Music

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge seeks a new Executive Director to assume a leadership position in 2025.
POSITION: Executive Director
Hours: Full-time, permanent position
Location: In-person, Lethbridge, Alberta
Website: artslethbridge.org/job-opportunities
Closing date: January 9, 11:59 pm

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge (AAC) is a not-for-profit, charitable organization that promotes and supports the growth and development of the arts sector in Lethbridge while upholding the values of creativity, collaboration and inclusiveness, professionalism and accountability.

Established in 1958, as a member-based society, the AAC is a multi-faceted organization whose activities include: advocacy on behalf of artists and arts organizations, increasing public understanding of and support for the arts, promoting arts events and initiatives, and creating events and opportunities for artists and the community to come together. The AAC is also responsible for the management of Casa the City of Lethbridge’s purpose-built community art centre.

The AAC seeks a dynamic, visionary and self-motivated leader to assume the position of Executive Director. The Executive Director will report to the AAC Board of Directors and will provide strategic and fiscal leadership for the organization. They will be accountable for the implementation of the Board’s strategic plan; oversight of all AAC policies, operations, services and programs, and the supervision of the AAC management team.

The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of the arts sector and its value to the broad community which will allow them to be an advocate for the AAC and the arts community. They will be recognized for their big-picture thinking skills and will have a proven record of implementing successful initiatives.  They will also demonstrate the ability to support and lead a diverse team. Their superior relationship-building and communication skills will allow them to collaborate with a variety of sector, community and government stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or a minimum 3 years management experience and demonstrated
  leadership in the Arts
• Experience working with a nonprofit organization; preferably an arts organization
• Strong planning, organizational and analytical skills
• Experience working with the media
• Experience developing and managing budgets and grant writing experience
• Knowledge of the Lethbridge and area arts sector

Primary areas of responsibility include but are not limited to:

• Board of Directors liaison and support
• Leadership, supervision and evaluation of senior staff
• Program development, management and evaluation
• Fiscal management, grant oversight and fund development
• Contract management
• Cultivating strong community relationships
• Liaison with City of Lethbridge administration

Qualified candidates are invited to submit a cover letter and resume with salary expectations and three references, to the attention of: Hiring Committee, Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge, hr@artslethbridge.org before January 9, 2025 at 11:59 pm. 

Interviews will be scheduled for Jan 21 - 24. Only candidates short-listed for interviews will be contacted. Expected start date is March 29, 2023. A Criminal Record check will be required. Compensation will be commensurate with experience (Salary Range: $78,000 - $83,000). This position comes with a competitive health benefits plan.

For further information, please contact:  Jon Oxley, Board President, by email at hr@artslethbridge.org

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge is an equal-opportunity employer. Employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.

The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge acknowledges that we are gathered on the lands of the Blackfoot people of the Canadian Plains and pays respect to the Blackfoot people past, present and future while recognizing and respecting their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship to the land.  The City of Lethbridge is also home to the Metis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Celebrate the arrival of 2025 with A Luminous New Year’s Eve, a beloved Calgary tradition that promises an unforgettable evening of music and celebration.

Hosted by Luminous Voices, Calgary’s renowned professional chamber choir, the concert will feature a breathtaking selection of unaccompanied choral works, plus a few sing-along and, of course, Auld Lang Syne!

Enjoy sparkling wine and decadent chocolates from Master Chocolat during intermission. This concert is a perfect choral tradition in Calgary to share with family and friends during the holidays.

A Luminous New Year’s Eve will take place on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 7:30 pm at the Bella Concert Hall, Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts, Mount Royal University (18 Mount Royal Circle SW, Calgary)

Tickets are $50 (adults) / $45 (seniors) / $25 (students) plus fees and are available online through MRU Box Office at tickets.mru.ca, by calling (403) 440-7770, or at the door.

For more information, please visit luminousvoices.com or call (587) 889-8370.

