GORE BAY—The Gore Bay Museum in partnership with the Manitoulin Writers’ Circle will be hosting the inaugural New Moon Festival next weekend, July 26-27, showcasing Northern jazz and poetry at the Gore Bay Harbour Centre.
The weekend will include an evening of jazz on Saturday, July 26 from 8 pm to midnight and poetry readings the following day, Sunday, July 27, from 1 to 4 pm.
The jazz evening will feature the Sudbury ensemble Hugh Jazz, including fiddler Jean-Paul Gignac, guitarists Jamie Dupuis and Eric Plangger, upright bass player Benwardo and vocals by Jess Crowe.
Featured poets on Sunday will include Sudbury’s inaugural Poet Laureate Roger Nash who will be reading from recent publications such as ‘The Sound of Sunlight’ and ‘Something Blue and Flying Upwards;’ Thomas Leduc, who serves as the current poet laureate for the city of Greater Sudbury and is the 2012 winner of the Vale Living With Lakes poetry contest; Ron Berti, director and artistic producer with Debajehmujig; Fay Becks, an accomplished poet who resides in Mindemoya and is a member of the Manitoulin Writers’ Circle; and Margo Little, chair of the Manitoulin Writers’ Circle and published poet with work having appeared in Sulphur, Terra North, Manitoulin Morsels, Canadian Crossroads and Portraits of Spirit Island, to name just a few.
“Both Margo (Little of the Manitoulin Writers’ Circle) and myself wanted to organize an original festival that offered something different to Island residents,” explained Gore Bay Museum Curator Nicole Rouel Weppler. “We have hosted different types of concerts from opera to classical, but we have never hosted a jazz evening. We also felt that poetry is something that is underrepresented and wanted to showcase it as well.”
Ms. Weppler further explained that the two groups hope to make the New Moon Festival an annual event, promoting Northern jazz musicians and poets, in addition to the recently renovated Gore Bay Harbour Centre.
Tickets for the jazz evening are $20 and available in advance, while the poetry afternoon is $5. Tickets are on sale now and available by calling 705-282-2040.
