Public Programs
Cantos runs a number of programs that engage the community at large and bring the power of music to everyday people in everyday life.
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| Cantos Music Foundation’s creative spaces program provides a place for:
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| In collaboration with the Friends of the King Eddy, Cantos sings the blues at the monthly Blue Mondays Jam. Held on the last Monday of every month jammers of all ages and levels of ability come together to learn, teach and make music. Our music room stage has great lighting, great acoustics and musicians have access to some of the instruments from our amazing collection. The focus is blues and blue-inspired music. Hosted by the Cantos House Band, the jam features a special guest every month - well established musicians with expert skills and a reputation for excellence in their field. Past guests have included Amos Garret, Tim Williams, Bill Dowey and others! |
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| In partnership with the Calgary Association for the Development of Music Education (CADME), Cantos offers this jazz jam hosted by high school jazz combos, with a focus on improving improvisational skills. The jam is open to jazz players of all ages and levels of ability. |
 | MusicATNoon is a free noon-hour concert series that spotlights emerging young talent in the classical sphere as well as visiting international artists that present an intriguing cultural or educational element. Our primary partnership for this series is with Mount Royal Conservatory and the Morningside Music Bridge program where they provide the program in its entirety. Other performance opportunities are considered as they come available. | |
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| Cultural District First Thursdays First Thursdays are presented by the Cultural District. Located in the heart of the city, this vibrant neighbourhood attracts over a million visitors a year, showcases over 70 regular arts presenters a year and includes over 60 of some of Calgary’s best restaurants and eateries.Several organizations in the district celebrate the First Thursday of every month by offering discounted meals, drink specials, tours, special performances, etc. The way that Cantos participates is by offering a tour free of charge and a feature performance. Performers that are selected for a First Thursday presentation at Cantos are granted the opportunity to use our performance space free of charge and utilize selected instruments if they so choose. Other than the publicity granted through the Cantos website (www.cantos.ca) and the First Thursday brochure and website (www.culturaldistrict.ca), performers are expected to promote the show themselves and generate their own audience. Admission is by donation, or a cover charge can be applied at the door. Note that door volunteers, refreshments, and any additional promotion are of the responsibility of the performer. If you are interested in performing at Cantos for a First Thursday presentation, please complete the First Thursdays Application Form and email any additional materials (electronic press kits) to Candace Elder, Programs Officer or call 403-543-5115. |
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| Cantos sets Stephen Avenue to music in the summer with this fun public performance program. Performing on a one-of-a-kind Dean Stanton-decorated piano, musicians rock 8th Avenue providing a soundtrack for the vibrant noon-hour scene on one of Calgary’s favourite promenades. Artists and Dates.
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 | Like peanut butter and jelly, like salt and pepper, like..well…Fred and Ginger, music and movies just go together. From orchestras and spectacular theatre organs accompanying early silent films to the grand and lavish dance numbers in 1940s to modern horror films, music is an essential part of creating mood and driving the emotional impact of a story home. In this spirit, Cantos is in the process of developing the Music and the Movies program. Working together with organizations like the Calgary International Film Festival,Calgary Underground Film Festival, Reel Fun Film Festival and others, Cantos is building on the longtime success of our annual silent movie festival to create opportunities for the community to experience the beautiful friendship that is music and movies. Watch in the coming months for new developments. | |
| Public Tours At the heart of Cantos is our living collection of rare and unique instruments that can be experienced through a tour with one of our gifted interpreters. Tours are lead by the interpretive staff. The content, maintenance and communication of any changes to the collection are managed by the Collections staff. | |
| Holiday Themed Tours Holiday themed tours offer a new perspective to the collection at Cantos with fun, interactive themes that engage regular tour goers and attract new audiences as we share in the celebration the season. Themes and tour/program content are selected by the Public Programs Officer with input provided by the programming/interpretive team and Marketing Manager. | ||
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| Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame - High Noon Concert Series The High Noon concert series takes place on our performance stage at the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame and features daily performances throughout Stampede, providing a performance opportunity on the Stampede Grounds for emerging Alberta country artists as well as special guests. Interested parties apply online through our website along with references, recordings, and support materials; applications are reviewed and selected by the Public Programs officer (selection commity?); available performance dates are offered to successful applicants and scheduled accordingly. |
