Salman Rushdie, Tanya Tagaq, and Hofesh Shechter Company to headline fall events

The Banff Centre is proud to unveil its fall events lineup featuring the very best in contemporary dance, music, literary, and visual arts over 100 events, many of which are free and pay what you can. Included in the eclectic mix is literary legend Salman Rushdie; An Evening with Rita Coolidge; the 40th anniversary of the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival; a live concert with Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq alongside Nanook of the North; the North American premiere of barbarians by Hofesh Shechter Company; death-defying stunts by illusionist Darcy Oake; over 20 classical and indie music events, and more.

The season also features talks by leading artists, authors, and academics including literary legends Salman Rushdie and Alexandra Fuller; musicians Jasper Wood and Alex Cuba; visual artists Kay Burns and Janieta Eyre; Indigenous filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin; and more.

Visitors can also enjoy The Calling, a solo exhibition of Australian artist Angelica Mesiti and Without, within, the first Canadian solo-exhibition of San-Francisco based artist Elisheva Biernoff at Walter Phillips Gallery.

Season Highlights

September 20 – The Delta Lady Show: An Evening with Rita Coolidge
The fall season kicks off with a live performance by two-time Grammy Award-winning singer Rita Coolidge. Best known for her 1977 multi-platinum album, Anytime…Anywhere (A&M Records) with classic remakes like, “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher”, Coolidge will perform in the Eric Harvie Theatre.

September 26 – Banff Centre Talks: Salman Rushdie
Join multi-award winning author Salman Rushdie in conversation with Eleanor Wachtel, host of CBC’s Writers & Company, for one of only two Canadian stops celebrating the launch of his new novel, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights. Rushdie’s appearance in Banff signifies the launch of a bold transition for Literary Arts programming at The Banff Centre, which features a new slate of residencies and events offered by a prestigious list of Canadian and internationally renowned authors.

October 7 – Banff Centre Talks: Alexandra Fuller on Memoir and Writing
Alexandra Fuller, whose debut book, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood (Random House, 2001), was a New York Times Notable Book for 2002; the 2002 Booksense Best Non-fiction book; a finalist for The Guardian’s First Book Award; and the winner of the 2002 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, chats live about her work and the art of memoir.

October 31 – November 8 – Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival
The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival celebrates #40EpicYears with nine days of the world’s best in mountain adventure films, books, and speakers. Highlights include in-person appearances from climbers Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell, who make their debut as headline presenters for the 2015 Festival; the films Meru, A Line Across the Sky, Hadwin’s Judgement; and, the world premiere of The Rockies Traverse, featuring paragliders Will Gadd and Gavin McClurg. There will also be in-person appearances by ski mountaineer Kit Deslauriers; alpinist writers Kelly Cordes and Simone Moro; and, Lydia Bradey, the first woman to climb Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen.

October 9 + 10 – Tanya Tagaq: Nanook of the North
Polaris prize-winning Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq presents a live concert with film, creating a mesmerizing and original soundscape for the controversial 1922 silent film Nanook of the North. The evening also features a new composition as part of Re(Claim), an interdisciplinary program aimed at reclaiming the era of silent films made about Indigenous peoples through live performance.

October 24 – Hofesh Shechter Company presents barbarians
Co-Presented with Springboard Performance’s Fluid Festival 2015.
Internationally-acclaimed, UK-based dance company Hofesh Shechter Company brings the North American premiere of barbarians to The Banff Centre. This new trilogy by choreographer and musician Hofesh Shechter presents three different takes on intimacy, passion, and the banality of love.

November 20 – Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Check into New York’s infamous hotel—a place full of music and enchantment, desire and passion—with Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen. In new musical arrangements by Steve Charles, six performers pay tribute to the remarkable writer in this original music theatre piece.

November 21 – Ballet BC’s 30th Anniversary TourBallet BC returns as part of their 30th Anniversary Tour to perform a trilogy of new works from three of the world’s leading contemporary choreographers: “Solo Echo” by Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite; “New Work” by Belgian-born Stijn Celis; and, “Twenty Eight Thousand Waves” by Cayetano Soto.

November 29 – Darcy Oake – Edge of Reality
Award-winning master illusionist and sleight-of-hand artist Darcy Oake promises to transport audiences to another dimension with exhilarating visuals and logic-defying exploits as part of the Edge of Reality tour.

December 12 – Molly Johnson: Billie Holiday ChristmasJoined by Robi Botos (piano) and Terry Clarke (drums), award-winning and internationally-acclaimed singer Molly Johnson sings from her most recent album, Because of Billie (Universal Music Canada, 2014).

December 13 – Soweto Gospel Choir: Christmas Show
The Soweto Gospel Choir steps into the spotlight to perform favourites from the holiday season. Formed in Soweto, South Africa, the 30 plus-member ensemble blends elements of African gospel, Negro spirituals, reggae, and American popular music.

For the full list of events and to buy tickets, visit banffcentre.ca

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About The Banff Centre: The Banff Centre’s mission is inspiring creativity. Thousands of artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world participate in programs at The Banff Centre every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, The Banff Centre provides them with the support they need to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible possible.

Media Contact
Jenny Spurr
Media and Communications Officer
403.763.6719
jenny_spurr@banffcentre.ca

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