CBC Radio: Under The Skin

Listen to my interview on CBC Radio One with Vancouver-based choreographer Wen Wei Wang, as his show "Under the Skin" debuts in Calgary:

http://www.cbc.ca/homestretch/episode/2011/03/23/under-the-skin/

CBC Radio: Kenny "One Tuff Indian" Frank

Listen to my piece on CBC Radio One about Blood Tribe boxer, Kenny "One Tuff Indian" Frank, who is training to become Canada's next heavyweight boxing champion:

http://www.cbc.ca/eyeopener/episode/2011/02/22/first-nations-boxer-heads-to-canadian-championships/

Re-designing Disaster: Calgary Unites for Haiti

In Calgary last month, tens of thousands of dollars were raised for the earthquake shattered country. A concert at Jack Singer Concert Hall on March 10 raised $40,000 alone, for the Le Foyer de Filles Chretiennes Orphanage. It was a joint effort between Calgary and the City of Windsor. Local bands The Dudes, Woodpigeon, and The Polyjesters, played alongside the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, DJ Rob Faust, and Curiously Canadian Improv Theatre among others. CBC’s David Gray hosted the event.

At the city’s third PechaKucha night, themed “rebuild”, guests gathered at the Glenbow Museum to share ideas and inspirations. The event raised over $3,000 (donated to Architecture for Humanity) and connected via live satellite technology a group in Tokyo hosting a similar event. PechaKucha is a style of event invented in Japan by architects who wanted to share their ideas and portfolios in a timely fashion. At any given gathering, a speaker will present twenty slides, or photographs, and talk about each one for twenty seconds. That gives each presenter exactly 6.6 minutes to get their ideas across.

PechaKucha Rebuild attracted a diverse group of speakers. Catherine Hamel, a professor of architecture in the environmental design faculty at the University of Calgary, delivered a moving and poetic narrative which slide gracefully over the heart wrenching photos of her partner, Lawrence Eisler.

Jim Avery, vice-president of Sprung Structures, talked about his company’s innovative response to emergency shelter needs. His family-run business opened in 1887 as a manufacturer of chuck wagon covers, tepees and other Western-style coverings. Today, Sprung Structures provides unique and easy engineered structures which can be erected within hours and withstand the elements. Avery showed pictures of the structures at work in Cuba, New Orleans, and right here in Calgary.

Anila Umar, a youth counsellor and diversity trainer, talked about refugees who rebuild their lives in Canada; Olivier Mills of CAWST – the Centre for Affordable Water Sanitation and Technology – spoke about the relationship between organizations like his own and local, indigenous associations on the ground. He also pointed to women in any given community as the breadwinners and leaders.

Johann Kyser, a masters student in the faculty of environmental design at U of C, spoke about the power of sustainable design to transform and rebuild communities, beyond the physical infrastructure, and pointed to the parallels between the resiliency of a design and that a community. His focus was on socio-economic change, and creative, holistic approaches to it. His was the final presentation of the night. His last words were, “As we’ve seen by tonight’s presenters, even in the most dire of circumstances, human creativity and passion prevail”

Published in National Post on March 20, 2010

Banff Midsummer Ball

The Banff Centre, a home for working and developing artists in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, hosted its 30th annual signature fundraising event last weekend: the Midsummer Ball Weekend.

It began Friday morning with a friendly golf tournament and reception at the Fairmont Banff Springs. That evening, after checking into the lodge-style residences at the centre, guests were treated to an array of fine food - sushi, bison, seared tuna included - and a wine and scotch bar, before an intimate musical performance. Juno-award winning jazz pianist Hilario Duran played a three song set with bassist Roberto Occhipinti and drummer Mark Kelso, head of percussion at Toronto’s Humber College.

Between songs Occhipinti, who is an alumna of The Banff Centre, remarked on the pleasures of playing in Alberta saying, “The Banff Centre is the crown jewel of Canada … and I would hazard that in this resource-based economy, we can all appreciate that art is the ultimate renewable resource.”

The performance was followed by several pieces from the musical Loulou, a work in progress by Kelly Robinson, theatre arts director at The Banff Centre and director of creative development for Mirvish Productions. Broadway stars Hugh Panaro and Carly Street were joined by the centre’s opera students.

