Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in 2018, Yellowknife composer Carmen Braden had an idea for a music event in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, that celebrates music on the edges. The Longshadow Music Festival celebrates music that is wild, weird, and wonderful. Each event explores music made in the contemporary world yet with a connection to the music that has shaped our world in the past. Northern and Canadian music are the features of the festival.
Alongside special guests and featured concerts, the festival explores ideas about improvisation, composition, performance, and collaboration. Multi-genre at its core, there has been a mix of old, classical, contemporary classical, jazz, songwriter, improvised, electronic, sound scape, fiddle, and Indigenous music at the Longshadow festival.
The Longshadow Music Festival returns for the fourth time in 2024. This year's festival celebrates songs, songwriters, and string quartets. Feature performers include Cassandra Blondin-Bourke, Rob Elo, LJJ, Ryan McCord, the Garenau String Quartet, Kay Sibbeston, Kathryn Oraas, and Andrew Ball.
Mr. Speaker, this year's Longshadow festival kicked off last night at the Sundog Trading Post and continues this evening in this very building with a performance in the Great Hall of the Legislative Assembly. The Garneau String Quartet will be playing in the Great Hall at 7:30 p.m. And thanks to contributions from a number of MLAs, including myself, I am happy to note that the concert is free for anyone to attend.
The Garneau Quartet is the ensemble in residence at the MacEwan University Conservatory of Music in Edmonton. The quartet is comprised of members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, so I expect this will be a world-class performance. I would also note that for classical diehards, there will be an open rehearsal in the Great Hall from 5:15 to 5:45. Bring your kids.
A third concert featuring a exciting group of performers will occur this Saturday night at the Top Knight, and there will be a workshop hosted by the Canadian New Music Network at Carmen Braden's studio on Sunday, June 9th. Details are available on the Longshadow website.
Mr. Speaker, thank you to Carmen Braden for her vision in bringing this exciting festival to fruition in our community. I encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the performances this weekend. Thank you.
Thank you, Member for Frame Lake. Members' statements. Member from Tu Nedhe-Wiilideh.
