Northern Exposure -- A Captivating Arts and Cultural Season This Fall in Canada

Northern Exposure -- A Captivating Arts and Cultural Season This Fall in Canada
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By Caitlin Leonard, ZEALnyc Contributing Writer, September 12, 2016

As we are preparing for an exciting fall season here in New York, our "neighbors to the north" are already engaged in what appears to be an equally intriguing array of not-to-be-missed events and performances this season as well. Some of the highlights below are sure to pique your interest and will have you booking your trip tout de suite -- bon voyage!

Banff, Alberta:

A very exciting yearly event is the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival, from October 26th to November 6th, located in the mountainous town of Banff, Alberta. Drawing a yearly outdoor enthusiast crowd, the festival takes place over a span of nine days, and includes screenings of some of the best adventure films from around the world over the past year. Awards are given, and fan favorites chosen, and the tales are always almost as extremely exciting as the wild ski, snowboarding, and climbing shots that these expert filmmakers are able to capture. Meet representatives and collect swag from such outdoor adventure companies as North Face, Cliff Bar and National Geographic magazine, while mingling among the filmmakers themselves, for an in depth experience of this festival before its award winning picks go on an international tour for the following year.

Ottawa:

The National Arts Centre Orchestra will have an exciting season coming up including a Gala jazz performance alongside renowned pianist and vocalist Diana Krall. Located in the heart of Canada's capital of Ottawa, at The National Arts Centre, tickets are on sale now for the NAC Gala which will take place on October 22nd. Admission includes a pre-concert reception.

Another notable event taking place at the NAC this fall will be a world premiere performance by famed violinist Joshua Bell playing Brahams violin concerto, Strauss, Bernstein and a composition by Derek Charke on October 6th and 7th. The program will also feature a free informative pre-concert talk with music conductor Alexander Shelley and music journalist Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer.

Toronto:

A major highlight of the Canadian Opera Company's upcoming season will be Bellini's dynamic opera Norma from October 6th to November 4th. Written in 1831, the production features two of today's most sought-after sopranos sharing the title role -- Sondra Radvanovsky from Toronto and South African Elza van den Heever -- in performances we are sure will thrill.

On October 6th the Canada's Walk of Fame Festival will bring the stars to downtown Toronto. The seven day festival will celebrate Canada's best in music, sports, literature and entertainment. The 2016 inductees include actors Corey Hart, and Jason Priestly, filmmaker Deepa Mehta, and fashion journalist Jeanne Beker. Tickets are now available to attend the Broadcast Gala which includes a dinner à la Golden Globes.

Also taking place in Toronto is the Nuit Blanche on October 1st, an all-night contemporary art exhibition. Essentially an outdoor art party - hundreds of artists will display their work on the streets to the close to one million viewers who come out yearly to attend this unique event.

Montreal:

In Montreal, the Museum of Fine Arts will feature a new exhibition: Focus: Perfection Robert Mapplethorpe. Running from September 10th - January 22nd, the photographs of highly influential photographer, Robert Mapplethorpe, will be on display which explore themes of gender, sexuality and race. The collection was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum and will next continue from Montreal to Sydney, Australia.

Music Director Kent Nagano leads the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in another remarkable year of concerts starting with Orff's Carmina Burana (September 7th-10th) and continuing when the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique resonates with German organist Christian Schmitt's recital, as well as other concerts with the full orchestra incorporating this magnificent instrument. In October the orchestra celebrates the local Metro's Fiftieth Anniversary (October 20th-23rd) and finishes off the calendar year with performances of Bach's St. Matthew Passion (November 30th- December 4th) and the Festive Russian Holiday concerts (December 14thand 16th) are sure to make the season bright.

The Opéra de Montréal begins their season with Verdi's spectacle Aida on September 17th through the 24th with various other operatic masterpieces filling out the year. Of special note will be the premiere of Another Brick in the Wall--the opera (March 11th-24th, 2017), composed by Julien Bilodeau and based on the lyrics and music of Roger Waters's The Wall of Pink Floyd fame. Rock opera? "Brick" opera? Either way, it's sure to be an interesting night at the opera.

Dedicated to black cinema, the Montreal International Black Film Festival is taking place from September 28th to October 2nd. The only bilingual black film festival in North America, this will mark its 12th year. Showcasing independent films from Canada and abroad, this particular festival intends to bring audiences in touch with the most notable black films of the past year, while creating a place for dialogue about cultural and social issues.

Cover: View of Lake Louise, Banff, Canada; provided by Banff Tourism
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Caitlin Leonard is a Contributing Writer with ZEALnyc who is based in Canada and writes frequently for ZEALnyc on arts, culture and lifestyle related topics.

For more of ZEALnyc's Fall Preview series, read the following:

For all the news on New York City art and culture, visit ZEALnyc's Front Page.

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