Following the program, The Banff Centre’s board chair Jeff Kovitz asked Alberta Minister of Culture and Community Sprit Lindsay Blackett to do a reverse ribbon-cutting, which would signify the closing of Donald Cameron Hall. The building will soon be replaced by The Kinnear Centre, a structure designed by Diamond & Schmidtt Architects and set to open next summer.

“If there’s a camera and a microphone, I’ll do it,” the Minister quipped before hopping onstage.

Saturday morning brought a fresh-faced and excited crowd to three keynote sessions. In the first, prima ballerina-turned-filmmaker Veronica Tennant, O.C. showed excerpts from her film Shadow Pleasures, a work done in partnership with Michael Ondaatje and filmed in Toronto’s Distillery District. Tennant manages to capture both the intense energy of her subjects - dancers - and the intimacy of the words to which they are performing, poems and paragraphs by Ondaatje. It is a rare and beautiful sight, leaving the viewer’s heart thudding in time to the score. The second session featured well-known pianist and organizational coach Michael Jones, who spoke eloquently about personal leadership and played songs for reflection. Author and Banff Centre alumna Maria Coffey capped off the morning with stories of travel and transcendence. A prolific author and recent guest of the Oprah Winfrey show, she and her husband Dag now lead small paddling trips to Croatia, Antarctica, Vietnam and other places.

After lunch, the group split into the three separate tours; some sneaking behind-the-scenes looks at film engineers, ballet dancers, and opera singers at work, others touring the new building, and still others toured visual artists’ studios with Berlin-based critic Jan Verwoert.

The evening’s gala attracted around three hundred guests, clad in black tie and ball gowns. Guests included former Premier Peter Lougheed, Alberta's Deputy Minister of Aboriginal Relations Maria David-Evans, Former MLA and current chair of the Western Financial Group Jim Dinning, Pat and Sherrold Moore, Margot and David Kitchen, Ian and Judy Griffin, Murray and Heather Edwards, Glen Sather, president of the New York Rangers, Matt Fox, president of ConocoPhillips Canada, John Lau, president of Husky Energy, and Mary Hofstetter, president of The Banff Centre. The master of ceremonies was Angela Knight of CBC Radio. A four course meal was served, including candied salmon salad, duck confit on brioche, veal tenderloin, and blueberry panna cotta. A performance by the Eric Friedenberg Orchestra had guests dancing late into the evening.

Published in National Post, July 25 2009

"Asper" - ations on Human Rights Day

Calgary Public Library became a hotbed of pith and substance this month. Two events –overlapping in theme - attracted substantial crowds peppered with cerebral celebrities and local well-knowns.

On December 5, author-provocateur Peter C. Newman sat down with CBC’s Donna McElligott to discuss his new biography of Canadian media mogul Izzy Asper. With Parliament prorogued a week earlier however, and an author who happens to be an Ottawa insider notorious for great stories and juicy gossip, the talk quickly turned to politics of a most interesting sort.

Almost immediately after taking his seat before the audience, Mr. Newman pulled a banana out of his jacket pocket and waved it around, saying “We now live in a banana republic – that is what you’ve witnessed. What’s happening is absurd.” Shortly thereafter, his eyes glazed over as he watched a young woman enter the library. “My daughter has just arrived!” he announced, prompting everyone in the room to turn around in their seats and stare awkwardly. Upon hearing that her father had just pulled a banana out of his jacket she replied dryly, “We’re lucky it wasn’t in his pants.”

Despite Mr. Asper’s messy financial legacy, wily business tactics, and controversial sense of humour, the author’s admiration for the corporate giant is clear. Others were not so lucky.

Mr. Newman revealed that Stephane Dion uses cutlery to eat hot dogs and asserted, “He will never set the world on fire except by accident.” About Stephen Harper he said, “His obsession with eliminating all opposition is just not democratic, and it’s not right.” And while he does not support a coalition of opposition parties, he had some kind words for their MPs. Jack Layton is very intelligent, he said, adding that Bob Rae is a “good leader and a good person.” He also noted that Michael Ignatieff is someone “Canadians can be proud of” in a global context, calling him a “world-class intellectual.”

