MASS APPEAL IS BACK!
Our participatory concert series returns to Winnipeg this September.
(Winnipeg, MB) – The Winnipeg Arts Council is pleased to announce that Mass Appeal will be back this September. Mass Appeal is a series of concerts performed by, and for, the public. Participation in Mass Appeal is free to anyone who wants to take part either as a performer or an audience member. Mass Appeal concerts are free to attend, are performed by amateur and professional musicians of all skill levels, feature a wide variety of music, and take place in all kinds of publicly accessible spaces.
Each Mass Appeal event is a 30-minute concert featuring a different type of musical instrument, performed under the guidance of a Music Director who has prepared a repertoire suitable for players of all ages and skill levels. Anyone interested in being a part of the ensemble can download the music from www.massappealwinnipeg.ca. Musicians practice the songs on their own and then show up at the scheduled time and place for a group rehearsal followed by the performance. The website contains tips, links, videos, and sound files for the songs to be performed, and the music selections range from very easy to more challenging so that there is something for everyone.
Last year, at our inaugural Mass Appeal, we were delighted with the turnout and enthusiasm from Winnipeggers who sang, strummed, played and even danced in the rain.
Mass Appeal begins with accordions on Thursday, September 7, Fiddles on Saturday, September 9th, horns on Thursday, September 14, ukuleles on Saturday, September 16 and wrapping everything up with a choral concert on September 21. Each event will have a one-hour rehearsal with the musical director and the entire ensemble followed by a 30-minute concert. Anyone is welcome to participate as a musician or as an enthusiastic audience member. On September 21, ASL-English Interpretation will be provided.
“Our goal with Mass Appeal is to celebrate community and to animate the city through music,” says Executive Director Carol A. Phillips. “As city builders, the Winnipeg Arts Council believes strongly that the arts have a tremendous role to play in developing our quality of life. And paramount to that is developing programs and partnerships that provide the public with access to artistic experiences. With Mass Appeal, everyone can do that.”
About the Winnipeg Arts Council: The Winnipeg Arts Council Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation with charitable status, charged by the City of Winnipeg to distribute funding to arts organizations and artists, to manage the City’s Public Art Policy, and to champion the development of the arts for the people of Winnipeg. As a pre-eminent city-building organization, the Winnipeg Arts Council focuses on the quality of life in the city and how arts and culture determine Winnipeg’s reputation as a City of the Arts, nationally and internationally.
MASS APPEAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
City Hall Plaza
Rehearsal 6:00 – 7:00 pm; Concert 7:30 – 8:00 pm
Music Director: Stephen Kiz, Accordion Instructor at Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Art and performer with BMW Dixieland Band.
Rehearsal 6:00 – 7:00 pm; Concert 7:30 – 8:00 pmSaturday, September 9: Mass Appeal Fiddles
St. Norbert Farmers’ Market
Rehearsal 10:00 – 11:00 am; Concert 11:30 am – 12:00 noon
Music Director: Patti Kusturok, three-time Grand North American fiddle champion, teacher, and performer.
The Cube (Old Market Square)
Rehearsal 6:00 – 7:00 pm; Concert 7:30 – 8:00 pm
Music Director: Todd Martin, Dirty Catfish Brass Band and a regular guest with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Oodena Celebration Circle (The Forks)
Rehearsal Noon – 1:00 pm; Concert 1:30 – 2:00 pm
Music Director: Kate Ferris, recording artist, and teacher, Winnipeg Folk Festival Folk School.
*ASL-English Interpretation Provided
The Manitoba Legislature
Rehearsal 6:00- 7:00; Concert 7:30 – 8:00 pm
Music Director: Ben Campbell, music teacher and performer with Winnipeg’s hottest acappella group Those Guys.
