Theatre & Performing Arts
A traditional dancer performs at a festival (Dannielle Hayes photo)
Music and the performing arts are deeply woven into Salt Spring's island culture.
Year-round, on any given day of the week, there may be a concert, pub performance or theatre production. Tiny home recording studios are cloistered away in country retreats, buskers strum tunes in downtown Ganges and impromptu jam sessions are liable to break out at any time. Salt Spring is even home to one of contemporary electronic music's leading record labels, Interchill Records.
Check with the Visitor Centre in downtown Ganges for the latest events. Scan the bulletin boards in coffee shops. Or check the entertainment pages of the island's weekly newspaper, the Gulf Islands Driftwood.
ArtSpring
The island's premier arts venue was opened by Salt Spring painter Robert Bateman in 1999 and has been presenting a busy schedule of music, dance, opera, art exhibitions and theatre productions ever since. The striking facility is on 100 Jackson Avenue at the edge of Ganges near Mouat Park and its theatre can hold 265.
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A Wealth of Talent
Salt Spring is a favorite bolthole for musicians who recognize that the island's isolation can be a boon to creativity. Some of the island's better known musical residents are rock legend/CBC radio host Randy Bachman (the Guess Who, Bachman Turner Overdrive), the veteran folk singer Valdy and the Canadian Juno Award-winning Bill Henderson (Chilliwack, Headpins).
Other island residents include internationally acclaimed blues guitarist Harry Manx, drummer Matt Johnson (from the BC rock band 54.40) and singer-songwriters Tom Hooper (The Grapes of Wrath) and Suzanne Little (Lava Hay). Typically all of the above perform on the island once in a while, headlining their own shows or supporting friends and fellow musical travellers.
Musical Venues
The island's top acoustic nightspot is the Tree House Café, which offers live music for more than 100 straight nights each May to September in downtown Ganges. Three heritage community gathering places - Mahon Hall in Ganges and the southend Fulford Hall and Beaver Point Hall - all host bands and stage dances periodically. Blues musicians and rock bands regularly rock out on the tiny stage at Moby's Pub in Ganges. And the nearby Salt Spring Inn hosts Sunday evening jazz performances.
Jazz Festival
The Salt Spring Jazz & Blues Society presents its annual Jazz Fest approximately the third weekend of June.
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