The Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre is hosting the kickoff of an Okanagan Cultural Connections Tour on Wednesday.

The event will see more than two dozen promoters, booking agents and others touring live performance venues around the Okanagan over four days in an effort to build the live music community.

Vernon’s Performing Arts Centre was chosen to lead-off the tour due to its reputation for excellent acoustics and technical production and past successes hosting memorable big name concerts such as Burton Cummings, Barenaked Ladies, Jim Cuddy, Jann Arden, Colin James, Andrew Allan, the late Gord Downie and more, said Vernon PAC executive director Jim Harding.

“The promoters, booking agents and guests will tour the Performing Arts Centre’s patron and performer amenities and conclude with a demonstration of the theatre’s technical production resources, including the versatile and vibrant LED lighting system installed in January 2018; the variable digital sound capabilities; and the brand new digital projection system,” said Harding.

The tour is “to build the live music community and network with regional promoters and agents to support development of the Okanagan music market”, according to Mark Greenhalgh, Arts and Culture Centre Project Manager for the District of Summerland, coordinator of the tour.

Other stops will be at Creekside Theatre (Lake Country), Rotary Arts Centre (Kelowna), Summerland Centre Stage Theatre, The Cleland Theatre (Penticton), Enowkin Centre (Sylix People’s Arts Centre, Penticton), and Frank Venables Theatre (Oliver) from August 21-24.

Pete McIntyre
Vernon Matters - August 21, 2019