---

Culture club

By Jessica Watson

Mark your calendars: A select list of cultural happenings across the country.

April 2007

Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
North Meets South: Apr. 21
nso-music.com

 

Ride the sonic roller coaster of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s hypnotic harmonies and Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos’ pounding rhythms in North Meets South.

 

May 2007

Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Angels in the Architecture: May 9–13
rwb.org
Set to Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, the simplicity of the Shaker lifestyle and the spirit of rural America come to life in the poetic beauty of dance.

 

June 2007

Edmonton International Jazz Festival
Edmonton, Alberta
Jun. 22–Jul. 1
edmontonjazz.com
Canada’s oldest jazz festival features top national and international artists like Cuban reed-master Paquito d’Rivera.

 

June 2007

Alianait Arts Festival
Iqaluit, Nunavut
June 21-July 1, 2007
www.alianait.ca
Wear your sunglasses at night – 24 hours of daylight means there’s more chance to enjoy these eleven jam-packed days of art, film, storytelling, dance and theatre.

 

July 2007

Open Sky Festival
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Jun. 29–Jul. 2
openskyfestival.ca
This celebration of art and music from the Northwest Territories’ Deh Cho region features craft and theatre workshops to hone your talent, traditional drum dancing and plates piled high with barbecue.

 

August 2007

Yukon International Storytelling Festival
Whitehorse, Yukon
Aug. 17–19
yukonstory.com
Join storytellers and performers from around the world as they weave their yarns by the banks of the Yukon River. Bonus? Live drumming and dancing at the tale’s end.

 

September 2007

Charlottetown Festival
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Jun. 18–Sep. 29
confederationcentre.com/festival.asp
Catch British Invasion!, a madly mod musical revue that features mid-1960s to mid-1980s tunes from the Beatles, Elton John, Tom Jones and Queen.

 

October 2007

Saint John Shakespeare Festival
Saint John, New Brunswick
Oct. 14–20
saintjohnshakespeare.ca
Put some Will on your playbill. This year’s fest features The Tempest, an old-school renaissance feast and an expert discussion panel.

 

November 2007

Whistler Cornucopia
Whistler, British Columbia
Nov. 8–11
whistlercornucopia.com
Elegant food and international varietals peak at the base of Whistler Mountain with chilled champagne, freshly shucked oysters and blind tastings.

 

December 2007

Christmas in the Park
Montréal, Québec
Dec. 1–23
noeldansleparc.com
Lahaie and Des Faubourgs parks transform into winter wonderlands filled with multi-collared fir trees, circus acts and traditional Québecois concerts.

 

January 2008

Winterlicious
Toronto, Ontario
Jan. 25–Feb. 7
toronto.com/winterlicious
The city’s finest dining establishments offer exclusive prix-fixes, so linger over organic salmon tartare with avocado, yuzu, jalapeño and citrus-soy mousseline.

 

February 2008

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Marilyn Monroe: Life as a Legend: Dec. 2007–Mar. 2008
agns.gov.ns.ca
This in-depth exhibit features 186 pieces by over 65 artists, including works by Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon, as well as the jewels Marilyn wore on her first date with Joe DiMaggio.

 

March 2008

Saskatoon Blues Festival
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Feb. 25–Mar. 2
saskatoonbluessociety.ca
Blues and R&B; rhythms resound throughout the Broadway district, where home-grown musicians play alongside veteran blues and folk impresarios such as Rick Fines.

 

Getting here

Alianait Arts Festival, PO Box 8, Iqaluit, NU, 867-979-1484, www.alianait.ca

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, 1723 Hollis St., Halifax, NS, 902-424-7542, agns.gov.ns.ca

Charlottetown Festival, 145 Richmond St., Charlottetown, PEI, 902-628-1864, confederationcentre.com/festival.asp

Christmas in the Park, 514-281-1579, noeldansleparc.com

Edmonton International Jazz Festival, 301-10526 Jasper Ave., Edmonton, AB, 780-990-0222, edmontonjazz.com

Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Prince Philip Dr., St John’s, NL, 709-722-4441, nso-music.com

Open Sky Festival, PO Box 575, Fort Simpson, NT, 867-695-3005, openskyfestival.ca

Royal Winnipeg Ballet, 380 Graham, Winnipeg, MB, 204-956-0183, rwb.org

Saint John Shakespeare Festival, One Germain St., 3rd Floor, Saint John, NB, 506-633-4870, saintjohnsshakespeare.com

Saskatoon Blues Festival, Box 21035, Saskatoon, SK, 306-477-4673, saskatoonbluessociety.com

Whistler Cornucopia, 604-938-2701, whistlercornucopia.com

Winterlicious, 416-395-0490, toronto.com/winterlicious

Yukon International Storytelling Festival, PO Box 31722, Whitehorse, YK, 567-633-7550, yukonstory.com

Alberta, 1-800-ALBERTA (1-800-252-3782), www.travelalberta.com

British Columbia, 1-800-HELLO-BC® (1-800-435-5622), HelloBC.com

Manitoba, 1-800-665-0040, www.travelmanitoba.com

New Brunswick, 1-800-561-0123, www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca

Newfoundland And Labrador, 1-800-563-6353, www.newfoundlandandlabradortourism.com

Northwest Territories, 1-800-661-0788, www.explorenwt.com

Nova Scotia, 1-800-565-0000, www.novascotia.com

Nunavut, 1-866-NUNAVUT, www.nunavuttourism.com

Ontario, 1-800-ONTARIO (1-800-668-2746) www.ontariotravel.net

Prince Edward Island, 1-800-463-4PEI, www.gentleisland.com

Québec, 1-877-BONJOUR (1-877-266-5687), www.bonjourquebec.com

Saskatchewan, 1-877-237-2273, www.sasktourism.com

Yukon, 1-800-789-8566, www.travelyukon.com