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Summer concert series is back in New West’s Queen’s Park

Arts Council of New Westminster is bringing back its free concert series with a performance every Thursday and Sunday this summer. The line-up includes diverse genres from classical guitar to traditional Cuban music and more.
Naveena Vijayan
Naveena Vijayan

Here’s something that will help you loosen up on a Thursday evening or unwind on a Sunday afternoon: free music concerts.

As many as 10 B.C.-based music artists are set to perform all through July and August at Queen’s Park bandshell as part of a summer concert series organized by the Arts Council of New Westminster.

Kicking off the series is a heady concoction of rock'n'roll and country music by Vancouver-based Graham Brown Band on July 14, at 7 p.m. Take along a soft blankie, or a comfortable folding chair, a light snack, and a cool beverage, and settle down for an evening of music under the open sky, without worrying about tickets and registrations — it's completely free.

On Thursdays and Sundays, simply show up at the park and soak in the music performances — each vastly different from the other. 

 

“One of the best things about this concert series is that we don't focus on any particular genre. It’s not a folk line-up. It's not a jazz lineup. It's a little bit of everything, from rock to a blues band to a classical guitar duo to a jazz trio and Indian classical music,” said Casey Thomas-Burns, music coordinator for the Arts Council of New Westminster.

At the series, you might be an audience to a mix of pop and alternative rock by singer and songwriter Tess Anderson one day, and discover what dark dream pop (a dreamy sounding subgenre of alternative rock) by Parlour Panther sounds like on another. You will get to enjoy the traditional Cuban and Colombian folk music by the Nice Verdes band and also get a taste of classical Indian music by Akhil Jobanputra.

The concert series is only a year old, but quite a hit with the community, said Thomas-Burns. It was started by the Arts Council as a way to bring arts back to Queen's Park (where the arts council's office is located) after a year of no live shows because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the concert series, the arts council started accepting applications from music artists in April. They were then reviewed by a jury of three community members who helped decide the final lineup — an entirely new set of performances from last year. 

 

“The point of the arts council is to serve artists in the community. And we don't want to just end up booking the same person every year. We want to give opportunities to new artists … and artists trying to build their careers,” said Thomas-Burns.

While last year, the event had to be restricted to the former petting farm space, this year, they are happy to organize the event at the bandshell, which as is in the name, seems more of an apt venue for a band to perform.

The first performance of the concert series will take place tomorrow (Thursday, July 14) at 7 p.m. at the Queen’s Park bandshell. To get the entire lineup, visit the Arts Council Website. There will be washrooms and a concession stand at the venue. Parking is available at several spots in the park.