A B-DAY BASH FOR LOUGHEED HOUSE
Downtown landmark celebrates its 125th year
Matt Masters can add a couple more lines to his resume.
Singer. Songwriter. Musician. Festival organizer. Booker. Busker liaison. Would-be politician.
Now it can be amended to include: Cultural programmer and birthday planner.
Both are part of his current job, a one-year contract with local historical site and downtown landmark the Lougheed House, which is currently celebrating its 125th year.
“The title is 125th anniversary program co-ordinator,” Masters says of his new gig. “But in a nutshell, I’m a cultural bookings guy.” We’ll add that to the list as well. Masters was hired in April, a natural candidate for the job for all of the other things on his resume, namely how community minded he is, the fact he graduated with a degree in history and also grew up blocks from the house “with an architect dad and a Conservative politician for a mom.”
“I was very aware of the Lougheed House,” he says with a laugh.
“So the opportunity to help them become the cultural hub that they know they can be and that I know that they can be, it’s going to be an awesome realization.”
The most immediate step in that process was the planning of the big b-day bash for the building, which Masters confidently proclaims will be the “biggest birthday party the neighbourhood has seen.”
The party, which is also part of Calgary Historic Week 2016, takes place on Saturday at the Lougheed House and grounds (707 13 Ave. S.W), and features the usual things you’d expect from a family-friendly shindig, including cake and iced tea, kids’ activities and, of course, entertainment on two stages — a music stage and a comedy one.
With his strong ties to the local music scene, Masters was able to attract “a pretty good lineup,” one that has a “wide brush stroke,” and includes some of the city’s best homegrown acts, among them soul singer Lynn Olagundoye, alt country act Lucky Sonne, piano pop artist Lisa Anderson, members of the Calgary Opera and musicians from the Calgary Wind Symphony.
“That’s how we wanted to design the event, just as an open community party that will have something for everyone, so to speak,” says Masters, who will emcee the day.
“When we designed the programming we looked as wide as we could, and that’s where we came up with our musical acts, who are incredibly diverse: from Calgary Opera to Lucky Sonne. It’s probably the first time Lucky Sonne and Calgary Opera have been on the same bill, but I think they belong together because they’re both making music that has a Calgary origin.”
Having a comedy stage, Masters thinks, plays into the Lougheed House’s history of being “a place of great oration,” with such local mirth makers as Cory Mack, Amy Bugg, Scoot Laird, Brittany Lyseng and Nav Ghali getting their chance to yuk things up.
“We have a good standup community in this city and giving them an opportunity to showcase is really exciting,” he says.
Ultimately, Masters hopes that excitement will draw people to the party and, perhaps, help him toward his goal and part of his job description, which is “to activate the house in different ways.”
It does feature a museum, gallery space and a restaurant that is open for lunch and weekend brunches, but he wants it to be seen as something more vibrant and something that’s part of the city’s current cultural landscape.
Already he’s started an artist- inresidence series, with the first being Kenna Burima. He spent a week in the home and on its two vintage grand pianos, writing a suite based on the Lougheed House and its rich 125 years of history.
He’s hoping for another four or five to take place before the end of the year.
In September, a theatre company will be doing Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing inside its walls, the staging changed to use the rooms of the house.
And already they’ve had discussions with arts groups and organizations such as Beakerhead and EMMEDIA about how they could be used as a venue for their events.
“We just want to do stuff that really activates the Lougheed House — the house and the gardens as well. It lets the city know we’re around and available,” Masters says.
“The Lougheed House is exactly the kind of place that should be a venue for Beltline-based cultural events. It’s just a natural fit.
“The story is pretty common, a lot of people have walked by the Lougheed House their whole lives but have never been inside. And if they have been inside, it’s maybe because they were at a wedding.
“But it’s time for the house to be more than that.”
Masters seems to be making the most of the opportunity, dreaming big and hoping he gets the OK from the powers that be. That includes, perhaps, putting ice in the park in winter, making it an outdoor rink for the inner-city, even envisioning a curling bonspiel.
“I’ve booked a lot of bands,” he says, “but I’ve never really worked in the curling industry.” Add it to the resume. The Lougheed House 125th Anniversary Party takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.