Energetic and Exhilarating Gypsy Jazz Will Invigorate Spruce Grove’s Music Scene

Horizon Stage Presents Christine Tassan et les Imposteures on Saturday, November 14

Christine Tassan et les Imposteures play everything from standard gypsy jazz favourites to original compositions. Pioneers in a genre dominated by men, this all-female quartet reinvents timeless music by integrating new ideas and influences with originality and flair. Together since 2003, they have performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Festival Django à Liberchies in Belgium, and the famed Django Reinhardt Festival in Samois-sur-Seine, France, where the legendary manouche guitarist lived. Currently on the road in Western Canada, they are looking forward to performing in Alberta’s capital region on Saturday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Horizon Stage.

Christine Tassan et les Imposteures are all extremely talented musicians who improvise together with ease and blend their voices together in perfect harmony. But Christine (lead guitar), Blanche Baillargeon (double bass), Martine Gaumond (violin), and Lise-Anne Ross (rhythm guitar) have a personal bond as well - they are, first and foremost, four friends harnessing their love of a musical genre. Their friendship shines through at their concerts as they interact between pieces and readily engage the audience, often venturing into the crowd while playing. Their shows are full of spirit, humour, and camaraderie making for a very down to earth yet uplifting musical experience.

The groups’ first two albums, De bon matin (2007) and Pas manouche, c’est louche (2010), achieved rapid critical acclaim. Only a few weeks after it was released, De bon matin went to the top of Radio-Canada’s Coup de Coeur hit list and reached number one on the Radio Couleur Jazz. In turn, Pas manouche, c’est louche was nominated for Best Jazz Album at the Québec Association for the Recording, Concert and Video Industries awards.

Their third album, C’est l’heure de l’apéro (It’s Happy Hour), released in 2012, follows in the same lively spirit. Like its predecessors it is a clever mix of original music and standards, songs and instrumentals. Brimming with a ripe confidence it clearly reveals the evolution of the group, marking the beginning of a new chapter for Christine Tassan et les Imposteures.

Enjoy a friendly, engaging, upbeat, and flavorful concert by Christine Tassan et les Imposteures at Horizon Stage on Saturday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are just $35 for adults and $30 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave) or by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online through Tickpro.ca.

A World of Discovery, Emotion, Imagination, and Transformation

Bouge de là’s Bedtime! will expand young audience’s minds at Horizon Stage on November 7

Renowned for being highly contemporary, Montreal dance troupe Bouge de là combines movement with theatrics and multimedia effects to create memorable performances for young audiences. Their newest production, Bedtime!, is an energetic piece that centers around the concept of a child’s bed as a place for discovery, emotion, imagination, and transformation. They can be cozy places to dream or platforms for bouncing and playing on. With a transforming bed at the very center of the stage, the troupe explores four stages of childhood, from infancy to adolescence. Dream, discover, and explore with Bouge de là’s Bedtime! - the first show in Horizon Stage’s 2015/16 Family Matinee Series - on Saturday, November 7.

In tableau one, a young child grows and develops in their crib. It is a private, snug, and cozy place where the baby can push with their hands, roll over, crawl, and eventually walk upright. The child discovers their environment through touch, sound, and sight. The dancers delve into their inner-infants, explore, re-learn, and discover the world anew. 

In the second tableau, a 4-year-old is sent to her room where her anger explodes and she damages a favourite toy. After the storm she discovers how to calm her emotions and regain her equilibrium. Onstage she is surrounded by three dancers who echo her emotions and amplify her movements.

Alone in his bedroom a bored 8-year-old boy dreams of superheroes. His bed becomes his camp, a territory to be defended, and a battle ground. This surrealist tableau pays veiled tribute to comic books and the dancers act out the incredible situations imagined by the boy – being kidnapped, escaping, fighting evildoers, facing danger, and turning into a Transformer.

The teenage years are full of noise, disorder, change, contradiction, and rebellion against the established order. The bed becomes a place for jumping, pillow fights and partying until it’s time to leave childhood and the family home behind. The dance in this tableau is more rock ‘n roll. The structure of the bed unfolds and is dismantled, becoming a percussion instrument and a ladder leading to the adult world.

