Bragg Creek Performing Arts spring season promises to be so good the artistic director is refusing to take a vacation so she does not miss a single show.
Bragg Creek Performing Arts spring season promises to be so good the artistic director is refusing to take a vacation so she does not miss a single show.
“My husband keeps asking me if we can go on a trip but I say no, we can only go away if it’s in between acts, ” said Brenda Bone, Bragg Creek Performing Arts’ artistic director.
Bragg Creek Performing Arts (BCPA), a volunteer group, has been hosting professional concerts in the hamlet of Bragg Creek since 1980. The BCPA is presenting four stellar Canadian acts this spring as part of its latest concert series.
“I’m excited about seeing all our performers this season, ” she said.
Orchestral chamber folk ensemble Mark Berube & The Patriotic Few, pop-rock balladeer Royal Wood, legendary blues musician Jim Byrnes, and Jill Barber, one of Canada’s top female singers, will perform between February and May at the Bragg Creek Community Centre.
Jim Byrnes will kick-off this spring’s concert series with a performance at the Bragg Creek Community Centre on April 13.
Bone said she is not motivated by ticket sales when she chooses musicians.
In previous seasons, Bone said the BCPA has presented singers who are not well known and other arts groups thought they were brave to do so.
“Depending on the act, we’ve had 50 to 500 people attend our concerts, ” she said. “Our reputation within the Alberta presenter community is that we think outside the box. ”
In 2012, the BCPA decided to split their season in two to better serve the needs of their season tickets purchasers.
“People had trouble committing to buying season passes so far in advance, ” said Bone.
She added ticket sales are steady for the spring series as more and more people are catching on to Bragg Creek’s blooming music scene.
According to Bone, over the last three years, the music scene in Bragg Creek has grown and that growth has been inspired in part by the work of BCPA.
For example, local bars and restaurants such as the Bragg Creek Steak Pit, LoKos Lounge, and The PowderHorn Saloon are holding regular open-mike nights.
“There is a lot more music in Bragg Creek due to our influence, ” she said.
As for Bone she said she enjoys her volunteer role as artistic director and spends about three hours a day and weekends working for the organization.
“I love it as I find exciting and satisfying, ” she said. “After the audience leaves the shows smiling and laughing and having had a good time, that’s my payback. ”
Bone said while the organization has many dedicated volunteers, they would welcome more help.
“We are always looking for volunteers, ” she said.
Season tickets can be purchased through braggcreekperformingarts.com and from Suncatcher’s Design Studio. Or call the ticket and information hot line at 403-949-4114.
Buy all four concerts from the BCPA website before Feb. 9 and save 15 per cent on each ticket, plus receive one free ticket to the Mark Berube concert.
Regular concert ticket prices are $29 for adults, $27 for seniors, and youth are $5 rush (ages six to 17 with student ID).
Ticket prices for Jill Barber are $38 for adults, $36 for seniors, and $28 for youth.
Tickets are also available in person at the Bragg Creek Community Centre and Spirits West in the Bragg Creek Shopping Centre.
