National Music Centre promises prime programming for Fall 2018

By Safeena Meghji, September 20 2018 —

The National Music Centre (NMC) is prepping for what looks to be a thrilling schedule this fall. With colder weather closing in, Studio Bell will have an enormous variety of programs, concerts and workshops to suit a plethora of tastes.

“This fall in particular, we’re excited about a few of the unique things we’re offering,” says NMC program director Adam Fox. “Chief among them is TONTO Week, which we are doing in conjunction with Alberta Electronic Music Conference.”

TONTO Week is a celebratory fall event from Nov. 14–18. The week will focus on The Original New Timbral Orchestra (TONTO), the world’s largest analog synthesizer, which was recently restored by Studio Bell. Malcolm Cecil, one of TONTO’s co-creators, will be part of the instrument’s demonstrations. TONTO Week opens with a performance by Juno-award winning duo A Tribe Called Red on Nov. 15.

“They’re going to be the first artists to use TONTO to make new music in a long time,” Fox says.

If you can’t wait until November, there are a few other events popping up.

“We’ve got Grapes of Wrath coming in October, which are a legendary band,” Fox says. “Terri Clark was recently inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, so we’ll be celebrating that with a new exhibition.”

The NMC is also looking into bringing back popular youth programming.

“Our Jam Club program is returning and that’s a program for inner-city youth. It’s a drop-in program that we do weekly and we’re looking to expand into some other program streams that really help refine kids’ skills,” Fox says. “It’s a really wonderful program and I’m glad we’re bringing that back.”

In addition to the special fall programming, Studio Bell aims to continue its support of local artists.

“Alberta Spotlight is coming back. That is a multi-genre program designed to highlight emerging local and regional talent. We’ve got a great lineup,” he says.

The NMC offers a student discount for a visitor day pass, which include access to all the exhibitions and workshops that are going on that day. Tickets and program details can be found online.