The Weekender: An Evening With Measha Brueggergosman, Riverdance and six other items on our to-do list
1. AN EVENING WITH MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN
The divine Ms. M—opera singer, reality TV judge and heart disease spokesperson—gets back to her roots with this intimate two-set concert promoting her new album, I’ve Got a Crush on You. April 20. $49.50-$58. Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. W., 1-855-985-5000, ticketmaster.ca.
2. CN TOWER CLIMB
While most Saturdays find us sleeping in or going to our favourite brunch place for Caesars, this weekend we feel inspired to do something a bit more active: scaling the CN Tower—all 1,776 steps of it—to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund’s conservation efforts. Check-in runs from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. April 21. Minimum donation is $75. CN Tower, 301 Front St. W., wwf.ca/cntower.
3. STOP, DROP, REPEAT: THE PAINTED WORK OF MARLIS SAUNDERS
The star of the Design Exchange’s first big exhibit of pattern designs is German-born Canadian artist Marlis Saunders, one of Canada’s Bauhaus pioneers. The 100+ pieces in the collection span her various influences, from abstract Bauhaus designs to Aboriginal art and florals. The exhibit, which wraps up Monday, also includes an installation by artist Amanda McCavour and pieces by several German, Australian and Canadian pattern designers. Visitors can try their hand at creating patterns of their own with smart grid technology. To April 23. $10. Design Exchange, 234 Bay St., 416-363-6121, dx.org.
4. NICKELBACK
You kind of have to feel bad for Nickelback. Despite being very popular—when their latest album dropped late last year, it raced to the top of the Billboard charts and eventually took the number two spot—they can’t seem to escape vitriolic criticism. When they were booked to play the halftime show at a Detroit Lions game, 50,000 people signed a petition asking that they not attend, and recently Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney expressed his hatred for the band in the pages of Rolling Stone. That much hate is enough to sour even the strongest person, but if their irreverent Twitter replies to the haters are anything to go by, Chad Kroeger and the gang just don’t care. Catch them this weekend, alongside fellow rock heavyweights Bush and Seether. April 22. $55.50–$95.50. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., 1-855-985-5000, ticketmaster.ca.
5. AND YET IT MOVES
When Roberta Bondar set off for outer space in the space shuttle Discovery in 1992, she was making history—twice. Not only was she the first female astronaut to make that journey, but she was also the first neurologist. For Earth Day, the Science Centre celebrates the 20th anniversary of Dr. Bondar’s flight with an exhibit of her photographs. The Amadeus Choir and the Elmer Iseler Singers will provide musical accompaniment, and guests are encouraged—weather permitting—to do some star-gazing of their own outside. April 21. $40. Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Rd., 416-696-1000, ontariosciencecentre.ca.
6. RIVERDANCE
Sure, this high-energy show with fleet-footed dancers and traditional Celtic music has been on its farewell tour for the past three years—but, unlike the last time, this really is your last chance to catch this production of the Irish stepdancing phenomenon in person. To April 21. $39–$89. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E., 1-855-985-5000, ticketmaster.ca.
7. OPERA EXCHANGE
The third and final event in a series of symposia co-produced by the COC, U of T’s Faculty of Music and the Munk School of Global Affairs, this Sunday-morning conference features lectures on the “social, political and artistic implications” of the opera “A Florentine Tragedy.” This event will feature talks by academics (U of T’s Ted Chamberlin and Sherry Lee, and Princeton’s Christopher Hailey), plus a conversation with Opera Canada editor Wayne Gooding and COC director Catherine Malfitano. April 22. $23. Edward Johnson Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park, coc.ca.
8. IMAGES FESTIVAL
The lineup at this multimedia arts event, which seeks to widen the scope of cinema, features everything from installations to film and video and live performances, not to mention artist talks, walking tours and the odd party and karaoke session. This weekend, check out “Toronto: Cinema City,” an offscreen exhibit tracing the city’s history through photos and artifacts from its movie houses; “Sidewalk Stories,” a cinematic second look at the streets we travel every day; and the closing night party, which features a screening of “The Sounds of Silence” accompanied by a live music soundtrack from alt rockers Yo La Tengo. To April 21. Various prices. Various locations, 416-971-8405, imagesfestival.com.
