Deep Roots honouring festival-founding music teacher

Marlene Jackson has taught music since 1955 and co-founded the Annapolis Valley Music Festival

Monumental music teacher Marlene Jackson will receive this year’s Valley Arts Award at the upcoming Deep Roots Music Festival in Wolfville.

The veteran musician and music teacher has taught music since 1955, and was an ‘easy choice’ and ‘obvious candidate’ for the honour, according to festival publicity direc-

North Hills Jazz Café to feature Mark Riley

The next Jazz Café at North Hills Museum in Granville Ferry features Mark Riley.

The evening — from 7-9 p.m. Sept. 20 — will feature Riley (who plays guitar, bass, and drums) along with Graham Howes on the piano, Kevin Perkins on bass, and Tim Fisk on the drums.

Mark Riley is originally from the Dartmouth area where he started out as a gospel singer in his hometown of Loon Lake. In 1995, Riley was quickly recruited by the ECMA award-winning Nova Scotia Mass Choir, where he performed and toured Atlantic Canada as a tenor and soloist. A few highlights with the choir were the Jazz East Jazz Festival, several ECMA (East Coast Music Award) performances, and also the Martin Luther King Tributes at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax with Symphony Nova Scotia.

North Hills Museum is located at 5065 Granville Rd., Granville Ferry. The museum is managed by the Annapolis Heritage Society on behalf of Nova Scotia Museum.

Tickets are $25 and will be limited and sold in advance until Sept. 15 tor Jim Murphy.

“If you look at the mission of our festival, the role of music in education is core to everything we do. That’s why Marlene was our choice for our fifteenth anniversary,” he said.

Jackson worked as a music teacher at Horton District High School from 1982 to 1992 and received an award for Innovative Curriculum Development from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. She is also a co-founder of the Annapolis Valley Music Festival, which she re-

only. Tickets include the entertainment and food. Wine will also be available at $5 per glass. To purchase tickets, or for more information call 902-532-2168 or email northhillsmuseum@gmail.com.

Rose Ensemble at Festival Theatre Sept. 23

The Rose Ensemble’s ‘Land of Three Faiths’ is presented Sunday, Sept. 23 at 7 :30 p.m. at Festival Theatre, at Acadia University as part of Acadia’s Performing Arts Series.

‘Land of Three Faiths’ is at once sacred, secular, folk, and classical, embarking on a fascinating exploration of language, spirituality, and cultural exchange. This entertaining and enlightening program features instruments and musical ideas that blur the lines between Middle-Eastern and European cultures.

Founded in 1996 by artistic director Jordan Sramek, the Minnesotabased Rose Ensemble has achieved an international reputation as a premiere American early music ensemble.

Tickets: $36 ($22 for students), including taxes and fees.

Season subscriptions for the entire 2018-19 series are still available at $193 (or $119 for students) for all nine concerts. For information visit pas.acadiau.ca. To buy tickets or a full season subscription, go to the Acadia box office at the University’s arena, or online at boxoffice. acadiau.ca. mains actively involved with.

“I just love the kids,” she said of why she’s stuck with teaching and has kept on with the festival for so many years.

Jackson’s other accomplishments include winning the Presidential Service Award from the Canadian Registered Music Teachers Association in 1990, which recognized her service and contribution to Canada’s musical culture.

This was followed by Jackson receiving an honourary life mem-

Maud Lewis: A Life Collected is at Acadia

The exhibition Maud Lewis: A Life Collected, currently showing at Acadia University Art Gallery, presents a selection of artwork from private collections of Nova Scotia folk artist, Maud Lewis (1903-1970).

She grew up in Yarmouth, and later Digby, eventually moving to a small house in Marshalltown, when she married Everett Lewis. Maud Lewis began creating and selling paintings in this roadside house, which quickly became a stop for tourists, including those taking the ferry.

Some of those early collectors have kept her work, while the increasing interest in Maud Lewis led others to build a collection having never met her at her roadside studio.

The exhibition, curated by Dr. Laurie Dalton, is on view until Sept. 30. Admission is free. The gallery is closed Mondays but open Tuesdays to Sundays from 12 to 4 p.m. or by appointment.

Info: 902-585-1373, or artgallery@acadiau.ca

Epic blues night at Evergreen Theatre

Doc MacLean returns to Evergreen Theatre in Margaretsville on Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. and he’s bringing Albert Frost with him.

The pair are uniting in an epic bership to the Nova Scotia Music Educators’ Association in 1998, also recognizing her contributions to the province’s culture of music.

These, and more, show just how much Jackson has given to music in Nova Scotia, said Murphy.

“[Marlene is] at the root of what is means to keep music alive in the school system, especially now that it’s kind of under attack and is not funded like it should be,” he said.

Jackson said she was surprised when notified of the award she is to receive Sept. 30 at the festival’s

blues road tour across Canada, mixing delta with west Africa, Son House with Ali Farka Toura, electric with acoustic, new stories with old.

It’s CanAfrica Blues: a playful, yet respectful collaboration by these unique, yet complimentary artists.

MacLean has performed with a who’s who of first- and secondgeneration blues, roots and gospel artists such as Sam Chatmon, Peg Leg Sam, and Blind John Davis. Among many others, he has supported Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, and BB King. finale concert, but that “it’s an honour.”

She added that she looks forward to continuing her work teaching music, and with the festival.

“The festival is something that is very beneficial to students. The learning experience and hearing each other play — it’s all very important for them,” she said.

“There are countless studies that prove it — music...improves everything.”

Albert Frost has performed with international artists such as Ali Farka Toure, Finley Quaye, Vusi Mahlasela and Ginger Baker. He has toured with Simple Minds, REM, and has supported the Rolling Stones. As a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer, Frost has been a celebrated figure in the South African folk, blues, roots and rock music scene for over 20 years. Tickets: $30.

Phone: 902-825-6834

Email: evergreentheatre@gmail. com

Go Online: www.evergreen theatre.ca