With restrictions lifting, you might be wondering if Wednesday on the Wharf concerts will go ahead this summer.
While the Salmon Arm Arts Centre (SAAC), which has presented WOW for the past 27 years, is keen to bring music to the community, the concert series will have to wait until 2022.
“We’re so appreciative of the enthusiasm and community support for WOW,” said arts centre program manager Astrid Varnes, adding the future was just too uncertain in early spring to commit to producing an outdoor concert series for 2021.
Instead, the arts centre jumped into a whole new realm – digital album production – and teamed up with local experts Clea Roddick and Craig Newnes of Song Sparrow Hall to create WOW: The Wharf Sessions, a digital album that celebrates the spirit of Wednesday on the Wharf. Like WOW, the album features a range of musical styles including jazz, folk, blues and pop. Listeners will hear eleven local artists, including Secwepemc storyteller Kenthen Thomas and the SAS Sullivan Choir.
Released on the Arts Centre website mid-June, the album is now available for streaming on major platforms such as Spotify, Apple, and YouTube Music. Listeners can stream the album on the above platforms, or can download it for free from the arts centre website at salmonarmartscentre.ca and by clicking on the Wednesday on the Wharf link. The website also features a weekly blog post that showcases each artist, along with behind-the-scenes photographs from the recording session.
Read more: Musicians, audience grateful for opening of new Salmon Arm concert hall
Read more: Wednesday on the Wharf makes 2021 debut as digital offering
“The Wharf Sessions is a perfect way to introduce visitors to the array of musical talent we have in the Shuswap,” continues Varnes. “For locals, it’s a chance to reflect back on these past months through some familiar vocals, and fabulous instrumentals. Kenthen’s story really roots us to this place, and can enrich our appreciation and connection to these lands.”
The Arts Centre thanks everyone for their support and enthusiasm for Wednesday on the Wharf, and looks forward to presenting this community event in summer of 2022. Until then, Varnes suggests you grab some friends and a picnic blanket, and let the Wharf Sessions accompany your next social gathering.
The Wharf Sessions line-up includes The Blind Bay Blues Band, Chicken-Like Birds, Jimmy Two-Shoes & the Lost Soles, The Chorogues, Green Room, Tara Willard, Mozi Bones, the Jake McIntyre-Paul Sextet, the SAS Sullivan Choir, Blu and Kelly Hopkins and Kenthen Thomas.
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Secwepemc storyteller Kenthen Thomas is one of the 11 artists/musicians featured on WOW: The Wharf Sessions, a digital album that celebrates the spirit of Wednesday on the Wharf. (Kristal Burgess photo)