The conversation eventually returned to the subject of his latest book, Izzy Asper. Mr. Newman claims he has written “a tough book about a tough guy.”

“His three loves were Canada, Israel, and Winnipeg, though not in that order,” he said.

Those affections linger in his proposed Canadian Museum of Human Rights, a project undertaken by his daughter, Gail Asper, who is tenacious in her fight for federal funding and a staunch advocate for Winnipeg as its home.

International Human Rights Day was celebrated at the library later that week. Sandra Crazy Bull opened with a Blackfoot prayer, MLA Manmeet Bhullar reflected on the importance of empathetic communication, and a choir sang Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom. Olivier Mills, of the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology, gave a humorous but provocative speech focusing on health concerns stemming from substandard human waste disposal technology in the developing world. Prominent guests included teachers Brent Novodvorski and Genevieve Balogun, City Alderman Joe Ceci, MLA Dr. David Swann, MLA Harry Chase, and president of the African Community Association Michael Embaie. Veggie platters, juice and cookies were served.

Published in National Post, December 20 2008

Strombo shows sass at Bob Edwards gala; Vine and Dine introduces new wine pairings

Writers and thinkers were celebrated at a recent luncheon honouring the legacy of Albertan newspaperman Bob Edwards. The annual event raises money for Alberta Theatre Projects, a company that produces relevant, engaging plays and supports emerging talent. The Bob Edwards Award is presented every year during an afternoon gathering of approximately 300 people. This year’s recipient was CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos.

Other diners included local billionaire Brett Wilson; City Alderman Brian Pincott; MLA and two-time climber of Mount Everest Dave Rodney; award-winning author Andrew Nikiforuk; director of WordFest Anne Green; director of development for Calgary Opera Helen Moore-Parkhouse; Talisman lawyer Heidi Schubert; poet Richard Harrison; and Laura Wershler, executive director of Sexual Health Access Alberta.

While the setting was typical – Hyatt’s Imperial Ballroom – the menu was not. The signature multi-grain raisin bread arrived with an antipasto style selection of cured meats and Camembert cheese. Directly following was a mouth-watering salade niçoise, complete with lightly seared tuna and a healthy dose of marinated artichoke hearts. For desert, quark cheese with mixed berry compote and chocolate shavings was served.

By far the most irreverent of gala functions (Bob Edwards, deceased in 1922, was the master of ceremonies thanks to some local talent with a fake moustache and believable Scottish brogue), it was no surprise that Strombo would try to shake things up.

“It’s great when you are celebrated for the same shit you got in trouble for in high school,” said Stroumboulopoulos, who praised artists and national news services. “I’m really happy to be here at this fancy gala with all you ordinary Canadians,” he added.

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Recognized expert in hospitality Linda Garson filled Rajdoot Restaurant before leaving the continent last month. The Vine and Dine founder was chosen as one of six Canadians to partake in a special tour of Chilean and Argentine vineyards. She will return to host several wine tastings and appreciation courses.

At Rajdoot, six courses were offered with a perfect pairing for each. Garson is much revered for giving her guests a sneak peek of wines new to Canada. This time around, two beverages made their Canadian debut – Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon, a jammy, easy-to-drink Californian, and Tuaca, a potent brandy-like liqueur from Italy with hints of vanilla and orange. The favorite pairing among guests was royal korma (a saucy vegetarian dish made with pistachios and almonds) served with Hugel Gentil, a sweet but smoky German-style French wine. Rajdoot’s signature butter chicken was also a big hit, paired with Lagarde Blanc de Noir – “not a little girl’s rosé,” claims Garson, “It’s rosé for red wine drinkers.”

Not surprisingly, the modestly priced affair ($50 per person) regularly attracts out-of-towners and business travelers. Guests included Ontario-based Aurele Gingras, Vancouver-based Margie Killin, and Bowden-based Rob Heerema, along with locals Marci Witham of Horizon North, Shannon McDougall of Coca-Cola, Trina Lewis of Deloitte & Touche LLP, Rob Onodera of BonVida Wines, and connoisseurs JoAnn and Norm Shannon.

The next Vine and Dine event takes place December 8th at Ruan Thai Restaurant.

Published in National Post, December 6, 2008