SAVOUR THE SEASON
From Pique's winter edition to Big Sugar's return, Lynn Saxberg shares things to do in Ottawa this weekend
PARTY
The winter edition of Pique, a quarterly event series celebrating forward-thinking artists, takes over Arts Court and the Ottawa Art Gallery on Saturday, with music, art and workshops spread across four stages on three levels of the building complex at the corner of Nicholas and Daly streets. Musical performers include Cartel Madras, the Calgary-based hip-hop sister duo, Ottawa rapper Lia Kloud, and Pantayo, an all-woman kulintang ensemble from Toronto that combines the musical traditions of Southern Philippines with electronic grooves. Pique also features art installations, DJ sets and an art market, along with a series of panel discussions on pushing the boundaries of the music industry (register for free at eventbrite. ca). Admission is pay-what-youcan, with a suggested donation of $20-$40 for tickets, available in advance at www.eventbrite.ca.
ROCK
Big Sugar bandleader Gordie Johnson has reformed his bluesy rock-reggae band following the 2018 death of longtime bassist Garry Lowe. The new incarnation features a youthful rhythm section that consists of Lowe's son, Ben, on bass and Root Valach on drums. The trio is on tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of Big Sugar's first platinum-selling album, Heated, the platter that yielded Big Sugar classics like Better Get Used To It, Turn The Lights On and a sizzling cover of BTO'S Let It Ride. See them in an all-ages show at Bronson Centre on Thursday, with an 8 p.m. opening set by Indigenous rockers Digging Roots. Tickets are available at ticketweb.ca. Doors open at 7 p.m.
THEATRE
It's the time of year when the veteran Ottawa actor Pierre Brault tackles the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, single-handedly, performing all the major roles himself, including Marley, the Cratchit Family, the Ghosts of Christmas, and of course, Ebenezer Scrooge. This season, he's back at the Great Canadian Theatre Company, 1233 Wellington St. West for a run that starts Saturday and continues until Dec. 18. Tickets are pick-your-price, with suggested rates ranging from $15-$55, available at gctc.ca.
FILM
The Embassy of Japan hosts the 40th iteration of the Japanese Film Festival over two days at the Ottawa Art Gallery, 50 Mackenzie King Bridge. Two feature films, accompanied by animated shorts by Tsuneo Goda, will be presented, with Naoki Miyahara's Pop in Q feature screening at 4 p.m. Sunday and Masaharu Take's We Make Antiques! X at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Sunday's opening reception at 3 p.m. also includes a performance by the Quebec-based J-pop tribute act, Ice Qream. Admission is free.
CLASSICAL
The Tallis Scholars, an ensemble the New York Times refers to as the “rock stars of renaissance vocal music,” returns to Ottawa on Monday as part of their North American tour. The London, U.k.-based choral group founded in 1973 by conductor Peter Phillips will perform a program entitled Hymns to the Virgin, including a selection of works from both the Catholic and Orthodox traditions, ranging from Josquin to Stravinsky. The final concert of 2022 in the Chamberfest series starts at 8 p.m. at the Carleton Dominion-chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper St. Tickets for the concert and/or livestream are available at chamberfest.com.
ROCK OPERA
Fresh from its sold-out premiere in Montreal, a contemporary rock opera inspired by one of Canada's most nefarious cult leaders makes its Ontario debut Friday at Arts Court, 2 Daly Ave. Written and directed by Montreal musician G.W. Brazier, Brother 12: A Cult Rock Opera updates the tale of Edward Arthur Wilson, who led a colony of followers in British Columbia in the 1930s, with a string of post-punk and goth rock songs performed by a band called the Harbingers of Doom, plus innovative lighting and costume design. Tickets are $15 advance, available at brother12rockopera.com or $20 at the door. Showtime is 9 p.m.
JAZZ
This time of year usually sees jazz up-and-comers return home to Ottawa for the holidays after a semester of music studies in Toronto, Montreal or elsewhere. A case in point is the fiery Ottawa-raised alto saxophonist Samuel Cousineau, who is working on his doctorate at the University of Toronto and who has two hometown gigs next week. On Dec. 14, Cousineau will lock horns with his Ottawa tenor saxophone elder Mike Tremblay in a quartet that plays Bar Robo at 7 p.m. The next night at 8 p.m., Cousineau will lead a different quartet that includes Ottawa pianist Peter Hum at Montgomery Scotch Lounge on Gladstone Avenue. There's no cover for the Bar Robo gig. The music charge at the lounge will be $15.