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The Milton Concert Band is getting into the Culture Days spirit this year! They’ll be turning the conductors baton over to YOU the audience!

“Maestro for a Minute: Have you ever wanted to know what it feels like to lead an ensemble of musicians? Well now is your chance! Take the baton and lead the Milton Concert Band through a piece of music. Music Director, Dylan Maddix will be there to lend a guiding hand, if you need it. Hope to see you on the podium!”

Don’t forget to pop the Milton Culture Days dates into your calendar! Sept 28-30, 2018.

 

Milton’s House of Chords is bringing their popular Lil’ Rockers music program to Culture Days 2018! They’ll be joining us at the FirstOntario Arts Centre Milton on Saturday September 29, 2018 in the Delridge Room.

Lil’ Rockers invites children and their parents to take part in various music and movement activities (dance, instrument play, cooperative games). This session is going to be high energy, set to a great play list of classic rock hits and current pop music. All of our classes were developed by ECEs to teach children foundational music concepts in a child-friendly way.

 

Carrie Ismail of Milton’s very popular jewelry brand “Hand to Heart Jewelry” will be back again at Milton Culture Days this year. Carrie is generously providing participants with the opportunity to try their hand at metal stamping!

Participants will be able to hand stamp their own keychain or dog tag necklace. They will complete the whole process of hand stamping including planning their piece, selecting their blanks to stamp on, stamping letter by letter using a weighted hammer, oxidizing the letters, and then polishing and assembling their creation. Capacity will be limited by instructors.

Find Carrie in Bateman Studio #2 on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at the FirstOntario Arts Centre Milton.

Arts Milton invites all members and Culture Days Activity Organizers to our Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, July 24, at 7 pm at Hugh Foster Hall in Milton. A short AGM with updates on programming, finances and board slate will be followed by a Milton Culture Days meeting.

See you there!

Gavin McLeod will be opening our 2018 Summer Days Performance Series on July 7 at the Milton Farmers’ Market. We’re thrilled to have this talented young musician back again this year! (though no longer quite this young…awww so cute!)

Gavin McLeod is an eighteen year old singer, songwriter and blues guitar player from Milton, Ontario. Gavin has played around the GTA as the frontman of the band Hawthorne, part of the GM Trio and as a solo musician. He has been perfecting his set from an early age on stages such as the Rising Star at the Canadian National Exhibition, the Downtown Milton Street Festival, Radfest, the Hard Rock Cafe in Toronto and at his own “Jamming for Joy” charity concert.

You can catch Gavin performing this summer at the the Toronto Jazz Festival with his blues trio, the Downtown Milton Street Festival with both of his bands, as well as at Summer Days 2018.

Arts Milton is excited to welcome John Muirhead to the Summer Days Series at the Milton Farmers’ Market. He’ll be performing on July 14, 2018 at 10 am on the closed down Main Street in front of the Ivy Arms restaurant.

From fingerstyle folk confessionals to rowdy singalong jams, London, ON based folk-rocker John Muirhead will warm your heart, then break it too. With spirit and storytelling at the heart of his music, John would fit snugly between Dallas Green and Bruce Springsteen at a late night Canadian campfire.

In 2016 John released his CFMA nominated debut EP Yesterday’s Smile and showcased at the Folk Music Ontario conference in Ottawa, ON (Youth Discoveries Program participant & Taylor Mitchell Bursary Recipient). John was also named a semi-finalist in the Canadian Songwriting Competition for his song “The Space Between Stars”.

2017 included a summer tour, multiple festival performances, and most notably, a nomination for “Young Performer of the Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards in November. His second EP will be released in Spring 2018 and will be promoted with a national summer tour.

For the past two years we have happily hosted the Aubrey Wilson Quartet as part of our Summer Days Performance Series  at the Milton Farmers’ Market. This year, Aubrey will be performing with her sister in law Teri Parker as the Parker Wilson Duo. With the soft vocal stylings of Aubrey and Teri on keyboard, these two women are sure to bring a beautiful vibe on Saturday, June 21! (Beginning at 10 am).

After playing a few of their favourite songs together during 2014, Teri Parker and Aubrey Wilson formed a working band. Since then, the musicians have played over 100 weddings, as well as countless parties, jazz clubs, and festivals. Performing in a style that is acoustically subtle without sacrificing toe-tapping beats, the Parker Wilson Duo suits both wedding ceremonies and cocktail hours.

Teri Parker is a Toronto-based pianist, composer, and performer. She is a University of Toronto Jazz Performance graduate and has also studied in New York City under the tutelage of world-renowned pianists and composers Aaron Goldberg, Sophia Rosoff, and Guillermo Klein. Teri’s jazz band, the Parker Abbott Trio, has released three acclaimed original albums and toured across Canada.

Aubrey Wilson is a jazz vocalist based in Hamilton and Milton. She is a graduate of the Mohawk College Vocal Jazz Performance program, where she studied under esteemed musicians such as Carol McCartney and Mim Adams, and she has been actively involved in the performance arts world since childhood. Aubrey’s jazz outfit, the Aubrey Wilson Quartet, has performed at festivals and clubs across Southern Ontario since 2012.

Musician Laila Haight is bringing the fun and her fiddle during the final Summer Days performance at the Milton Farmer’s Market on July 28, 2018.

Laila began playing the violin at the age of four and added piano to her studies shortly after. She has achieved her ARCT in both instruments and holds a Bachelors degree in violin performance from Wilfrid Laurier University. For over 10 years Laila has enjoyed sharing her love of music with others through performing and teaching private music lessons.

Arts Milton is looking for an outstanding artist to design and create the Milton Culture Days 2018 stage backdrop. Our phenomenal 2017 backdrop of paper flowers was created by Holly Dionisi from Fleurish.

We welcome submission ideas from individuals, partners, groups, businesses. Projects involving volunteer or public collaboration will also be welcomed.

Any media is a possibility: Plants, Fabric, Paper, Collage, Graffiti, Wood, Recycled goods – the options are endless!

Please send the following information, as well as sketches by June 30, 2018 to info@artsmilton.com. Culture Days takes place on September 28-30, 2018.

Full Name:

Marketing Name:

Email:

Phone Number:

Detailed Design Plan: (150-200 words. Please include notes on aesthetics, creation, logistics and timing).

 

One of the highlights from our 2017 Milton Culture Days weekend was the interactive dance performance by Bollywood West Dance Studio during our Opening Reception Party.

Performers dressed in traditional attire bounded into the room where they began a lively bhangra dance. Following this, drummer and leader Kulbir taught the audience a series of steps and movements. Before we knew it, the entire room was following along, sudden experts in this ancient art. The beat of the drums pounded vibrantly through the room.

THIS. Is Culture Days.