The organizers of Culture Days, a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness,accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities, are hard at work, recruiting activity organizers and preparing communities across Canada to host arts and culture celebrations in September 2010.

If you are considering registering an activity for Culture Days, they offer the following assistance:

• an online checklist for event organizers
• teleconferences during which arts organizations from across Canada can dial in to ask questions and learn more about how to get involved – the next of which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 25
• updates on the provincial organizing committees

Early last week, plans for Culture Days were unveiled at events in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Prince Edward Island. The Canada-wide celebration represents the largest-ever collective public participation campaign undertaken by the arts and cultural community in this country. Culture Days will take place on September 24 to 26 in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec (under the existing event Journées de la culture), New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island; and on September 17 to 19 in Alberta (under the existing event Alberta Arts Days). Dates for Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon will be announced shortly.

Attended by Ministers of Culture, local performers and artists in each province, the announcements called on the arts and cultural community to offer activities that invite the public to participate in hands-on, interactive experiences during Culture Days. Interested artists and organizations can register online at www.culturedays.ca. Those who register activities will benefit from a national marketing and communications campaign as well as access to materials to help promote activities within their communities.

Through direct interaction with artists, curators, designers, historians, architects and other creative producers, Culture Days invites Canadians to discover the inner workings of the arts and cultural world and to explore their own creativity. Culture Days activities will be free. Professional, amateur, educational, heritage and community-based arts and cultural organizations as well as groups, artists, creative industries and municipalities in major urban centres, regional cities, towns and rural communities alike are welcome to be part of Culture Days.

To follow the development of the celebration, learn more about the Culture Days movement and to participate in activities this September, visit here.

The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra has just announced the appointment of their new music director, Arthur Post – and the orchestra has launched its 50th anniversary season at the same time!  Maestro Post has been music director of the San Juan Symphony (of Colorado and New Mexico) for the last eight seasons, and has also served as Assistant and subsequently Resident Conductor with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Associate Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic and Resident Conductor of the New World Symphony.  He trained at Yale, the Juilliard School, and Tanglewood – and has been specifically cited for his “groundbreaking programming that combines the masterworks of the orchestral repertoire with music reflecting local cultures and concerns”.  Maestro Post will assume his duties with the TBSO in the fall of 2010.

While we’re still in Thunder Bay, we’ll convey hearty congratulations to TBSO General Manager Leanne Atkinson and her husband Johnnie, who have just welcomed 9 pound, 14 oz. baby boy Nolan to the world!  Ms Atkinson will be on parental leave until mid-February 2011; Clint Kuschak is serving as Interim General Manager during her leave.

Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra of Ottawa has just announced the appointment of Kevin Mallon as its new Artistic Director, beginning with the 2010-11 season. Mr. Mallon is founder and Music Director of the Toronto-based Aradia Ensemble, and is also Music Director of the Toronto Chamber Orchestra. Each group has a recording contract with Naxos, and under Mr. Mallon’s direction, they have made more than 50 recordings for the label. Commenting on his new appointment, Mr. Mallon said “I am delighted to have been chosen to be the next Music Director of The Thirteen Strings! Our work together in January was rewarding. We all had a terrific time working together – the glove fit!”  For more information about Thirteen Strings, you can visit their website here.

Lucie Paquin, head of media relations at the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal for the past three years, has recently left the post for a communications role at the Muséums Nature de Montréal. During the transition period, OSM programme editor and coordinator Caroline Louis will be filling the role.

The National Arts Centre Orchestra has just appointed violinist Jessica Linnebach as its Associate Concertmaster, following a successful audition. Ms Linnebach, 27, has been a valued member of the NAC Orchestra family for two decades. She first performed as a soloist with the Orchestra in 1990 at the age of seven, joined the Orchestra on a tour of Europe and the Middle East a decade later, and participated in the NAC’s Young Artist Program (YAP) in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Ms Linnebach then joined the Orchestra as a full-time member in the 2002-2003 season. A passionate chamber musician, Jessica is a founding member of the Zukerman ChamberPlayers, a string quintet led by Pinchas Zukerman that was formed in 2003.

