WHAT a weekend!!!

March 23, 2010

If your ears are full, and you feel inspired, uplifted and connected to the community, then you must have been at Water’s Edge festival March 19-21.  From the opening notes sung by a cappella vocal quartet Night Street, to the final performance featuring the 75 voices of Coastal Sound Youth Choir and musica intima together, the goose bumps and “ooooh” moments where frequent.  So many highlights:  Brian Tate had the floor boards a shakin’ with a packed room of singers who’d dropped into to his gospel experience workshop; emerging talent and established singer/songwriters shared songs and stories and rocked it out at times, for an appreciative crowd at the SASS-BC singer/ songwriter café; the All- Canadian Guitar Jam was a place where all abilities were hummin’ and strummin’; every studio space featured artists inspiring people of all ages to engage in art making- lanterns, artist trading cards, clay sculptures…
Then there were the main stage shows that exceeded expectations!  Elektra sang with stunning beauty, clarity and audience connection, musica intima was exquisite and precise, and Brad Turner’s suite especially composed for the festival, turned out to be a work of epic proportions, loved by the sold out house.  Some surprises for audiences: Coastal Sound Youth Choir was a wonderful compliment and pairing with musica intima; the 65 youngsters from Coastal Sound’s beginning choirs who had the 3 cameos in Turner’s work, rose to the occasion and obviously gave the professionals on stage a charge with their singing from all around the balconies of the theatre.  Susan Hodgins, who attended last year’s festival and attended all weekend this year with her husband, said “We feel like we’re away on vacation, with so much to see and do and hear… it’s so much fun going from one thing to another!”

A number of festival-goers were live tweeting and updating about their experiences, offering a play by play: (pardon the pun) “George and Vincent are improvising a piano duet made up from 5 random notes.  Crazy talented!”

Diana Clark, Artistic Director for the festival as well as Coastal Sound Music Academy, heard from many participants that they appreciated the high quality experiences that Water’s Edge festival offered.  Clark is thrilled that a music and art festival like the kinds she and her fellow musicians attend in big cities, is starting in Coquitlam.  “None of this would have been possible without the tremendous financial support and belief in the value of this festival, that Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad provided us the past two years.”

Evergreen Cultural Centre proved once again to be a great space for a festival of this kind, because multiple events can be held at once, with the spaces so defined and separate one event doesn’t spill into another.  The fairy-winged face painters sitting on the lakeside terrace making fanciful swirls on children’s faces liked the location for the festival too!

Visit the photo gallery to get a sense of the fun that was had by all: http://watersedgemusic.shutterfly.com/

Water’s Edge festival was successful thanks to the enthusiastic volunteers from Evergreen and Coastal Sound, as well as the concert goers and event participants who came out to the festival this year.  From all of us at Water’s Edge, thank you!!!