(Images: Riverdance, Official Riverdance; Roberta Bondar, NAIT; CN Tower, Divya Thakur)
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1. AN EVENING WITH MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN
The divine Ms. M—opera singer, reality TV judge and heart disease spokesperson—gets back to her roots with this intimate two-set concert promoting her new album, I’ve Got a Crush on You. April 20. $49.50-$58. Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. W., 1-855-985-5000, ticketmaster.ca.
2. CN TOWER CLIMB
While most Saturdays find us sleeping in or going to our favourite brunch place for Caesars, this weekend we feel inspired to do something a bit more active: scaling the CN Tower—all 1,776 steps of it—to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund’s conservation efforts. Check-in runs from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. April 21. Minimum donation is $75. CN Tower, 301 Front St. W., wwf.ca/cntower.
3. STOP, DROP, REPEAT: THE PAINTED WORK OF MARLIS SAUNDERS
The star of the Design Exchange’s first big exhibit of pattern designs is German-born Canadian artist Marlis Saunders, one of Canada’s Bauhaus pioneers. The 100+ pieces in the collection span her various influences, from abstract Bauhaus designs to Aboriginal art and florals. The exhibit, which wraps up Monday, also includes an installation by artist Amanda McCavour and pieces by several German, Australian and Canadian pattern designers. Visitors can try their hand at creating patterns of their own with smart grid technology. To April 23. $10. Design Exchange, 234 Bay St., 416-363-6121, dx.org.
4. NICKELBACK
You kind of have to feel bad for Nickelback. Despite being very popular—when their latest album dropped late last year, it raced to the top of the Billboard charts and eventually took the number two spot—they can’t seem to escape vitriolic criticism. When they were booked to play the halftime show at a Detroit Lions game, 50,000 people signed a petition asking that they not attend, and recently Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney expressed his hatred for the band in the pages of Rolling Stone. That much hate is enough to sour even the strongest person, but if their irreverent Twitter replies to the haters are anything to go by, Chad Kroeger and the gang just don’t care. Catch them this weekend, alongside fellow rock heavyweights Bush and Seether. April 22. $55.50–$95.50. Air Canada Centre, 40 Bay St., 1-855-985-5000, ticketmaster.ca.
5. AND YET IT MOVES
When Roberta Bondar set off for outer space in the space shuttle Discovery in 1992, she was making history—twice. Not only was she the first female astronaut to make that journey, but she was also the first neurologist. For Earth Day, the Science Centre celebrates the 20th anniversary of Dr. Bondar’s flight with an exhibit of her photographs. The Amadeus Choir and the Elmer Iseler Singers will provide musical accompaniment, and guests are encouraged—weather permitting—to do some star-gazing of their own outside. April 21. $40. Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Rd., 416-696-1000, ontariosciencecentre.ca.
6. RIVERDANCE
Sure, this high-energy show with fleet-footed dancers and traditional Celtic music has been on its farewell tour for the past three years—but, unlike the last time, this really is your last chance to catch this production of the Irish stepdancing phenomenon in person. To April 21. $39–$89. Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, 1 Front St. E., 1-855-985-5000, ticketmaster.ca.
7. OPERA EXCHANGE
The third and final event in a series of symposia co-produced by the COC, U of T’s Faculty of Music and the Munk School of Global Affairs, this Sunday-morning conference features lectures on the “social, political and artistic implications” of the opera “A Florentine Tragedy.” This event will feature talks by academics (U of T’s Ted Chamberlin and Sherry Lee, and Princeton’s Christopher Hailey), plus a conversation with Opera Canada editor Wayne Gooding and COC director Catherine Malfitano. April 22. $23. Edward Johnson Building, University of Toronto, 80 Queen’s Park, coc.ca.
8. IMAGES FESTIVAL
The lineup at this multimedia arts event, which seeks to widen the scope of cinema, features everything from installations to film and video and live performances, not to mention artist talks, walking tours and the odd party and karaoke session. This weekend, check out “Toronto: Cinema City,” an offscreen exhibit tracing the city’s history through photos and artifacts from its movie houses; “Sidewalk Stories,” a cinematic second look at the streets we travel every day; and the closing night party, which features a screening of “The Sounds of Silence” accompanied by a live music soundtrack from alt rockers Yo La Tengo. To April 21. Various prices. Various locations, 416-971-8405, imagesfestival.com.
(Images: Riverdance, Official Riverdance; Roberta Bondar, NAIT; CN Tower, Divya Thakur)){kind=link}