April showers bring May flowers, but not without some music, dance and entertainment in Sooke to ring in the occasion first.
From comedy to classic pop and rock hits, and even orchestral performances, the end of April has something to hopefully please any Sooke music or entertainment lover.
The festivities begin Saturday, April 26, with Crush, an event the organizers – Silly Matters Theatrical Society – describe as “comedy meets cabaret.” Kicking off at 6 p.m. at Sooke Community Hall, the event promises an evening of entertainment, dancing and, for those who stay up late, an after-party.
All proceeds from this event be donated towards development of the Sooke Gathering Place.
On Sunday, April 27, at 2:30 p.m., also at Sooke Community Hall, the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) will premiere Freda’s Journey Suite, a new work by Adam Dobres. Yariv Aloni will conduct the performance.
“Adam Dobres needs no introduction to Sooke, Victoria or Western Canada. He is a virtuoso guitarist, proficient in many genres—from folk to pop, Celtic and Western. He is also an accomplished composer with several albums to his name,” wrote Sharon Johnson, administrative assistant of the SPO.
Dobres' new work tells the story of his great-grandmother’s journey to Canada from Russia at the beginning of the 20th century.
"I’m deeply honoured and grateful for the opportunity to perform this composition in my hometown of Sooke,” Dobres said.
“It honours the courageous journey my great-grandmother took as a 14-year-old girl, fleeing hardship to start a new life. Through the power of music, I carry forward my great-grandmother’s journey and legacy.”
One week later, May 2-4, Choral Evolution will present Soundtrack of Our Lives, a series of concerts at Sooke Community Hall featuring “powerful links to important and meaningful moments in our lives,” said Choral Evolution secretary Joscelyn Gagnon.
“Music has the power to bring memories and feelings back into vivid focus.”
The shows will include tunes from Queen, The Beatles, Alanis Morissette, The Bangles, Radiohead, Ed Sheeran, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Cockburn, Beyoncé and more.
The concert series will consist of three shows, beginning at Sooke Community Hall on Friday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee at Memorial Hall in Esquimalt, and concluding with a final Sunday matinee performance on May 4 at 2 p.m. back in Sooke.
