Get ready for a new sound at the Duncan Showroom, as the Skye Douglas Project takes the stage on Sunday, May 8.
The five-person jazz ensemble formed just recently, debuting at the 2021 Nanaimo Jazz Festival.
“The music and stage presence is filled with infectious joy as they aim to be ambassadors of hope in these uncertain times,” says a press release for the show.
The band is fronted by Dean “Skye Douglas” Boland on trumpet, with Kenton Willem on saxophone and flute, James Darling on piano, Brian McMahon on bass, and James McRae on drums.
Their music includes selections from contemporary jazz, the American songbook and original compositions.
The show starts at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. You can text 250-597-1554 to get them.
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The Cowichan Musical Society is holding their annual general meeting on Tuesday, May 10 at 7 p.m. in the boardroom at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre in Duncan.
There will be elections for this year’s executive. Being a member of the executive or a director at large, who sits on working committees to manage the society’s productions, is “a great opportunity to influence the future of the club”, CMS says.
“And remember: you don’t need to be on the executive to be part of the fun of producing a musical,” said a note from CMS. “We need volunteers with a variety of skills — production management, construction, sewing, backstage organizing and lots more. So come along and chat with us about how you can become involved when the show gets underway.”
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The fifth annual Cowichan Valley Craft Crawl is getting ready to go on Saturday, May 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“Enjoy a fun day exploring the Cowichan Valley while you visit the talented vendors,” says a press release for the event.
There will be 87 vendors to choose from, located from Mill Bay to Chemainus.
For more information, check out https://www.facebook.com/cowichanvalleycraftcrawl/, and cowichanvalleycraftcrawl on Instagram.
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Excellent Frameworks in Duncan is hosting an art show titled “From Birth Until Death” for the month of May.
The show features six original works in the first solo exhibition of Ditidaht artist Chuuchuub - Darren Webster Thompson. He signs his work Deerin Thompson.
The works on display are from the collection of his brother Derek K. Thompson - Thlaapkiituup.
“He has generously made them available to the viewing public in an effort to showcase his brother’s incredible work,” says a press release for the show.
“From Birth Until Death is intended to reference the balance between life and death, creation and destruction, beauty and ugliness, and the fleeting moments of meaning and insignificance,” the release continues. “The exhibition features work that is entirely unparalleled against the backdrop of Pacific Northwest Coast art, or First Nations art in general, and in the present context Darren is evolving ancient forms, advancing ancestral sensibilities, and placing bold symbols inside time-honoured methods.
“We are all born into the world wet and disheveled, and clinging to life — not yet loose from the embryonic sac. We are born small. We are born with the force of our Ancestors. We are born with the love of our mothers. From Birth Until Death we are clinging to all that is ancient and good.”
Chuuchuub has lineage from Nuuchahnulth, Coast Salish, Haisla and Heiltsuk cultures.
He draws inspiration from other artists in his family.