If you aren’t into folk music and attending the South Country Fair in Fort Macleod, then stay home and check out the third Centric Music festival to get your classical music fix, July 15-17.
“We’re competing with the South Country Fair, but we have a different demographic, so we‘re not too worried about it,” said organizer Jesse Plessis from his home in Montreal where he is working on his doctorate.
“This one is kind of bittersweet because it will be the last one for awhile,” he continued.
“It’s been quite difficult organizing it from afar. So It will be the last one until I’m done with my doctorate. But it is a tradition I’d like to see continue,” he continued.
The third annual Centric Festival is a trimmed down affair as there will only be three concerts — one each night in the Casa community room.
It will feature performers from all three of the previous festivals as well as some new faces.
“Heather Jean Jordan and I are the only ones who have performed at all three, but we have a lot of the previous performers as well as some new ones,” Plessis said.
“We’ve decided to only have three concerts, but we wanted to make sure they are very, very high quality,” he continued.
“On Friday night we will have a great big evening of hugely romantic German pieces. So there will be a lot of feelings that night,” he said.
“I have a lot of faith in their arrangements. So there will be classical covers of Bohemian Rhapsody and all of that,” he said.
“The third night we have the J.A.M.A.N.I duo from Lethbridge. They’re a husband and wife duo ( Matt Groenheide and Jodi Bartell) and all of the piano players performing. We’ll be playing George Crumb’s ‘Music For a Summer Evening,’ which is why we‘re doing it and I get to play a piece I’ve wanted to play for 10 years- ‘Hallelujah Junction’ which is a mix of minimalism and southern gospel,” he said.
He is excited about the Centric Festival as usual, but is just happy to come back and reconnect with old friends. He played a concert, at Casa, June 17 and had to head back to Montreal. The festival will be the same.
“It is an in and out thing. I’m doing double duty as usual. But I’m just looking forward to coming back to Lethbridge and seeing everybody,” he said.
More information is available at http://centricfestival.wix.com/2016
Single tickets are $10 for students and $20 general.
A full festival pass is $25 for students and $55 general.
Tickets and passes can be purchased at the door by cash only, but you can easily contact Centric to reserve tickets or if you have any questions or comments by e-mailing
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with details of your order and full name.
