From page 17 Twelve young performers have excited audiences from England to Singapore with their ensemble singing and dancing. Zand up: — Tiger Tango (Denmark). The North American pre- micre of the Danish troupe Det Lille Turncéteater & Corona Danseteater. — Khac Chi Ensemble — Exquisite music from Vietnam. Beautiful introduc- tion to a 4,000-vear-old cul- ture, — The Music Master and His Two Students (BC). Modern Baroque Opera Company performs modern adaptation of Giovanni Paisiello’s enchanting classic. — Inuvik Drummers and Dancers. Traditional drumdancing from the MacKenzie Delta/Beaufort Sea region. _ Band pi cd and the Medicine Beat (Yukon). Official . “Keeper of the Songs”of the Northern Tutchone people Jerry Alfred leads his band through modern and contemporary music. = Stealing Thunder (BC). Uzume Taiko play the powerful “traditional taiko- style af Japanese Percussion with visual flair. — Scat in the Hat (BC). The essence of “beatnikness.” — Barachois (PEI). Nominated as the group of the vear at the East Coast Music Awards Barachois ceic- brates its Acadian hericage with loads of joie de vivre. 10 and up: -- TIR NA N-OG (United Kingdom). Travelling Light Theatre Company perform Irish folk tales from TIR NA N-OG the mythical Land of Eternal Youth. 11 and up: — WUMPA... an adventure (BC). The full figure theatre company take audiences through an irreverent, acro- batic, romp through the cir- cus with fast-paced black comedy. WE At the Vancouver East Cultural Centre the X-site progrant features: 14 to adult: — Autopsy (Australis). Multi- media musical developed entirely from interviews with young» peopte. The script is part metaphorical internet romance, part Festival on ‘Sunday, May 31. | docu-drama and part-rock concert. Australia’s Adelaide Advertiser critic calls it “brave new theatre” _premierc. adul . North American — Moonlodge (BC). A young, native woman on a journey of discovery. — The Story of the Fallen Hero { Norway/France). Winner of the prestigious “Fringe First” Award at the 1997 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. North American premiere. @ Vanier Park Bandshell performers include: North Vancouver’s The Buddy System, Chris McKhoo! (Toronto), and Vancouver performers Brass Roots, The Blues . Berries, Bongo Bob, Ancient Cultures, Paar Group, Alpha Yaya Diallo and Bafing, and Rangeela Dance School. @ Vanier Park roving outdoor performers include: Saturday, May 30 North Vancouver’s Mike Battie, Filetta Fish, and Vancouver Morris Men; Sunday, May 31 Oliver Sudden’s Instant-Citcus, Meeks the Clow n, and Mortal Coil. : Young ones 5 receptive audience for operatic treasures Front page 17. beconies. “We have one of the students picking her nose a at the beginnirig,” she says. “If it’s done intelligently and it’s done within the characteri- « zation, I think then it doesn't’ - become cheap humor.” The.’ Music Master breaks down the traditional boundary separat- ing the “low” entertainment clowning and the “high” entertainment of operatic singing. -. Simon Capet, : also a found- ing director of the Modern Baroque Opera Company, will conduct:The Music Master's “orchestra” of harpsichord, violin, and cello. The “great humor” in Paisiello’s music, Capet says, makes The Music Master irresistible to children. -.“Paisicllo has all these bub- bling rhythms.” Thomas Hassmanns color- ful set also contributes to The Music Master’s appeal. Its cen- _ trepicce is a large wooden box that turns out to be a “magic cupboard,” with the students _ wrapped inside. “The idea is that chis box. sort of gets sent ..<-all over the world,” "~~ Hutchinson says. “And when “ie opens up, all mayhem breaks loose.” The Music Master’s young cast includes Phoebe MacRac and Barb Tarry as the nwo stu- dents and Alan Corbishlcy as the music téacher. All three have worked together in the past and developed a close friendship. “Working: together is just always a blast,” says Corbishley, who recently sang the role of the Pirate King in . Pirates of Penzance with the _ Kamloops Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of the UBC opera program, Corbishiey will enter a mas- ter’s programme in voice per- formance next Seprember at Boston’s New England Conservatory. MacRae, who. just complet- ed her master’s degree in - Opera at UBC, has performed in the Modern. Baruque Opera Company’s productions of Le ~ Cinesi and Orpheus and “Therapy Clinic Welcomes Exrydice. Next February she will be "appearing in Victoria’s Pacific ’ Opera production of Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. According to MacRae, nothing compares with The Music Master for sheer fun. Opera is a “formalized art - form” not us sually considered ropriate for children,she ss But when MacRae per- formed in Paisiello’s opera at last year’s children’s festival, the children in the sn ‘were “screaming laughing.” Barb Tarry moved from her home in Thunder Bav, Onnario, to study i:1 UBC's opera program. Sie attributes the success of The Music Master to the universal lan- guage of its spirited music. “It doesn't matter if it'’s country- and-western in Thunder Bay, Ontario, or if it’s musical the- are or if it’s this,” she says. “People are always captured by music, and this is no exception at all. It’s fun for kids.” Children make a receptive and spontaneous audience: They don’r have preconcep- tions about opera and they can’t be fooled about what's fun and what isn’t. For Hutchinson and the Modern Baroque Opera Company, that openness is well worth the _ rt of digging up and pol ishing operatic treasures the 18th century. “There's a lot of just sort-uf quirky, very strange pieces that were writ- ten at that time that I think appeal to children,” says Hutchinson. “They appeal to people’s sense of imagination and magic.” | physiotherapist Mike Pennington effective May 25, 1998 New patients welcome ; 10am - 7pm Call for appt. 987-5291 covered by MSP ~ 9308:125.East 13th St: N. Van Vanier Park sitemap — The Festival gates are open Monday and Tuesday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Wedrieeday to. Saturday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tickets to get onto the site are $5. There is no admission charge if you have show tickets. Penner and the Cat’s Meow Band. — Karen Young reccives two tickets to Suriduda’ 's perfor — Ann Eerries receives nwo tickets 0 the North: Ame can ‘pr iniere of Tiger Tango, _ Sarah Jawad receives two tickers ¢ to Inuvik Drumdancing.: : Télev ision. 4 our Community. ARD WINNER | Congratulations to the staff and volunteer crew of the locally produced Jogram television series. Live, every weekday morning at 9 a.m. from Rogers Community TV's North Shore studio, this’ : popular current affairs show connects viewers from around the’: Lower Mainland with expert and celebrity guests offering up a wealth of information and advice. Ingram has been selected as the us winner in the Professional Talk Show category of the North: American 1998 Hometown Video Festival. Host, David ingram and : producers, Petar Hefm and Furio Sorrentino are expected to accept...’ the award in Portland in July. Congratulations to a dedicated and. hard-working team for this well-deserved recognition! a M PAL H E aa Calling all greenthumbs. Here's a chance to ask some local experts about your gardening challenges. Bugs, shade, soil conditions, planting options ... it's free advice on the Municipal Holline.. Thursday May 28, 7 p.m. live. Phone-in 990-6130. ° COUNCIL COVERAGE LIVE: Monday May 25, 7:45 p.m. — West Vancouver Council repeats Saturday May 30 at 2:30 p.m, . Saturday May 30 at 10 a.m. — District of North Vancouver RGGERS .