It's one of those operas that you know - even if you don't know you know it. That would be La Bohème, Giacomo Puccini's masterpiece of love, loss and heartbreak.
Burnaby Lyric Opera is presenting highlights from the beloved classic as the next offering in its Opera for a Sunday Afternoon concert series.
The concert is on Sunday, April 20 at 3 p.m. at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. It stars Burnaby's own rising star soprano, Chloé Hurst singing the role of Mimi.
She'll be joined by a cast of other young opera singers from around the Lower Mainland, including Martin Sadd, Andrey Andreychik, Julie Duerichen and Scott Brooks. It's directed by David Boothroyd.
Tickets are $15. Call the box office at 604-205-3000, or buy in person at the Shadbolt Centre, 6450 Deer Lake Ave.
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Good luck talismans in artistic form?
I like the sound of that.
The Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre is holding its sixth annual Bloom Art Auction on Saturday, May 24, to raise money to support the museum's exhibits, programs and special events.
This year's auction includes 100 artist-designed daruma.
For those, like me, who aren't familiar with them, daruma are popular talismans of good luck in Japan, tracing back to the origin of Zen in the fifth century.
A press release informs me that the simple tumbling dolls are armless, legless and made out of papier-mâché with a weighted bottom to always stand upright even if pushed down - a symboll of perseverance and fortitude.
Classic daruma are eyeless and considered to be good luck in achieving goals; one eye is painted in upon setting the goal and the second when the goal has been accomplished.
The museum has invited a host of artists - including Mariko Ando Spencer, Madoka Hara, Sonny Assu, Tomoyo Ihaya, Shima Itabashi, Jeff Chiba Stearns and more - to design creative daruma in their own chosen colour and medium.
The daruma will be on display in the gallery from May 10 to 24 and will also be previewed online at www.nikkeiplace.org. Admission to the exhibition is by donation.
The daruma will be up for auction at a special party on Saturday, May 24, which will feature canapés, cash bar, live entertainment and a raffle. The event will be hosted by the CBC's Margaret Gallagher and runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Nikkei Centre, 6688 Southoaks Cres.
Tickets are $25, or $20 for centre members. Check out centre.nikkeiplace.org/daruma-art/ for all the details.
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You likely saw the announcement of the Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival lineup in the April 9 edition of the paper. If you missed it, Big Sugar, Matt Andersen and Bettye LaVette get top billing for the festival, coming Saturday, Aug. 9.
Local blues fans will be pleased to know that it's a hometown performer who's opening up the mainstage lineup for the summer festival.
Steve Kozak was born and raised in Burnaby, graduated from Burnaby South Secondary and has lived in the city most of his life.
He was the Maple Blues Award Winner for New Artist of the Year, presented by the Toronto Blues Society in 2013. He has released his fourth album, Lookin' at Lucky, a compilation of original compositions and favourite blues covers.
"I am very pleased and looking forward to opening up the 2014 Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival on the main stage," he wrote in an email to the NOW.
Watch for more on Steve and the rest of the performers as the festival draws closer.
And if you want to know more about the festival or get your tickets early, check out www.burnabybluesfestival.com.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