| Country Music Jam (in development) Following the same model as Blue Mondays, the Country Music Jam would serve as a strong showcase for established and emerging musicians in the Country/Roots community, creating an educational and interactive experience for musicians to hone their skills alongside their and more seasoned players. Musicians are also given an opportunity to participate in free workshops, and showcase their talent to an ever increasing and diverse all ages audience. | |
| Artist-in-Residence (in development) This program is currently in it's development stage and operates as an opportunity for high profile and emerging artists who have shown interest and been selected for a residency at Cantos, to access our collection free of charge, thereby utilizing our instruments and technical expertise in the in the creation and recording of new work. This program serves to celebrate and foster the creation, performance and preservation of music while also exposing and utilizing our collection through the knowledge and expertise of professional, established, recording artists. It is our hope that this will also help to increase the profile of Cantos Music Foundation within the community of high profile and emerging recording artists and composers. | |
Partnerships and Collaborations | ||
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| One Yellow Rabbit An annual collaboration with One Yellow Rabbit and the High Performance Rodeo's artist in residence. Collaborative effort. Previous: Philip Glass; Current: Brian Eno. |
 | The Banff Centre Opportunities for collaboration with the Banff Centre Music and Audio residencies are currently in discussion. An opportunity to share and exchange portions of artists residencies with Cantos thereby providing rare opportunity to utilize Cantos instruments and be exposed to additional performance and recording opportunities. Collaborative effort between The Banff Centre, Collections and Programming. | |
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| Collective on Sundays A monthly showcase of under-age bands spearheaded by Calgary’s Random Task Collective. The program, hosted a number of times on the Cantos stage, enables young musicians to make the transition from their garage, basement, and ‘battle of the bands’ to professional live performance showcases. The project combines entrepreneurial planning, community building, and youth engagement, supported by mentors. |
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| Canmore Folk Music Festival Cantos provides an information booth and if possible, an interactive, hands on experience with pieces from our collection in an effort to engage music fans about Cantos and the National Music Centre project. Cantos will continue to expand our presence at various festivals outside of Calgary and throughout the province. |
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| Sled Island Sled Island is an indie and alternative music festival that take place throughout several venues in the downtown core. Cantos has operated as the official venue for the Young Buds stage for all ages and youth programming consistenting of several concerts and workshops. |
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| Calgary International Blues Festival Cantos provides an information booth and if possible, an interactive, hands on experience with pieces from our collection in an effort to engage music fans about Cantos and the National Music Centre project. Cantos will continue to expand our presence at various festivals outside of Calgary and throughout the province. |
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| Fort Calgary - Canada Day Cantos has entered into an annual partnership with Fort Calgary and its Canada Day celebrations. Fort Calgary provides the venue, financial and promotional support for Cantos to provide a full day of quality music performances that showcase our instruments and reflect our diverse range of music programming. With a large daily attendance, this collaboration garners a lot of exposure to new audiences while also providing the opportunity to publicly speak about the National Music Centre project during the opening ceremonies, amongst several political leaders, media and thousands of people from the Calgary community. |
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| Alberta Arts Days Alberta Arts Days are three days set aside by the Province of Alberta to showcase Alberta artists of all types, and to encourage Albertans to discover, experience and celebrate the arts. As Alberta Arts Days continues to develop, it will continue to promote the importance of arts and culture as part of a prosperous, healthy and vibrant Alberta. |
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| Calgary International Film Festival Cantos is a Community Partner for the Calgary International Film Festival's Music on Film Series. Throughout the Festival as well at other presentations throughout the year, Cantos provides its support to films where music plays an integral role. In addition to speaking opportunities prior to the film, live performances featuring our instruments are also provided where possible and appropriate. |
 | Reel Fun Film Festival Cantos partners with the Reel Fun Film Festival in presenting a Silent Film screening complete with accompaniment from Cantos musicians and instruments. Children and adults are given an opportunity to interact with and try out the instruments following the performance. | |
