Sherbrooke Village Broadens Summer Musical Horizons
Sherbrooke Village will be presenting a wider spectrum of musical offerings than ever before in its 2002 summer season.
The Courthouse Concert series will be launched on Thursday, June 27, with the presentation of two-time East Coast Music Awards winners Birch Mountain Bluegrass. The superb acoustics of the courthouse and close-knit harmonies and wonderful musicianship of Birch Mountain will make this an event not to be missed.
On Sunday, June 30, St. James Presbyterian Church will be the scene of the second annual St. Mary's Gospel Sing. A community choir under the direction of Rollie Burton will perform familiar gospel favourites, along with individual performances by well- known local entertainers.
On Thursday, July 4, the Courthouse Concert series presents The Road to Stanfest, featuring British Columbia performers The Laws. The husband-and-wife duo perform a mixture of old-time country, bluegrass and gospel, much of it original. This act has been wowing audiences from Australia to England. They are booked to appear at most major Canadian folk festivals this summer, including the Stan Rogers Folk Festival, where many industry insiders are predicting that they will be one of the big surprise hits.
On Monday, July 8, Sherbrooke Village will host the third annual Day After Stanfest, featuring Valdy, Ron Hynes, and a number of Eastern Nova Scotia songwriters. This year's Day After Stanfest will continue the focus on songwriting, similar to past events but will be held entirely at Sherbrooke Village. Plans are to hold a series of workshop-style mini-concerts at the Performance Centre.
On Thursday, July 11, Ontario singer-songwriter Scott Cameron- Smith will return to the Courthouse Concerts along with Ariel and David Rogers, members of the first family of Canadian folk. These performers made many new fans last year at both the Stan Rogers Folk Festival and the Sherbrooke Courthouse with their innovative music.
On Friday, July 12, in partnership with the Musique Royale Concert Series, Sherbrooke Village will feature Manitoba harpsichordist Eric Lussier, who will perform a concert of French baroque music. This promises to be a very special evening.
On Thursday, July 18, a women's perspective on Celtic music will be presented as one of last year's most popular acts returns to the courthouse. Antigonish County's Celtic Mystique, is an all- woman band whose love of Celtic music shines through in their performance.
Monday, July 22, marks the return of one of Sherbrooke Village's favourite musical friends as ECMA-award winner John Gracie presents a celebrity series concert at the Sherbrooke Courthouse. This will be Gracie's fifth appearance in the series.
The July portion of the Courthouse Concerts will wrap up on Thursday, July 25, with a return presentation of Truro-based gospel performer Noreen Corkum. At her debut Sherbrooke concert appearance in 2001, the near-capacity audience was thrilled with her music and its message.