Submitted by Selkirk College
A rousing tradition of live music returns to the Shambhala Music and Performance Hall for eight nights of captivating performances by students in the Contemporary Music and Technology Program starting March 11.
The Showcases 2022 concert series is back on the Tenth Street Campus in Nelson after a two-year pandemic hiatus. A mainstay in the college’s March calendar, students on the cusp of graduation bring half-hour long shows to the stage that are open to the music-lovers across the community. The three-week series features 14 talented performers — one or two per night — excited to showcase fervent skills.
“The students who are graduating this spring have shown admirable resilience over the last two years,” says Melody Diachun, the music program instructor helping put together the concert series.
“The challenges of learning online in their first year and the uncertainty that continues to hamper the music industry has not been easy. This particular group of students has channeled the uneasiness we have all felt over the last two years into amazing creativity and skill development. While most of us were making sourdough, they were making music!”
The showcase concert series provides learners the opportunity to stage a live event from start to finish. Graduating students are required to put together a band of classmates, rehearse, produce and present a final half-hour set. Covering the spectrum of genres from pop and rock to folk and jazz, students come to the stage with both originals and covers.
Taking place in the intimate Shambhala Music and Performance Hall venue, the shows are open to the public by donation. Each night features one or two different student bands who perform for 30 minutes each. The lineup for Showcase 2022 includes:
• March 11: Ethan Darlington (singer-songwriter/soft rock)
• March 17: Evans Daybell-Chambers (indie/folk) and Riota Isaacs (pop/rock)
• March 18: Duncan Shury (funk/blues) and Bella Cat (soul/R&B/pop)
• March 24: Jaiah Lotus (pop/punk) and Max Spielman (rock n’ roll)
• March 25: Emma McArthur (funk/fusion/rock) and Juliana Kopp (rock/R&B/singer-songwriter)
• March 26: Steven Chen (post rock/electronic)
• March 31: Anand Nambiar (pop/rock) and Molly Jo McQuaid (indie)
• April 1: Jesse Carter (jazz/folk/electronic/rock) and Grace Clark (pop/indie)
With a faculty of remarkable musicians as mentors, the Contemporary Music and Technology Program is a unique two-year offering that has been preparing students for the commercial music and entertainment industry since 1989. The only program in Canada based on the Berklee College of Music (Boston) curriculum, students learn a diverse cross-section of musical styles.
With the semester-ending concert series forced to dim the lights due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the return to the stage is much anticipated.
“Music brings people together in so many ways and the live performance element has been badly missed,” says Diachun, a Juno Award-nominated performer in her own right. “There is an excitement and enthusiasm among students that I haven’t experienced before. It’s going to be a really special series of performances.”
Doors open for Showcase 2022 concerts at 7 p.m. with performances starting at 7:30 p.m. Admission is by donation and you should arrive early to guarantee a seat. Masks are mandatory for all audience members. Vaccine passports are not required for this and other educational post-secondary events as per the orders of the Provincial Health Officer.
Find out more at https://selkirk.ca/program/music.
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