St. Albert is a city of 60,000 residents, yet despite its small size, it fosters a robust climate for every artistic discipline.
Nowhere can the city boast of its top-drawer, national artistic presence more than through the entertainment line-up of the second annual Mayor’s Gala on Sept. 17, the kick-off to StArts Fest.
“This year we have a jazz entry, a dancer, a brass band, a classical solo and classical singing,” says St. Albert Cultivates the Arts committee co-chair Nancy Watt.
Juno-nominated jazz drummer, Sandro Dominelli is one of two featured headliners along with Julliard-trained contemporary dancer Andrew Murdock.
Dominelli, a former St. Albert resident, is an established jazz musician and producer who works with jazz, classical and pop artists. Fresh from a tour of the summer’s jazz festival circuit, the Edmonton-based musician just received word he was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award for his album The Alvo Sessions.
Of the WCMA nomination, Dominelli said, “It never stops feeling great. It’s a wonderful feeling when people listen to your work.”
Accompanying him at the gala are two local legends — saxophonist Dave Babcock and bassist Mike Lent. “I’m honoured and I look forward to it. I feel lucky to play for the residents of St. Albert and it will inspire me to play as good or better than the past.”
Murdock, the other featured headliner, was last year’s gala recipient for youth artist. A former resident, he was an Art of Dance protĂ©gĂ©, who has worked with a who’s who of contemporary North American choreographers. He is currently a member of Azure & Artists and a guest artist with bjm_danse.
“After the gala last year, we wanted to invite him right away and he was overjoyed to come. He is grateful to St. Albert for all the nurturing he received. In return he will be doing a workshop on Sunday (Sept. 19),” Watt said.
Singing O Canada will be the petite Lindsey Nagy, 25, a vocal powerhouse who currently performs at the Red Piano and with the Gateway Big Band. A graduate of St. Albert Catholic High School, Nagy is also an alumna of the vocal performance program at Grant MacEwan University.
“I just love R&B, soul, pop and jazz. I want to be successful and happy with it. I want to make music and pursue it.”
Also on tap is WindRose Trio, three of Edmonton’s finest reed musicians. The trio, comprised of oboist Beth Levia, bassoonist Matthew Howatt and St. Albert clarinettist Jeff Campbell, won the 2009 WCMA award for best classical recording.
With a slightly bigger sound, the Mission Hill Brass Band, co-founded by Daniel Skepple and St. Albert’s Gordon Russell, promote both the brass band repertoire as well as popular music.
And the four-piece Tenor Power accompanied by St. Albert piano teacher Marliss Gunderson will perform a variety of short arias.
Gala tickets are $40 and are available at the Arden box office at 780-459-1542 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca.
