IN CONCERT
What: 38th Annual Hornby Festival
When: Aug. 1 through Aug. 10
Where: Various Hornby Island locations, including Rosemuir Farm and the Hornby Island Community Hall
Tickets: Various prices available at 250-335-2734
Information: hornbyfestival.com
Dierdre Atkinson has a specific plan when it comes to her duties as the artistic director of the annual Hornby Festival.
Though she relies on a combination of instinct and experience to bring the island’s festival to fruition each year, she frequently refers to a list of possible bookings she keeps in her office.
“I call it my A-list,” Atkinson said. “I tend to always have that going, because I like to keep the festival fresh. I’ve had artists on there for eight years before they show up.”
Atkinson wanted to revisit some of the favourites from festivals past for its 38th edition, and mix them with artists from her ever-present list.
“I’m always looking at artistic calibre, who is going to wow the audience, no matter what the genre. You have to have the combination and the balance between things you are not sure about, but are really artistically important, and ones that aren’t new to the festival.
“Our audience has grown to trust us, even if it’s not a name they might recognize.”
The multidisciplinary festival is expected to draw 5,000 people through its 10-day run. It starts tonight at the community hall with a showcase of music and words from CBC host and author Grant Lawrence, Ashleigh Ball of Hey Ocean and Jay Malinowski of Bedouin Soundclash.
Tickets to the Hornby Festival often sell out by showtime — opening night is already sold out — but some events are still open, including everything from classical music shows featuring Michael Brown, Lauren Eberwein and Adam Golka to roots and world beat performers Clinton Fearon and the Boogie Brown Band, Carmanah, Papagroove and Rose Cousins.
A Celebration of Canadian Indigenous Writers is set for Wednesday, featuring Monique Gray Smith, Tracey Lindberg, Nicola I. Campbell and Ecko Aleck, and Hornby artist Don Peterson has a festival-long art show.
Also integrated into the festival is an intensive school for emerging musicians led by Victoria folk musician Daniel Lapp (and featuring headliners from the festival) from Friday to Monday.
The festival’s variety is a big selling point, as it offers something for a wide cross-section of patrons.
Given that tickets disappear as the events approach, Atkinson has made free programming a big part of the event.
A pair of free classical performances for children will take place at the Community Hall, while a series of free performances from Joe King Park will be simulcast on the island’s radio station, CHFR.
The pop-up performance series Art in Unusual Places — also free — is a draw for many, as it puts performers in various locales around the island.
“They seem spontaneous, but they are meticulously planned,” Atkinson said.
“You can get a map and know where they are going to be in the daytime and see the performers out and about around the island. Every once in a while, we catch someone off guard on a bike ride through a forest trail and there’s a violinist who just played Carnegie Hall a few days ago.”
The mixture of new and familiar in 2019 is a thank-you to the Hornby Festival’s dedicated fanbase, which has kept it alive for the better part of four decades.
“We’re in our 38th year,” Atkinson said. “That definitely makes us one of the oldest festivals in Canada, and quite likely North America.”
