2023 Festival at a Glance:
Sunday July 30, 2023 (in Prince George)
7:00pm: Orchestra North Faculty Concert
Tuesday August 1, 2023 (in Prince George)
6:00pm: Orchestra North Finale Concert
Wednesday August 2, 2023 (in Vanderhoof)
4:00pm: Orchestra North on Tour
Thursday August 3, 2023 (Smithers Festival Begins)
7:00pm: Festival Opening Concert
8:30pm: Polskas and Tango at the Brewery
Friday August 4, 2023
12:30pm: Tone, Texture, and Colour
2:00pm: Musicians @ Mountain Eagle
7:00pm: Moonlight Sonata
8:00pm: A Taste of Spain
Saturday August 5, 2023
10:00am: The Chesterfields at the Market
10:00am: Drop-in Art Workshop for Kids
11:00am: Fiddling in the Museum
1:00pm: Flamenco Workshop for Guitar Players
7:30pm: Festival Finale
Please note: this schedule is subject to change; please refer to this page for any future updates.
2023 Festival In Detail:
All events are by donation, with a suggested donation for evening concerts of $15 – $25. Tickets for all events will be available at the door (no ticket reservations needed).
Want to spend the week with us? Full festival passes are $50 and are available to purchase by cash or cheque at festival events or by etransfer. Etransfers can be sent to info@festivalnorth.com – please include the name of the passholder(s) and a contact email in the etransfer message field. Your passes will be available to pick up at festival events.
Sunday July 30, 2023 (in Prince George)
Orchestra North Faculty Concert: An Evening with the Stars
7:00pm, Prince George Christian Reformed Church, 1905 Willow St, Prince George
Featuring the Orchestra North Ensemble: Simon MacDonald, Hannah Yin, violin; Roxi Dykstra, viola; Yu Yu Liu, cello, Ken Hall, flute, Tadd Mao, violin/piano.
We bring the festival to Prince George with a concert of our favourite festival highlights, showcasing select players from the week of Orchestra North Summer Program happening in Prince George. Concert will be approximately 60 minutes, no intermission.
Tuesday August 1, 2023 (in Prince George)
Orchestra North Finale Concert
6:00pm, Knox Performance Centre, 1448 5th Ave, Prince George
Featuring all participants and faculty of the Orchestra North Summer Program.
Orchestra North Summer Program returns, this year in Prince George! Come hear the culmination of a week’s work together with musicians from Prince George and area. We’ll perform chamber music and orchestral repertoire that has given us inspiration and fun. Concert will be approximately 90 minutes, without intermission.
Wednesday August 2, 2023 (in Vanderhoof)
Orchestra North on Tour
4:00pm, Common Room, Nechako View Senior Citizens Home, 241 Northside Rd, Vanderhoof
Featuring the Orchestra North Residency Ensemble.
An afternoon with the stars: this concert features great classical chamber music that has inspired filmmakers and screenwriters, as well as some film music that have become stand-alone pieces of music. Concert will be approximately 70, minutes without intermission.
Thursday August 3, 2023 (Smithers Festival Begins)
Festival Opening Concert: An Evening with the Stars
7:00pm, Bethel Church
Featuring the Orchestra North Residency Ensemble: Simon MacDonald and Hannah Yin, violin; Roxi Dykstra, viola; Yu Yu Liu, cello; Ken Hall, flute; Tadd Mao (piano, violin).
Music has an ability to move us, inspire us to action, and help us tell story. This concert features great classical chamber music that has inspired filmmakers and screenwriters and found their place coupled with story. Works will include lesser-known works such as Mahler piano quartet and Hermann’s impressive violin trio in D as well as Piazzolla and some well-loved surprises. This concert is a beginning and an end in itself, as it simultaneously opens our 2023 festival while marking the end of this year’s Orchestra North Academy Tour.
Event length: approximately 80 minutes, without intermission. Livestream will be available here.
