Les Siemieniuk – How’d You Get That Awesome Gig?

Occupation:  General Manager, Calgary Folk Music Festival

Location: Calgary

First Job: Eaton’s warehouse, Winnipeg

Best Job:  Variety music producer CBC Calgary

Greatest Professional Challenge:  Building the new Festival Hall in Inglewood.

So, how did you get this awesome gig anyways? Part of my duties at CBC had been producing Simply Folk, a national folk show which allowed me to attend and record at festivals around Canada and the world. I had left CBC and was freelancing when Terry Wickham who was working with the Calgary Folk Music Festival called and asked if I would be interested I coming on staff in January of 2000 to work with Kerry Clarke, the artistic director. The Festival had a rainy bad year in 1999 and had a small debt to pay off.

What do you like best about your job?  Working with a great staff and over 1,600 awesome volunteers that magically transform Princes Island Park into a self sufficient musical town of 12,000 for four glorious days in every July.

Any special skills required? Patience, willingness to listen, and a love of people and musicians.

Favourite experience on the job?  Walking around the main field and  watching the crowd enjoy the closing main stage artist perform, especially the night Kris Kristofferson performed in 2006.

Advice for people who want your awesome gig: I won’t be there forever but if you can’t wait, start your own event – that’s how all of them started.

Favourite CDN Music Venue:  Prince’s Island – the Calgary Folk Music Festival site.

Favourite Record of the Moment: Ragged Kingdom – June Tabor & Oysterband and Long Live the King – the Decemberists