With its release in 2022, Be Alright!, was the first album to debut at #1 on Alberta's CKUA Top 30 Chart. His duets album with Dana Wylie "The Day Had To Come" was in CKUA's Top 30 for 16 weeks.

The Portland/Edmonton based singer has “...vocals that emanate…an air of melancholy. Roy Orbison, with a dash of Chris Isaak and a pinch of gospel-era Elvis Presley are the knee-jerk comparisons, as Volkov sings like a man out of time.” (The Edmonton Journal).

He has shared stages with Mariel Buckley, Boy Golden, Del Barber, Frazey Ford, and recently appeared at the Edmonton and Calgary Folk Music Festivals.

www.thecarrot.ca/events-at-the-carrot/2024/12/13/fnl-sammy-volkov

Don’t miss the excitement! Come to our festive gathering featuring kids’ crafts, street hockey, horse & wagon rides, a special visit from Santa, and a complimentary chilli dinner with both meat and veggie options! 

Join us for carolling, holiday movies, and more after dinner. 

Admisson by donation! Please donate what you can.

Dress warmly, and don’t forget your flashlight for added fun!

Please RVSP by December 14, 2024.

www.thecarrot.ca/jingle-jammin-2024

This holiday season, join Cum Vino Cantus for an afternoon of music, warmth, and celebration at Light of Lights, a choral concert that captures the spirit of the holidays with shimmering voices.

From the radiant glow of candlelight to the sparkling hope of the starry night, Light of Lights will fill your heart with peace and wonder.

Experience beloved holiday favourites, heart-lifting choral arrangements, and a special selection of songs that celebrate the themes of light, joy, and the bright promise of a new season.

Directed by Karen Nell-Bennett, accompanied by Jon Day.

The concert takes place at 2:30 pm at McDougall United Church. Doors open at 2 pm.

Tickets are $20 (general admission) / $10 (kids under 10) plus fees and are available online through Eventbrite.

Tickets may not be available at the door due to capacity, so get your tickets early!

For more information, visit cumvinocantus.ca.

Embark on a celestial journey of seasonal music with Greenwood Singers at their upcoming concert, A Sky Full of Stars. Inspired by the timeless symbol of the Christmas Star, the concert features music of the Renaissance, new works by Canadian composers, and festive classics.

Highlights include Eric Whitacre’s uplifting Little Tree, Jonathan Dove’s luminous, Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars, and Edmonton-composer Laura Hawley’s arrangement of The First Snow of the Year. 

The choir is thrilled to be joined by organist Jeremy Spurgeon, pianist Helen Stuart, and the University of Alberta Faculty of Education Handbell Ringers for this performance.

This concert also marks the debut of the Greenwood Singers’ new Music Director, Dr. Brendan Lord. Dr. Lord brings a fresh approach to this cherished holiday tradition while maintaining the breadth of musical programming Greenwood audiences have come to expect.

Come and revel in the sound of Greenwood Singers as they illuminate the night with song, hope, and the joy of the season!

Date and Time: Monday, December 9, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Venue: All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral (10035 103 St NW, Edmonton, AB)
Ticket Prices: $25 per ticket (plus fees) available online through Eventbrite or $28 at the door.

Greenwood Singers is very grateful for its sponsors Snyder & Associates LLP and The Bereznicki Family, as well as ongoing support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Edmonton Arts Council and the City of Edmonton.

For more information, Visit our Facebook Event Page, or the Greenwood Singers website.

Festival City Winds Music Society invites you to enjoy its Fire and Ice concert under the direction of Wendy J. Grasdahl and Dr. Eila Peterson.

All four of the Festival City Winds bands (Novice Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Symphonic Wind Ensemble) will perform a variety of seasonal selections in Edmonton’s historic First Presbyterian Church (10025 105 ST NW) on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at 7:30 pm.

Tickets are $20 for Adults and $5 for Children 12 and Under as well as those on Income Support. Tickets are available at the door (cash only, please).

www.festivalcitywinds.ca

www.facebook.com/events

This research was conducted in six waves over the course of 2020 and 2021. This is a community resource that is FREE to access and results from the sixth wave of research are now available.

