A Musical Farewell with Oliver Jones

 Photos by Andre Gagne and supplied by the National Arts Centre. Oscar Peterson watches the sun set from the corner, his piano by his side. A swinging melody plays from above as a couple hurriedly approaches. “I hear he plays just like him,” the woman says, jutting her thumb towards

Amanda Rheaume’s Holding Patterns

 Photos by Jen Squires, supplied by NAC. One woman, one venue, both of them in a period of transition and ready for change. For Métis singer-songwriter Amanda Rheaume, it was a few steps back in order to move forward through some pain and sad realities on a rocky road to find

Up Close and Personal with Colin James

 Canadian Music Hall of Famer and blues legend Colin James Munn may not have been born with a guitar in his hand but, considering his trajectory in childhood, it wouldn’t have been too surprising if he had been. He was a Regina, Saskatchewan kid bottle fed on the blues that

January 15th to 17th

 Here at Ottawa Life we are always looking out for great things to do on a weekend! Check out some of the events that are happening right here in our city this weekend. TD Place Stadium, Ottawa 67’s vs. Niagara IceDogs - Jan.15th (7:00pm) This Friday, come support your local OHL

Ho! Ho! Head to the Theatre!

 A scene from Anne and Gilbert, The Musical. Photo courtesy of the NAC.  Christmas is always a great time to grab the kids and head to the theatre for a family outing.  There are two shows on in Ottawa right now that fit the bill perfectly. Anne and Gilbert, The Musical

Theatre: ‘The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God’

 All photos by Andrée Lanthier. There are two days left to catch The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God at the NAC.  If you have the chance, it’s definitely worth it. Book your whole night off thought because the show is very long. It runs two hours

Chatting with the NAC’s Jillian Keiley

 Photo credit: David Leclerc If the federal election already has you wanting to look elsewhere for theatrics, cast your eye to the National Arts Centre. Have you wondered how the plays at the NAC are chosen? I have so I jumped at the chance to ask the NAC’s English Theatre

Fast Forward to the Weekend with Boogat’s Newest Album

 Photo credit: Guillaume Simoneau It’s everything you need on a Friday night after a long week: catchy, danceable and totally infectious music! Montreal MC Boogat’s newest album release, Neo-Reconquista, is enough reason to celebrate on its own. He’s been recognized for constantly evolving his music. Boogat’s unique mixed Latin-urban-electro-pop sound will instantly

Let Propeller Take You to New Heights

 Above: (left to right) Liz Winkelaar, Rob Chartier, Moni Hoffman, Julia Gutsik, Jessie Huggett Photo by Erica Ferrarin.   Dancer Sylvain Bouchard in rehearsal for Flesh and Spokes. Photo Guillaume Grau. While the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) on Wellington Street offers up phenomenal, eclectic theatre productions every year, it also

Ontario’s Newest Folk Star

 Fiddler, singer, and step dancer April Verch is emerging into Ontario’s music spotlight! Recognized for her blissful voice, lively dancing and striking performances, her upcoming appearance at the National Arts Centre (NAC) is not one to miss! With impressive reviews coming from newspapers like the Huffington Post and Toronto Star, there

Take Me Back to Coles Notes before Take Me Back to Jefferson

 Photo Credit: Katherine Fleitas Before you head to the NAC for its latest production, Take Me Back to Jefferson, do yourself a favour and dig out your high school English class copy of As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, or at least your Coles Notes version if you still have

Outstanding Obaaberima

 Photo credit: Jeremy Mimnagh Looking for something incredible to do this week? Head to the National Arts Centre to see its latest production Obaaberima. Playwright and actor Tawiah M'Carthy won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Outstanding Production in 2013 for his masterpiece. The play actually won three Doras in total:

‘Stuff Happens’ at the NAC

 Photo courtesy of Andree Lanthier Take yourself back to post 9/11, to the time of George W. Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ in Iraq and the cast of characters like Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and Tony Blair, just to name a few. There have been so

Joking around for over 30 years

 As a mainstay in the Canadian comedy scene, Yuk Yuk’s entertains audiences with laughter across the country. This past year marked the franchise’s 30th anniversary. A lot has happened in the last three decades. Formed with the intention of providing an outlet to local comics in Toronto, Yuk Yuk’s performances

Take a Trip with Alice Through the Looking-Glass

 It is often debated whether or not author Lewis Carroll was under the influence of some kind of narcotic when he created Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking-Glass. It is completely understandable to ponder the question as the stories are wacky, out-of-this-world, fantastical and outrageous.  They are equally

The Sound of Strings: Stellae Boreales

 The Ottawa Suzuki Strings Music School has a vision to “create a music school that is internationally recognized for the quality of its pedagogy and the achievements of its students and faculty, resulting from a culture of innovation in training and development.” The Stella Boreales Violin Ensemble is a perfect testament to

Crack Up with Craigslist Cantata at NAC

 If you’re not familiar with the strange and sometimes wacky world of Craigslist, you would be wise to visit the web site before heading to the NAC to see Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata or it may not make a lot of sense. This show,

Oscar Wilde Still Going Strong at the NAC

 Alex McCooeye, Christopher Morris. Photo by Andree Lanthier He may be one hundred and sixty years old, but there is no question Oscar Wilde still has what it takes to please a crowd. Even when it’s done badly, you love it. Thankfully, The Importance of Being Earnest, the season opener for

Let Opera Lyra’s Tosca Take you Away

 Photo courtesy of Marc Fowler. There is nothing quite grander than hearing beautiful voices singing about love, betrayal and politics. There is one chance left to catch Opera Lyra’s production of Puccini’s Tosca and you shouldn’t miss it:  Saturday night.  The singing, set, costumes and music will instantaneously transport you

Oil and Water is On Fire at the NAC

 As the world mourns the passing of Maya Angelou, the NAC’s current  production, Oil and Water, by Robert Chafe, seems all the more poignant.  It is a compelling story and it is also true. There are a number of plot elements that weave together but never confuse throughout the course

huff at the NAC: It will blow you away

 Photo Credit -  Cliff Cardinal It is poignant, powerful, funny, touching and deeply disturbing.  huff, currently at the NAC , written by and starring Cliff Cardinal, movingly tells the heartbreaking story of Wind and his brothers , (Huff who is younger and Charles is their older brother who is a

The Canada Dance Festival Leaps into Ottawa This June

 The Canada Dance Festival (CDF) is a leader in the dance community and supports the development of dance as an art form, as well as emerging and established artists. The CDF has been presenting, advancing and celebrating Canada’s dance excellence since 1987. The festival is co-produced by the National Arts

From VICE to NXNE, Music Maven Christopher Roberts Reflects on his Roots in Ottawa

 Pick any popular artist today and there’s a good chance Christopher Roberts has either scouted or worked with them directly. From The Raveonettes, The Black Lips and Action Bronson, to Bloc Party, The Streets, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Death From Above 1979, his influence is strong in the music industry. Formerly

Schmeiser, the Seed and the Genetically-Modified Giant.

 There is nothing like a good David and Goliath story to get your blood boiling, especially when it involves a giant multinational biotech company like Monsanto against the little guy farmer.  Or so it would seem. But before you head to see the latest production at the NAC, Seed, written

RBC Bluesfest Announces 2014 Lineup in Celebration of 20 Years

 For many of us diehards, we awoke this morning to a gift in our inboxes: an email detailing this year's musical performances at Bluesfest. Facebook and Twitter were already crowded with posts of excitement (or in some cases, disappointment) and what made the announcement particularly special was the fact that