By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Burlington’s annual music festival, Sound of Music (SOM), kicks off this weekend and the stage is set for artists and eventgoers alike.
The Burlington Performing Arts Centre (BPAC) is the title sponsor of the festival this year, and despite the recent departure of Steve Cussons, the chair of the board of directors for SOM as well as Tammy Fox, the executive director of BPAC, Dave Shepherd, the new chairperson, has assured attendees that event will still run smoothly.
“BPAC is our title sponsor this year, and they have been a great addition to the festival,” Shepherd said. “There has been no impact on the festival itself with the departure of their executive director.”
Paul Sharman, Ward 5 councillor, commented positively on the collaboration.
“We’ve been dealing with this kind of dance between the Performing Arts Centre, and The Sound of Music, for years, ever since Performing Arts Centre was opened,” Sharman said. “Because when the Sound of Music was on, the Performing Arts Centre was kind of unable to do any programming, and so by combining the talent pool of the two initiatives, I believe we have an opportunity to do something a little more integrated and possibly a whole lot better for both.”
Sharman spoke about the pros and cons of the collaboration as well.
“The logistics are different, the scale is very different,” Sharman said. “You know, in the case of BPAC, a lot of the equipment is already on site and, they’re used to handling it, moving and assembling it in a location with a very different sound environment. Once you get outside you’ve got weather to deal with and much bigger audience areas and things like that.”
“But fundamentally, the business is the same,” Sharman continued. “You’ve got a surface and logistics difference and a volunteer difference, for sure, but Sound of Music has that down pat. What I expect to see out of the relationship with BPAC, actually, is the selection of artists that are probably most suited for Burlington. Because I think the Sound of Music got a little out of kilter over the last few years.”
Tyler Shaw, a Canadian singer who is performing at the Access Storage West Stage on June 16, also played the festival in 2018 and is looking forward to being a part of it again.
“It’s right on the waterfront, and I’m a sucker for water,” Shaw said. “I grew up on the West Coast, so having ocean or something that resembles the ocean is really nice for me. It’s just a great view and a great crowd. That was a good turnout.”
Shaw also talked about his love of playing in his own country.
“Canada’s home, Canada will always be home,” Shaw said. “So any time I get to do a Canadian festival, like Burlington or I’m doing Ottawa Bluesfest this year, a couple of other ones out west, it’s awesome.”
Indigenous folk duo Twin Flames, also performing at the Access Storage West Stage, on June 15, is excited to play the festival not only because of their love of Burlington but also because of their familiarity with BPAC, having performed there four times.
The two members, husband and wife Jaaji and Chelsey June said that they have no preference when it comes to playing their own gigs or festivals.
“We love playing, period,” Jaaji said. “I mean, even if it’s for a small little cafe or whatnot, it doesn’t matter the size. It’s music to our ears because we know that it’s music to people’s ears as well.”
“I think there’s something super special about festival season and festival time, because not only does it allow us to perform in front of new people, but it also lets us discover different acts as well,” June said. “So it ends up being a really great place to kind of hang out and get to see all the great things that are going on in our country right now.”
“We don’t really consider the music itself Indigenous, you know, music is music,” Jaaji said. “We just happen to sing in different languages [English, French, and Inuktitut). I think that one thing that people need to understand is that music can be sung in different languages, but it’s its own entity. So we pay homage to some of the Indigenous instruments that are there, but the moment that you start playing music, it’s just music.”
The Sound of Music Festival runs from June 13 to 16 at Spencer Smith Park. Admission is free.