Polskas and Tango at the Brewery
8:30pm, Bulkley Valley Brewery
Featuring Tanzovat-a Rerun!: Marian Rose, accordion/clarinet; Laura Hols-Wimbush, violin/mandolin; Roxi Dykstra, violin/viola.
Back by popular demand! Get yourself a cold one and tap your feet or take your partner for a swing. Featuring Tanzovat – meaning “to dance” in Czech – offering a plethora of traditional dance music from around the world.
Friday August 4, 2023
Tone, texture, and colour
12:30pm, Central Park Building, Dance Studio
Featuring Mark Tworow, painter, and Roxi Dykstra, viola.
Witness two accomplished artists collaborating in a joint creative process as their art forms intersect. Audiences are free to come and go during this event, or to stay and witness the artwork and musical improvisation slowly evolve. Event length: approximately one hour.
Musicians @ Mountain Eagle
2:00pm, Mountain Eagle Books
Featuring the Festival Resident Quartet.
An informal afternoon preview of the upcoming music in the festival. Come and meet the artists, listen to some great music, and ask those performance-related questions you’ve always wanted to ask! Event length: approximately one hour.
Moonlight Sonata
7:00pm, Bethel Church
Featuring Tadd Mao, piano; with colleagues tba.
A short recital of some of the greatest classical solo works on piano.
Event length: approximately 40 minutes. Livestream will be available here.
A Taste of Spain
8:00pm, Bethel Church
Featuring Esteban Figueroa, flamenco guitar.
Join Esteban Figueroa as he brings the sounds of Andalusia’s flamenco guitar art form to the stage, transforming the night into a fabulous taste of Spain.
Event length just under 2 hours, including intermission. Livestream will be available here.
Saturday August 5, 2023
The Chesterfields at the Market
10:00am-12:00pm, Central Park Building / Farmers Market
Featuring The Chesterfields.
Come listen to this happy group of campers playing easy-listening soft rock, blues, and country, while you shop at the farmers market!
Fiddling in the Museum
11:00am, Bulkley Valley Museum
Featuring Kiri Daust and friends.
The popular Fiddling in the Museum event returns once again, bringing more toe-tapping tunes to this wonderful historic venue. This year we welcome back Kiri Daust, Smithers-trained fiddler. The show will be informal, with traditional and contemporary tunes, including some from right here in Smithers. Questions are allowed, and tune requests might be considered! This wonderful performance space is small, so come early if you wish to have a seat!
Event length: approximately 45 minutes.
Festival Finale
7:30pm, Bethel Church
Featuring the Festival Resident Quartet: Simon MacDonald, violin; Roxi Dykstra, viola; Yu Yu Liu, cello; and special guest Kent Dykstra, violinist/composer.
A dynamic program including composers from the most well-known to the less-often heard, offering the listener a huge range of creativity in compositional style and approach. Featured will be pieces by Mahler, Shostakovitch, and Beethoven and a stunning new work by Kent Dykstra.
Livestream will be available here.
Workshops:
Saturday August 5, 2023
Drop in Art Workshops for Kids
10:00am-12:00pm, Smithers Art Gallery
The Smithers Art Gallery is offering a free children’s workshop, inviting people in to create art in our own gallery. Bring your artistic side, or drop off your child so theirs can be inspired. Drop-in. Recommended for ages 3 to 15. Sponsored by the Smithers Art Gallery.
Flamenco workshop for guitar players
1:00pm-3:00pm, Mountain Eagle Books
Come learn to play Flamenco or brush up your style with workshop host Chilean-born Flamenco guitar player, Esteban Figueroa. Registration isn’t mandatory but would be much appreciated; please email info@festivalnorth.com to register. Workshop is by donation.
Festival Partners and Sponsors:
Bulkley Valley Arts Council
Bulkley Valley Credit Union
Northern Development: Fabulous Festivals and Events
Heritage Canada
Orchestra North Summer Program
Edmison Mehr Chartered Accountants
Smithers Art Gallery
Bulkley Valley Museum
Bethel Church
Bulkley Valley Brewery
Interested in sponsoring a concert or event? Please contact us at info@festivalnorth.com or 778.210.2101.