NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
So what do you do when travelling to Fort Smith during an NWT winter with a $6-million violin?

Considered one of the world's preeminent piano trios, the Gryphon Trio is still going strong after 20 years with regular tours throughout North America and Europe. They will be joined this Northern Arts and Cultural Centre season by vocalist Patricia O'Callaghan. - photo courtesy of the Gryphon Trio

Well, a performer managed to that very thing when travelling to the community recently.

She basically treated it as a baby - made sure there was a humidifier in the room, kept it very close to her at all times and, "She almost was sleeping with it," said Marie Coderre, artistic director of the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC), while chatting about previous arts seasons in communities such as Inuvik and Fort Simpson.

"It's all about the adventure for the performers. Not one of them said they wouldn't return ... they were very excited.

"True artists do it for the sake of their art. None of them said they wouldn't come back."

Moving a wide variety of performers throughout the North comes with logistical and promotional baggage.

Not only can poor weather cause problems with driving and flying but it's also difficult to promote the events in the first place, said Coderre who is also the executive director of the NACC.

Coderre has been in her current position since 2012. Prior to that, the event promoter and facilitator worked in Inuvik with the Mackenzie Delta Francophone Association from 2007 to 2009.

So she clearly has a pretty good handle on both the culture of the North, and what acts to set on stage - or on some creatively improvised structures - quite well.

"The only challenge I have is to get the word out," she said. "We have a lot of volunteers but also a fair amount of of turnover."

As for this season's cultural offerings in a territory steeped in its own rich traditions and art forms, Coderre said she strives for a wide variety of acts, ranging from relative newcomers on the rise, to more established artists and also a few edgier acts that will both educate and entertain crowds.

Coderre liaises with her peers in Iqaluit, the Yukon and B.C. to help make the North an attractive touring option for performers. And this year's NACC season, which begins this month, indeed offers a colourful variety of entertainment for folks who don't live in Yellowknife where NACC is located - with its 300-seat concert hall and easier access, it has a much fuller entertainment roster.

This season, four shows will be coming to Inuvik, spanning song, music and theatrical performances. The first will be a gospel/blues group called The Sojourners coming in September.

They will perform at the Igloo Church, a setting Coderre said was more than fitting. October will bring a slightly modified classic in the Ko K'e Music and Spoken Word Festival, transformed from previous years' storytelling festivals, followed by a powerful play called Call Mr. Robeson, a one-man show performed by Nigerian-born Tayo Aluko about the civil rights movement in the United States in November.

In December, the Gryphon Trio - renowned classical musicians - will break into new territory with music from their album Broken Hearts and Madmen Project, which combines Latin songs with jazz for a performance with a global spirit. The trio is joined by vocalist Patricia O'Callaghan.

Over the years, the NACC has brought some big-name shows to Fort Simpson.

Marking the fifth year since NACC started bringing musicians, actors and performers to Fort Simpson, the organization has four events planned for the village, including three shows and one festival.

All shows will be held at Bompas Elementary School.

The season kicks off in September with an evening of blues music courtesy of Jim Byrnes and The Sojourners, a gospel ensemble.

"(Byrnes) is a blues legend in Canada. We're very, very lucky to have him," Coderre said. "I saw him play at the Yukon Arts Centre in 2014 and my jaw dropped. I (said), 'You've gotta come at some point.'"

The organization's October show for Fort Simpson is the Ko K'e Storytelling Festival, which is becoming a staple for the community.

This year, the festival will include performances from Quantum Tangle - Greyson Gritt and Tiffany Ayalik - as well as Natasha Duchene and Mary Caroline, among others.

On November, NACC will bring Call Mr. Robeson to the Fort Simpson stage. The final installment of this year's NACC lineup in the community will be the Gryphon Trio in December.

Meanwhile NACC will stage four shows in Hay River, starting in September with Byrnes.

His performance in Hay River will be at Riverview Cineplex.

In September, Tango Boreal will perform in Hay River as part of the annual International Lute Festival.

The trio includes Denis Plante playing the accordion-like bandoneon; guitarist David Jacques, who takes on the charango, which is a stringed instrument resembling a small ukulele; and bassist Ian Simpson.

October sees the Ko K'e Music and Spoken Word Festival stopping in Hay River featuring singer, guitarist and pianist Duchene and violinist Andrea Bettger, and both will be doing some storytelling.

"It's going to be absolutely incredible," said Coderre. "It's a mix of legends and music."

Finally, Call Mr. Robeson will visit in November.

Also this season, Fort Smith will be visited by: The Sojourners; International Lute Festival; Gryphon Trio; Ko K'e Music and Spoken Word Festival.

Norman Wells will be treated to: Byrnes; Ko K'e Music and Spoken Word Festival; Call Mr. Robeson; plus the Gryphon Trio.

- with files from Sarah Ladik, April Hudson

and Paul Bickford

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