Pianists take centre stage

Lively City column by Dan Hilborn
Published Oct. 23, 2004

A trio of young pianists from Burnaby have qualified for one of the most prestigious competitions of its kind in the nation.

Jessica Jung, Jennie Pyun and Irene Lin of Burnaby took part in the second annual Canadian Chopin Piano Competition in Ontario earlier this month. The three Burnaby pianists were among only 35 junior competitors from across the nation who were invited to the competition, which offers a first prize of $2,000 with a performance at the Glenn Gould Studio, a recording by CBC Radio and a taping by Bravo! TV.

Competitors in the senior division can win up to $7,000 plus a spot at the 2005 International Chopin Competition taking place in Warsaw, Poland.

SCRUMPTIOUS BRACELET

Monique Da Silva of Burnaby is turning heads and making mouths water with a unique artistic creation.

Da Silva is the creator of 'No Guilt Chocolate,' a bracelet made of glazed chocolate that won first place in the 'chocolate' category at the second Wearable Art Competition now on display at the Port Moody Arts Centre.

Described as a "scrumptiously delicious bracelet of glass chocolates," the piece is a silver charm bracelet with 11 intricate, handmade chocolate beads, including a chocolate-coated strawberry and chocolate heart.

Da Silva shared in the $2,000 prize money available from the competition. According to curator Lynda Baker, 'wearable art' is anything that can be worn on the body, and is not necessarily something that is worn practically.

"The jurors were also looking for the 'wow' factor when choosing the winners," Baker said.

Other categories in the competition include accessories, bizarre bras, silk and the open category, which included the 'best in show' winner, Owl Stryx Wings, made of recycled aircraft aluminum by Claire Murgatroyd.

The Wearable Art Competition runs until Oct. 31 at the Port Moody Arts Centre's Blackberry Gallery, 2425 St. Johns St., Port Moody. Hours are Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4 p.m. For more, call 604-931-2008 or visit www.pomoartscentre.bc.ca

HALLOWEEN HIGHJINKS

When Loris Baldin announced to his family that he would no longer be putting up the Halloween decorations that had been attracting upwards of 600 children per year to their south Burnaby home, his 20- year-old daughter, Nicole, decided to take matters into her own hands,

The younger Baldin gathered up the box loads of old tombstones and skeletons, torches and a talking Chuckie doll, and carted them down to the Stanley Park petting zoo, where's she's worked for the past four years.

So this year, when visitors arrive at the Ghost Train at Stanley Park, they'll have an additional attraction to check out - a scary petting zoo.

"A lot of people who ride the ghost train come into the petting zoo, but we've never really had many decorations up," Nicole told the Burnaby NOW.

"This year, we decided to do something special for Halloween."

Nicole notes that the farmyard is intended for children - "it's definitely rated PG" - and shuts down a full 90 minutes earlier than the train rides.

The Stanley Park Ghost Train runs from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. nightly until Halloween, Sunday, Oct., 31.

To reserve tickets on the Ghost Train, call Ticketmaster at 604- 280-4444 or for more information call the Stanley Park miniature railway at 604-257-8531.

HONOUR FOR CHOR LEONI

A CD of Christmas songs that features the voices of five men from Burnaby tied for first place in the outstanding classical recording category at the second annual Western Canadian Music Awards in Calgary earlier this month.

Yuletide Fires, the Christmas music of Chor Leoni, a Lower Mainland-based all-male choir, received the award in conjunction with the CBC Radio Orchestra.

The CD had previously won the 2004 national award for Outstanding Choral Recording from the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors.

"Our hope was that the disc would allow listeners to slip into surroundings of beauty, grace and balanced quietness, and allow them to escape from all that Christmas is hyped up to be but rarely is," said Chor Leoni artistic director Diane Loomer.

The five Burnaby residents who sing with the 48-voice choir are Rev. Cliff Reinhardt, Ryan Kett, Jim Knight, Les Nerling and Peter Rohloff. Chor Leoni was founded in 1992 by Loomer, who is also a founder of the Amabilis Singers and co-founder of the Elektra Women's Choir.

Music from Yuletide Fires will form the core of the choir's Christmas concerts, Dec. 19 on Bowen Island and Dec. 20 at Christ Church Cathedral.

Tickets are available from Ticketmaster at 604-280-3311 or online at www.ticketmaster.ca.

BYE BYE BIRDIE COMING

The smash 1950s era rock and roll story of Bye Bye Birdie is coming to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts next month.

The Footlight Theatre production tells the coming-of-age story of rock and roll star Conrad Birdie, who stages a publicity stunt before heading off to join the American army during the Second World War.

First produced more than 45 years ago, Bye Bye Birdie is loosely based on one chapter in the real-life story of Elvis Presley. The play is full of clever humour and great music and includes such familiar tunes as Put on a Happy Face and A Lot of Living To Do.

Footlights director/choreographer Peter Jorgensen said he was attracted to this play because it allowed him to bring together a large chorus of teenaged actors and singers.

"I've worked with a lot of exceptional teenagers," Jorgensen said. "I knew the big, energetic teen chorus would be tons of fun."

Designer Rene Schindel has created costumes that are both nostalgic and fun to remind audiences of the 1950s setting of the play, while Lance Cardinal and Jeff Cox designed sets that reflect the vibrancy of the era.

Jorgensen and musical director Christopher King are delighted with the choice of actors.

Dane Szohner plays Conrad Birdie, Alexander Ferguson is his scheming manager and Laura Cowan plays the love interest. Amber- Grae Coe is the target of Birdie's last kiss, while Brett Trach plays the role of her 'long-suffering boyfriend.'

Bye Bye Birdie runs from Nov. 12 to 27 with shows on Wednesdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets are $12 to $25, with $5 discounts on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and can be obtained by calling the Shadbolt box office at 604 205-3000.