Findings for Alberta organizations from Wave 6 results include:

• Comfort has developed into a very predictable pattern that follows case numbers and now vaccine rates.
• Albertans will return at their own pace; participation hinges on personal comfort but also personal risk tolerance.
• There is a consensus that there will be less of a return to “normal” but rather a new way of doing things moving forward.
• Because Albertans have spent the past year and half discovering new things to do, the selection of what they can choose from now is quite vast.
• Spending habits are in flux, and at this point it is difficult to predict where Albertans will direct their money in the short term.

What are the implications for Alberta organizations?

• Even as restrictions have been removed, organizations still need to deal with comfort. As it stands, there is clear hesitancy in the audience and it will be important to communicate safety measures to make audiences comfortable when re-engaging.
• Organizations should keep in mind that public sentiment is a more useful barometer over government announcements. Gauging expectations for increased participation to occur will be based on a combination of comfort and risk tolerance.
• Organizations should expect more permanent (structural) changes to stick around – specifically related to organizational transparency, flexibility with refunds, new payment options, etc. These should be things that organizations consider keeping even if they are no longer required by the government.
• The main consideration for organizations remains flexibility – in terms of payment options, participation options, etc. This will allow for consideration on different levels as Albertans suss out how they want to direct their spending.

Download the reports:

• Alberta Report
• Calgary Report
• Edmonton Report

About the project

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts is pleased to be a funding partner in this collaboration with Stone-Olafson and other community leaders to develop a long-term research investigation and evaluate how current conditions will reshape Albertans’ attitudes and behaviours towards social and group activities, across a variety of sectors. The purpose of this work is to give leaders of community sports, recreation, arts and culture, professional sports, active living, heritage, tourism or hospitality sectors relevant facts about local audiences that they will need to bring life back to our communities.

The initiative was funded by:

• ActiveCITY Collective
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts
• Angus Reid
• ATB
• Calgary Arts Development
• Calgary Foundation
• Edmonton Arts Council
• Edmonton Community Foundation
• Rozsa Foundation
• Stone-Olafson
• Travel Alberta

Join us for an an informative workshop at the Teacher's Conventions regarding our Artists and Education Funding opportunity that the AFA offers. AFA's Arts Development Consultant Jodie Vandekerkhove will discuss the guidelines, talk about how to make a rich proposal and discuss how the projects are evaluated through our adjudication process, which is highly competitive.

Register for the virtual sessions:

• Calgary City Teachers' Convention - Feb 17 from 12:15 - 1:15 pm
• Southern Alberta Teachers' Convention - Feb 25 from 1 - 2 pm
• Edmonton Teacher's Convention (GETCA) - Mar 3 from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

We're pleased to share a special shout-out to Alberta artists who brought home 2022 Juno awards. Congratulations to all of the incredible artists on their wins:

• Maria Dunn: Traditional Roots Album of the Year 
  • She received two AFA Music Individual Project Funding grants for her Joyful Banner Blazing album: art production grant to assist with the recording; and marketing grant for publicity. Catch her live in Leduc and Sherwood Park in 2022/2023.
• Andrew Wan: Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble)
  • Andrew is an accomplished musician born in Edmonton. He was also a 2008 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award recipient.
• Brett Kissel: Country Album of the Year   
  • ​Brett celebrates win in his What is Life? album. Catch Brett on tour in Alberta this summer (Calgary and his hometown, St. Paul).
• Caity Gyorgy: Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
  • Originally from Calgary, Catiy won for her EP Now Pronoucing: Caity Gyorgy.
• Fawn Wood: Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year 
  • Fawn is a Cree and Salish musician from Saddle Lake who won for her album, Kakike.
• Garth Prince: Children's Album of the Year 
  • ​Edmonton-based African artist won for his Falling in Africa album.

For a complete list of the winners and nominees, check out junoawards.ca. All the best to them on their future endeavours! We're proud of their talents and appreciate their magnificient work for all of us to continually enjoy!