Immediately following the national launch of Culture Days, the Ontario Arts Council announced the appointment of Aubrey Reeves as Ontario’s Culture Days Animator/Coordinator for the next six months. Aubrey will be a resource for Ontario artists and arts organizations interested in participating in culture days. Aubrey will work in partnership with the Ontario Culture Days Task Force and the national steering committee. She will: Provide organizing advice to potential presenters on how to develop a free, participatory activity for Culture Days or incorporate an existing arts activity on that weekend; Connect groups or artists in the same community that wish to share spaces or other resources for their Culture Day activity; Work with the national steering committee to develop tips and tools for successful events; Facilitate communication and networking between Ontario Culture Days participants; Support alliances between artists and municipalities. She can be reached by email at on@culturedays.ca or by phone at Toll-free 1-800-387-0058 ext. 5077, or 647-258-5077 in Toronto.

Congratulations to Jacques Lacombe, music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivieres, for his critically acclaimed debut in the role of Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony. You can read the New York Times review of the performance here.

The Ontario Arts Council has also announced the appointment of artist, educator, producer and arts administrator Aengus Finnan as Touring and Audience Development Officer. In his new role, Aengus will work to reinforce OAC’s ongoing commitment to touring, presenting and audience development for the arts. “We consider the issue of building audiences the biggest challenge facing artists and arts organizations today,” said John Brotman, Executive Director. “With his 15-year experience as an established artist and at the helm of a successful music festival, we know that Aengus will bring leadership to this area.”

Culture Days, an annual national arts event that’s starting in 2010, is inviting artists and arts organizations to register their events for Culture Days 2010.  The following provinces have established dates for their rendezvous with Culture Days, and other provinces and territories are expected to follow suit shortly:

• British Columbia: September 24 – 26
• Alberta Arts Days: September 16 – 18
• Saskatchewan: September 24 – 26
• Manitoba: September 24 – 26
• Ontario: September 24 – 26
• Québec Journées de la culture : September 24 – 26

As the folks at Culture Days say, “this is an open call for all individuals, groups and municipalities to join the movement and offer a free participatory or interactive arts or cultural activity during Culture Days in your region. Everyone is encouraged to get involved – whether you are a professional or amateur cultural creator (i.e. artist, artisan, educator, animateur, historian, curator, architect, designer, etc), group or organization, including culturally diverse, Aboriginal, urban and rural communities. There is no fee to register. If you have a free participatory or interactive arts or cultural activity to offer to the public during Culture Days in your region – be it new or something you already have planned – you can do so here:

Quebec
Rest of Canada

Culture Days, a national campaign to make the public aware of the importance of the arts and culture in daily life, will be taking place in Ontario September 24-26.  The event is intended to highlight Ontario’s vibrant culture – and encourage residents to explore new activities and celebrate the arts and culture in their communities.

Culture Days is now looking for amateur and professional artists and arts organizations to take part by offering free ‘behind the scenes’ tours, demonstrations or school visits, workshops, lectures, open rehearsals, or open studios.  Already-scheduled participatory activities and events can also be included in the provincial event during Culture Days as long as they are free.

To learn more, you can subscribe to the Culture Days newsletter here;  online event registration for Culture Days opens soon.

Culture Days, a collaborative pan-Canadian volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement by all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities, is moving forward.  A National Steering Committee, in collaboration with provincial committees, is mobilizing at the grassroots level to collaborate in the implementation of concurrent annual province-wide public participation events each September beginning in 2010. In support of these annual provincial events, Culture Days will drive a major annual national communications & public relations campaign to help re-position arts and culture in the public eye.
 
Culture Days was initiated and is supported by the Canadian Arts Summit in collaboration with Culture pour tous (producer of Quebec’s Journées de la Culture), The Banff Centre and with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
 
Five provinces are lining up their efforts to be part of the Culture Days inaugural event in September 2010. These include Alberta (with Alberta Arts Days), Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario (with spOtlight) and Québec with the Journées de la Culture, which inspired Culture Days. Additional provinces and territories have expressed enthusiastic interest and we are confident others will join the collective effort soon.
 
For more information about the initiative, and to sign up for regular electronic updates, please visit here.