Immerse yourself at the Bella
Taylor Centre Concert Series set to start in September
— Mount Royal University | Posted: August 25, 2022
There's no better spot than under the bright lights of the Bella Concert Hall to catch one of Nova Scotia's favourite sons, Joel Plaskett. Plaskett will perform on Sept. 13 and 14.
Mount Royal University’s Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts’ Concert Series this fall will feature shows from six artists at the state-of-the-art Bella Concert Hall.
The series will welcome Joel Plaskett, Jill Barber, Dame Evelyn Glennie and Land's End Ensemble, Whitehorse with guests, Tim Baker and Matthew Good over the course of the upcoming four months.
“We’re trying to program the best of the best in the adult contemporary music world,” says artistic director Craig Hall. “The Bella is one of the finest music venues in the entire country and we want to make sure the work we’re presenting capitalizes on the extraordinary venue and extraordinary acoustics at the Taylor Centre.”
The Bella Concert Hall is tuned specifically for each performance, causing music to resonate in the minds of both the crowd and the artists that perform in the venue.
Jill Barber, known as “Canada’s sweetheart,” has treated audiences at the Bella to her unforgettable voice in previous concerts. She says that she is “very much looking forward to returning to one of my favourite venues. I am excited to play new songs and some fan favourites.”
Since opening in 2015, the Taylor Centre has been dedicated to meeting community needs and is also the home of the Mount Royal Conservatory. Hall thinks the Centre is just starting to scratch the surface of its possible impact in the city and the fall Concert Series is a small part of that.
“What I find most exciting is the potential of the venue. To play a bigger role in the University and in the community is very exciting for everyone who has worked here since it opened,” he says. “It’s a place that exists to expand people’s knowledge and thinking about music and the way they experience music.
“Beyond the Concert Series itself, there’s a certain kind of impact you can have when you’re presenting world-class work in the venue. Our hope is to get more artists in the venue, more local luminaries coming in and capitalizing on the Bella as not just a place to play, but a place to create.”
The six shows in the concert series will give the artists coming to Mount Royal a chance to do just that — create — while they perform for Calgary’s music lovers.
44 & More On Tour Joel Plaskett Emergency with Mo Kenney
The 44 & More On Tour Joel Plaskett Emergency with Mo Kenney concert will bring the electrifying and uplifting experience of Plaskett’s live shows to the Bella Concert Hall with two concerts. Show dates are Tuesday, Sept. 13, and Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m.
Jill Barber
Barber makes her return to the Bell Concert Hall. The three-time Juno-nominated singer-songwriter has an unforgettable voice that spans a transformative spectrum from folk, to vocal jazz, to pop. It includes songs in both French and English. Her show is on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m.
Dame Evelyn Glennie and Land's End Ensemble
Co-presented with the Mount Royal Conservatory, the Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts welcomes back Dame Evelyn Glennie alongside Land’s End Ensemble. In 2017, during a sold-out 20th-anniversary show, Glennie’s performance was called “a turning point not only for new music in Calgary but for all the performing arts” by critics. Glennie and Land's End Ensemble will be back at the Bella Concert Hall on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
Whitehorse with guests
Whitehorse, a Juno award-winning band, will bring their guitar-heavy, harmony-abundant and lyrically deft signature sound to the Bella Concert Hall on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 8 p.m. Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet are an ever-evolving creative partnership as they consistently explore new instrumental and lyrical terrain with each record.
Tim Baker and All Hands
Since transitioning from the songwriter and leader of Hey Rosetta! Tim Baker has become a profound songwriter and producer, with a Juno nomination for Songwriter of the Year. Baker wants to take pain and suffering and align it all with melody on Monday, Nov. 21, at 8 p.m at the Bella Concert Hall.
Matthew Good Solo Acoustic Tour
Juno award-winning singer/songwriter Matthew Good has been willing to take stylistic risks and alter his formula throughout his career. Now he brings his strong melodic sense and somewhat brash outspokenness to the Bella Concert Hall on Friday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m.
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