one of Camilo’s shows at The Cultch a few years ago and I was completely and genuinely amazed at his charm and talent. He is heading out on his SOMNIUM Tour this April, starting with two shows in Vancouver then heading to Whitehorse, Victoria, and Bogota, Colombia. Camilo’s shows on this 2014 tour will also support the Canadian World Education Society.
On stage at Granville Island in Vancouver April 4th and 5th, I have 4 pairs of tickets to give away to his SOMNIUM show on Friday, April 4th. If you would like to catch Camilo before he sets out on tour, here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tix to see @CamiloTMagician from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/uUAWZ
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 5:00pm on Sunday, March 30, 2014. Find Camilo The Magician on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Update The winners are @copperlights, David, Jennifer, and @ryanexley Lana!
