Music Niagara season concludes with celebration, reflection

The final Music Niagara Festival concert of 2023 last Tuesday evening at St. Mark’s Anglican Church encapsulated the themes of celebration and reflection that underlined the non-profit’s 25th year.

Musically, it was a fitting cap to the series of 19 events held in Niagara-on-the-Lake by the festival this year. Tuesday’s program was varied, with young violinists showcasing their talents, music from Ukraine and Lithuania played by skilled musicians from those countries, and a Toronto band presenting a melange of blues, reggae, Arabic and other sounds from around the world. 

Tying it all together was comedian Mike Bullard, best-known for his nine-year run hosting a late-night talk show on CTV and then Global television. Bullard entertained with his signature audience participation banter, ad libbing back and forth with a selection of some of the 110 guests packing the pews, before shifting gears to get serious about his four-month-long visit to Ukraine in late 2022 and early 2023.

“I’ve always placed great value on life,” Bullard said, somberly, “but I never realized how much I take for granted in this country until I got to the war zone there. The place is World War Two-and-a-Half. It made me want to live my life in a different way.”

Since it broke out, the war in Ukraine has been a special topic of concern for Music Niagara co-founder and artistic director Atis Bankas, whose early life was spent living in Lithuania under Soviet rule. Bankas quickly mobilized last year to arrange two successful fundraisers, one in Toronto and one in Niagara, to support the Ukrainian cause. He continued that focus this season with programming that featured and celebrated musicians from Ukraine.

Tuesday’s special guest, Lithuanian ambassador to Canada Darius Skusevicius, praised Bankas for being the first person to hold such a fundraising and awareness event. 

“I am fascinated with his ability to bring different kinds of music together in one concert,” said Skusevicius, prior to presenting the violinist with a pin in the shape of his home country. “This fascinating man is creating miracles, and he reminds us all that this war is still going on.”

More praise for the artistic director came from Music Niagara’s board chair and vice chair, Patrick Little and Edward Barisa respectively. Little, in a speech just before intermission, lauded the artistic director for his continued commitment to bringing quality music to NOTL.

“That was really encouraging and nice,” Bankas said, taking the praise in stride. “But I’m already planning for next year, and we’re about 60 percent of the season booked already. We have some beautiful music, some beautiful musicians coming next year.”
, 
Tuesday’s show began with young violin virtuosi Gloria Verhosvsky, Roman Nykorovych and Sora Sato-Mound, billed by Bankas as “Three Ukrainian Violin Musketeers”. Dressed in traditional Ukrainian garb, the trio deftly took turns rotating in and out of the spotlight on a rollicking traditional Ukrainian dance composition. 

They were followed by Lithuanians Aiste Bruzaite and Egidijus Alisauskas, playing kankles and birbynė, two folk instruments, respectively. 

Bruzaite sat behind her instrument, which resembled a cross between a harp and a zither, deftly using both hands and, for one number, brushes, to gently coax from it ethereal, beautiful sounds. Alisauskas accompanied her on his birbynė, a recorder-like instrument simple in structure but immensely powerful in sound, especially when experienced in the acoustic marvel that is St. Mark’s.

Their seven song performance of music from their country was capped with the premiere of an original work by Lithuanian composer Arunas Navakas, entitled Cranes. Bankas joined in on violin for this soaring number that emulates the grace and beauty of the large birds of the composition’s title.

Following an intermission during which Bankas cut and served cake to the guests, the Two Families Band took the stage. Originally from Crimea, Ukraine and now based in Hamilton, the ensemble consists of couples Valentyn Zadoianov and Irina Samarina, and Oleg Apostolov and Julia Kim. 

“Very, very high-quality music making,” Bankas said of their performance. “I would love to have them back for a show of their own. They are here on temporary visas. They are highly educated and need these opportunities to continue what they were trained to do and succeeded in back in Ukraine.”

Toronto’s Los Variants concluded the evening, nearly blowing the roof off the church with their set of rhythmic world music. Led by drummer Vince Maccarone, Los Variants presented a lively set that laid bare the origins of the band members, who hail from Sicily, Peru, El Salvador and Algeria. Fehti Nadjem was a standout on various stringed instruments, while the vocal performance of Maryem Hassan Tollar, in Arabic, was breathtaking. 

When the show was over, Bankas looked back effusively on the festival’s silver anniversary year.  

“We had so many beautiful shows,” he told The Local. “We had a great pops series that was successful at the wineries. We had the Canadian premiere of a Polish composition, our Glory to Ukraine concert was a big success. We had the young musicians back. Everything was so well received. I was very pleased with the way the season went, way better than last season, definitely.”

Bankas is working on arranging a lineup for a Remembrance Day event, something he says he is committed to, and possibly a holiday themed show in December. Though he says with the support of the festival’s board he is close to finalizing 2024’s slate, he’s not ready to reveal specific details as of yet.

“We will continue our collaboration with Shaw Festival, and continue all of the traditions we have started,” he said. “I am sure we will bring back our Glory to Ukraine concert, because war takes no days off. We really look forward to presenting entertaining first season of the next 25 years in 2024.”

“