After a hiatus of several years, house concerts will be returning to Estevan in late October.
The events feature prominent classical musicians performing in; you guessed it, someone’s home. The informal setting provides for a much more personal and intimate atmosphere according to Shirley Andrist, one of the people responsible for the return of house concerts.
“Several years ago we had maybe three years of house concerts that were organized out of the University of Manitoba,” said Andirst.
“But the university unfortunately lost their funding, so the house concerts stopped. But now there is a group in Winnipeg called Living Room Live who have initiated the idea again.”
The first concert will be held at the home of Cory Warner, just outside of the city, and is set to take place in late October and will feature guitarist Nolan Powell, who has completed a bachelors degree in music and education and in the past five years has been a finalist in the annual Lawrence Genows and Concerto Competition held at the University of Manitoba.
Powell has also placed first in the FCMF National Music Competition as a soloist and second place as a chamber musician with a classical guitar group, and was the recipient of the Len Hew trophy and bursary through the Winnipeg Music Festival.
“The idea is that we get entertainers to come to the city, and host a concert in someone’s living room, it sounds simple, but it makes for a great evening,” said Andirst.
“It’s a very informal situation, but it’s really wonderful. You get to talk to the performers, they answer questions, it becomes very personal and it makes for a great experience. I have a list of helpers who work with me because when the performs come into town we have to have supper for them, then they perform a concert, then we provide accommodations for them for the night and then we provide breakfast for them the following morning.”
There are currently plans in place to host three Living Room Live performances in Estevan in the coming year, one of which will include a saxophone-pianist duo in February, and a vocalist in April. The cost for attendance of one of the house concerts is $20, with all of the proceeds from each event going directly towards the performer.
Those interested in being a part of the project can email Shirley Andrist at [email protected].
When upcoming concert dates are revealed, those on the email list will be notified, and the first 50 responders will be guaranteed a place at the performance.
“Everyone I’ve talked to is very happy to be seeing these concerts coming back,” said Andrist.
“The musicians we’re getting have one many awards so it’s a chance to hear someone of very high quality in a really nice personal setting.”