Eagerly drawing upon a variety of artistic disciplines - including dance, theater, multimedia, visual art, children’s literature, and shadow theatre - choreographer and artistic director Hélène Langevin has created a multidisciplinary experience that is unforgettable and unique. Previous performances by Hélène and Bouge de là at Horizon Stage include Like the 5 Fingers on your Hand (2003) and The Studio (2011). 

So wear your pajamas, cuddle up in your theatre seat, and get ready for Bedtime! Tickets may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave) or by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online through ticketpro.ca.

Horizon Stage’s 2015/16 Family Matinee Series consists of three shows - Bouge de là: Bedtime! (Nov. 7), Fred Penner (Jan. 16) and DuffleBag Theatre: Snow White (April 9). Recommended for children aged 4 - 12, these 2 p.m. performances are approximately one hour long and include an hour of free pre-show activities in the lobby. In an effort to make family programming more affordable, Three-Show Packages (one ticket to each matinee) have been reduced in price to $30 - and single tickets are now just $12, regardless of age.

Watch Bedtime! Promo Video

Photo Credits: Suzane O'Neill

Edmonton Musicians Bring Beautiful Classical Music to Horizon Stage

Strathcona String Quartet to perform works by Brahms, Beethoven, and Avison 

Strathcona String Quartet is Edmonton’s most outstanding and versatile professional chamber ensemble. Performing together since 1987, they play everywhere from Alberta’s large concert and recital stages to weddings, conventions, and garden parties.  The group has released two highly praised CDs that are frequently played on radio stations across North America including locally on CBC, CKUA, and CJSR. They are now looking forward to performing in Spruce Grove as part of Horizon Stage’s 15/16 Season on Friday, October 30.

Born and raised in Edmonton, violinist Jennifer Bustin began her music studies at the age of three, completed postgraduate studies at the University of Alberta, and was concertmaster of the Academy Strings and University Symphony Orchestra. As one of Edmonton's most active freelance performers, Jennifer also works with Edmonton Opera, Opera Nuova, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Citadel Orchestra, and the Red Deer
Symphony Orchestra.

Shannon Johnson has won classical violin and fiddling awards at national and international levels. She began performing professionally at the age of eight, wowing music fans and critics with her strong, pure playing and exceptional improvisational skills. Shannon also performs with Edmonton’s Juno award-winning Celtic ensemble The McDades and popular local Celtic/folk/rock band, Captain Tractor.

A versatile musician, Josephine van Lier has garnered world-wide critical acclaim for her 4-disc recording of the Bach cello suites. Founding member, president and artistic director of Early Music Alberta, Josephine is a strong advocate for the historically informed performance practice of early music. A passionate and very active performer, soloist and chamber musician, she is always looking for challenging and exciting projects.

Sarah Wilbur-Woodman began her studies on viola at 10 years old.  She has played as an orchestral and chamber musician from coast to coast and performs frequently with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and many local chamber groups. Sarah maintains a busy private studio and conducts two student orchestras at Grant MacEwan Alberta College Conservatory.

The world of music, past and present, is populated by innovators, iconoclasts, and eccentrics.  The Strathcona String Quartet has chosen three of the most eccentric composers of Baroque, Classical, and Romantic music for their 2015 fall season; Beethoven’s Opus 18, No.4, Brahms’ String Quartet Opus 51, in A Minor, and Avison’s Concerto V in D minor.

Beethoven’s Opus 18, No.4, is one of his early quartets in which he demonstrates his precocious mastery of the classical form, beating Haydn and Mozart at their own game, and already beginning to show his impatience for something wilder. Brahms’ String Quartet Opus 51, in A Minor, is one of the three string quartets he published in his lifetime. This quartet was his first - excluding the 20 that he wrote previously and destroyed because he didn’t think they were good enough. Charles Avison’s Concerto V in D minor is a driving, energetic piece, full of excitement and forward motion.

Enjoy a night of stimulating and exhilarating music performed by Strathcona String Quartet at Horizon Stage on October 30. Concert start-time is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are just $35 for adults and $30 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave) or by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online by visiting www.horizonstage.com and clicking on the ‘Tickets’ link.