Columbia Power has provided a major sponsorship to the Health Arts Society’s concert series for seniors in residential care in the West Kootenay. On June 14 and 15, musicians (and Rossland residents) Nicola Everton and Michael Gifford will play at Talarico Place in Castlegar and Columbia View Lodge in Trail as part of their tour of ten communities in the coming week. This tour is the last for the season which has seen a series of regional tours since February.
Over the last six months, a special concert series has taken place in the West Kootenay. The Kootenay ArtsWay Program sees professional musicians from across the region bring classical, popular, country and swing music to seniors in residential care. The Kootenay ArtsWay Program was developed by the Health Arts Society – a nation-wide charity that is dedicated to bringing the experience of music to elders in care.
Communities who have benefited from this program include Castlegar, Trail, Nelson, and New Denver. Kootenay ArtsWay Program Coordinator and participating series musician, Nicola Everton (holding clarinet), along with Rossland musician Michael Gifford (second from left), recently met up with Columbia Power representative Audrey Repin and Castlegar Mayor, Lawrence Chernoff; Columbia Power is a major sponsor of the concert series. Everton and Gifford will play Columbia View Lodge on June 14 and Talarico Place in Castlegar on June 15.
The program will wrap up in July, but it is the hope of organizers to expand their series to reach additional care homes in the region starting in fall of 2012.
