Ryga Festival in Summerland
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I’m looking forward to The Ryga Festival, Summerland BC’s Performing Arts Festival, inspired by George Ryga, again this year.
- Participating in the panel: Rita Joe 50: A Re-Think.
- Performing in concert: Seven is the Magic Number.
- Leading a workshop: Everyone Can Sing.
Seven Is The Magic Number – a Magical Evening with Ann Mortifee
Witness the birth of a brand new musical work, as legendary singer Ann Mortifee takes us on an adventurous ride. She weaves a story from each of the seven decades of her life, which began in South Africa, combining each story with one of her songs. Ann will be accompanied on this journey by an amazing trio of veteran musicians: Ed Henderson (guitar), Finn Manniche (guitar and cello) and Bill Sample (keyboard).
Link HERE for Tickets and details
Everyone Can Sing – A Workshop with Ann Mortifee
Connect to the Ryga Festival at their website HERE.
The Ryga Festival Society’s mission is to promote the development of creative and performing arts in Summerland by organizing an annual festival honouring Summerland resident George Ryga (1932-1987), one of Canada’s greatest writers. Ryga wrote “The Ecstasy of Rita Joe,” which awakened the country to the continuing tragedy of Indigenous Peoples and is perhaps the most important play written in English Canada in the past fifty years.
The Society aims to follow Ryga’s inspiration to foster creativity in our region. For a while the Rygas had a coffeehouse in Summerland, and there was always music, discussion, and a lively exchange of ideas there and in the Ryga household. Most of George Ryga’s plays as well as “The Ecstasy of Rita Joe,” deal with social issues.
The Ryga Festival Society celebrates George Ryga in Summerland in much the same way as Stephen Leacock is honoured in Orillia, Ontario, and more recently Alice Munro is commemorated in Wingham, Ontario – small communities celebrating one of their own. The Society believes that these communities – just like Stratford and Niagara-on-the-Lake, which host the Shakespeare and Shaw festivals in Ontario – have found a way of combining culture with economic benefits.