Live concerts might not be possible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t hear great music.
Thanks to the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) together with its member Arts Councils across the province, there will be four concerts streamed online in April, as the OSAC Virtual Concert Series was announced recently.
The concert series will be held virtually every Thursday starting April 8, and running for four weeks.
The series schedule is as follows:
* Thursday April 8, 2021 7:00 PM Megan Nash - facebook.com/megannashmusic
* Thursday April 15, 2021 7:00 PM Blake Berglund - facebook.com/blakeberglund
* Thursday April 22, 2021 7:00 PM Suzie Vinnick - facebook.com/suzievinnickmusic
* Thursday April 29, 2021 7:00 PM Don Amero - facebook.com/donameromusic
Local music fans will recall Don Amero who was in Yorkton in February 2020, as part of the Stars for Saskatchewan Series. He also did a show at Yorkton and District Nursing Home.
And, Blake Berglund, who grew up at Kennedy, SK., performed at 5th Avenue Coffee before it closed.
Yorkton This Week caught up with Berglund to find out how it felt to have a concert on the schedule in the midst of a global pandemic?
“I’ve been trying to keep a positive attitude, it’s such a big situation for so many people,” he said.
But, admittedly it was not easy to stay positive, given that in 2020 Berglund said he performed only seven shows, whereas in the past decade he has performed 80 to 150 shows a year.
Berglund said that with live shows off the table he sort of went underground, writing material, and getting back to his agrarian roots, but not performing.
“I work farming when I can, I was back home to help with harvest,” he said, adding he was fortunate to have that to fall back on.
Now 2021, doesn’t look much better for shows, at least before fall, and Berglund said there is a fear some of the usual venues might never re-open post COVID-19.
“Absolutely, 100 per cent that’s a concern,” he said.
It hasn’t helped that artists haven’t been involved in the conversation around government support, even though performers are very much small businesses, said Berglund.
“Before anything I operate a small business,” he said, and while acknowledging OSAC and Sask Music “for us to be in that small business conversation” it hasn’t gotten far, “We haven’t been part of the conservation in Saskatchewan.”
So the call to be part of the online series this month was a welcome one.
“I was very grateful to receive that phone call,” said Berglund, who added through 2020, he sort of avoided an online presence that many artists looked too as an option, favouring it as a year to sort of renew from within.
“I wrote a bunch of new material,” he said, adding the pandemic and how it affected people, and what the differing viewpoints were through the situation certainly influencing the new work.
The concert will be a way to shake off some rust in terms of performing, and Berglund added having OSAC paying a fee of course helps too.
Berglund said some of those new songs will be part of the April 15, show.
“I won’t be showing my full hand, but there will be some new songs,” he said.
In their release OSAC noted it “has nurtured the tradition of presenting excellence in the performing arts for adults, children, and family audiences in various genres and disciplines with local, national, and international artists performing as part of the Stars for Saskatchewan and/or Koncerts for Kids program. While live performances are not allowed under current restrictions OSAC has launched this series to give our members and their patrons access to these wonderful performances.”
Every year OSAC presents over 300 live community and school performances, attended by a total audience of approximately 75,000. This is possible because of a dedicated network of volunteers committed to making culture a vital part of Saskatchewan community life, and funding from Saskatchewan Lotteries administered by SaskCulture, Canadian Heritage and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. Saskatchewan Lotteries funds more than 12,000 sport, culture, and recreation organizations around the province.
“Each year 600,000 people participate in programs and activities initiated by these organizations, over $1 billion of economic activity is generated, and 23,000 jobs are sustained,” stated the OSAC release.
