Ottawa, ON, Jun 15, 2012 — This time of year there's no shortage of live jazz in this area. Recently, we've told you about jazz festivals in Burlington and Kingston, and another festival that continues to grow each year is the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival. This year it runs from June 21st to July 1st, and last week Joel Hurd spoke with the festival's Programming Manager, Petr Cancura.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, May 28, 2012 — Circle Mirror Transformation is running at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa through June 10. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has our review.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Mar 27, 2012 — East of Berlin is running at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa through April 8. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has this review.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Mar 19, 2012 — "Penny Plain" is running at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa through April 1. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has this review.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Mar 09, 2012 — One of Canada's top choirs celebrates its tenth season with a performance in Ottawa Saturday night. The Ottawa Bach Choir has performed its brand of Baroque music around the world and had its Carnegie Hall debut last May. Todd Moe talks with the ensemble's founder and Artistic Director Lisette Canton about Saturday night's performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion -- an authentic Baroque concert featuring an array of Canadian and international early music stars.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Feb 17, 2012 — Organizers of Ottawa's big three-week winter festival have learned from long experience there's just no counting on the weather. Take this year: a mild opening weekend. Then a chilly one. And now, a bit of a melt-down.

The Rideau Canal was closed on Thursday as temperatures reached the upper 30s, with another mild forecast on tap for today.

Winterlude's final weekend includes a provincial holiday "Family Day" on Monday, giving residents and visitors three full days to take in a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. Lucy Martin has more.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Feb 06, 2012 — Creation is running in the Studio at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa through February 20. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng was at the opening night and has our review.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Jan 23, 2012 — Blood on the Moon is running at GCTC in Ottawa through February 5. Resident theatre critic Connie Meng has this commentary.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Jan 19, 2012 — Part of Ottawa's Rideau Canal Skateway opened for skating this past Sunday, kicking off its 42nd season. Once weather permits, nearly five miles of frozen canal will see heavy use for another month or two. The free skateway is a star attraction for Winterlude, coming up February 3-20. Sunday, just a short section was open, and the ice conditions were listed as poor.

Long time canal enthusiast Hugh Graham keeps a kick sled on hand for bad ice days. The sled looks like a light kitchen chair on long, thin runners. Wearing home-made studded boots, he can ride the runner with one foot, and push along at a good clip with the other. There's even room for some gear or a light passenger on the chair. Graham showed off his kick sled to Lucy Martin for today's Heard Up North.  Go to full article

Ottawa, ON, Jan 19, 2012 — The Canadian play, 2 Pianos, 4 Hands, has played on five continents and in more than 150 cities since it first opened 15 years ago. Its success worldwide is due to its universal themes of dreams and discipline.

The set consists of two grand pianos, and the cast is just two actors. It's a simple show, ostensibly about piano lessons, that's moving, profound and lots of fun. It was written and first performed by Ted Dykstra and Richard Greenblatt, both brilliant actors and pianists. They're back on stage at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa this month for the farewell tour.

2 Pianos, 4 Hands continues through Saturday, January 28th at the National Arts Centre's English Theatre. NCPR's resident theater critic Connie Meng and Todd Moe share a review of the show.  Go to full article