SETTING CHEF’S TABLE
NAC chef Kenton Leier and Montreal chef Helena Loureiro will be served on Sept. 11 and 12 at 1 Elgin for the first of the Bluesfest/NAC bands on a boat concert series.
Following a series of successful drive-in concerts, the team behind Bluesfest is testing out some more uncharted waters, this time teaming with the National Arts Centre for a concert series wrapped around a farm-fresh gourmet meal, with live music floating up on a boat on the Rideau Canal.
“We’ve all been doing this virtual delivery, and people are just clamouring to actually have some sort of live music experience again,” executive director Mark Monahan said in an interview this week, unveiling his latest venture in the 2020 edition of The Ontario Festival of Small Halls.
Organizers are billing this year’s edition of the festival as: “A boat on the water, a band on the boat, a superb farm-to-table feast at an ideal waterside location” at the NAC’s outdoor terrace.
The Small Halls festival began as an idea to bring great live acts to small communities around the province, and last year introduced the feature of the Chef ’s Table.
“This idea for a farm-to-table meal with a renowned chef proved very popular, and we didn’t know what to expect,” Monahan said. “Because of the pandemic situation we really couldn’t look at mounting this like we did last year, so we approached the NAC, who had been doing a version of this by bringing in renowned out-oftown chefs for a residency. They had paused that program due to COVID, obviously, and so we came together and partnered to hopefully accomplish a similar goal.”
They came up with a venue at the NAC’s outdoor terrace at 1 Elgin (formerly Le Café), then a program of world-renowned chefs for the three-weekend program in September, Monahan said. “Then we added an idea of doing a show on a boat on the canal.”
Organizers curated some worldclass local musical talent with Dueling Pianos (Dave Kalil and Tyler Kealey) on Sept. 11 and 12, Rebecca Noelle on Sept. 18 and 19, and HOROJO TRIO on Sept. 25 and 26.
“We found there’s a huge interest in this notion of food combined with music, and a lot of our fans have an interest in both,” Monahan said. “The (calibre of ) chefs was critical in terms of generating that appeal, and we have some world-renowned chefs, the food is all sourced locally, so it’s quite an opportunity to get a taste of what these folks do.
“The meal will be curated by each chef. And then the dinner will follow with a concert with musicians on the boat.”
Monahan said he’s heard plenty of positive feedback after his latest experiment with the drive-in concert series, another partnership with the NAC that featured performances from the likes of Sam Roberts Band, Tim Hicks and Patrick Watson.
“It wasn’t Bluesfest as we know it, but it was phenomenal to get out and enjoy a concert again. From the audience standpoint, they enjoyed the whole experience — just the fact they could get out again and hear great music.”
Studio-quality sound was beamed to 300 or 400 cars in the parking lot, but Monahan said the livestreams attracted more than 100,000 viewers each night.
“It’s quite amazing the reach you can have online,” Monahan said.
The Chef’s Table series, Monahan said, will give people another chance to enjoy a live concert experience while staying as safe and physically distant as possible.
Tickets go on sale Friday morning and people can reserve tables of four, six or eight. Organizers are asking that those groups be within your “social bubble.”
“People are looking for the notion that they’re going to be safe. They want to come out, but they want to make sure it’s done in a responsible way,” Monahan said. “People are looking for something to do, but within their social bubble. And the way we’re setting this up, we’re saying to people, that’s got to be within your social bubble.
“So we’re trying to come up with things that can be done responsibly, and so people can get their head around the concept that it’s going to be safe, it’s going to be fun, and you know what? We’re all living with this right now. It doesn’t mean we all have to stay at home.”