Hawksley Workman is both a JUNO Award-winning and Gold Record certified singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Since his ground-breaking self-produced indie debut For Him and The Girls (1999) through to chart-topping singles of 2020, Hawksley has careened between major label international smash hits to Canadiana soaked indie releases.  Boasting a catalogue of 17 solo records, Hawksley’s genre defying style strings together folk, chart pop and irrepressible cabaret. His show-stopping vocals on songs about weather, love, heartbreak and tales of end-times have garnered him a league of devoted fans.

Don't Be A Stranger To The Danger: Hawksley Workman

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Join us for an enchanting evening in Banff, where The Jim Cuddy Band will perform their latest album, "All The World Fades Away." The album showcases Jim Cuddy’s storytelling prowess and takes the listener on a captivating journey through his memories and the emotions they evoke intricately woven through his personal narrative.

Jim Cuddy - All The World Tour

Since 1976, the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, a flagship program of Banff Centre, has been an industry leader in the celebration of Mountain Culture. We promote understanding and appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to share and find inspiration in mountain experiences, ideas, and visions. Following the festival each fall, our annual World Tour reaches more than 45 countries on 7 continents, making us the largest adventure film tour on the planet.

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Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival & World Tour

Bring a blanket and the whole family for two nights of inspiring mixed film programs under the stars! Films include: Stories Are In Our Bones, Our Maternal Home, Slides on the Mountain.

Mixed Films: Indigenous Arts & Mountain Culture

Shaw Amphitheatre

Bring a blanket and the whole family for two nights of inspiring mountain film programs under the stars! Films include: Fuego, The Best Skier You've Never Heard of, One Degree #Peru, Subterranean (Tour Edit), Mustafa Ceylon, Driving Sweep, Range Rider, and Two Point Four.

Films From the Mountain Film Festival and World Tour

In 2017, the Banff International String Quartet Festival commenced in non-competition years. Led by Director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition Barry Shiffman, the festival features competition alumni alongside special guests exploring repertoire from across the centuries.

Banff International String Quartet Festival

Evensong (Breathing as One) is a participatory chorus activating artist Lou Sheppard's score for dusk in the Bow Valley, part of his commissioned work, Dawn Chorus, Evensong (Bow River Valley) presented by Walter Phillips Gallery in the Shaw Amphitheatre from August 9 – September 2, 2024. Participants will meet at the Shaw Amphitheatre, listening to the sounds of the Bow Valley at dusk and be led in an improvised chorus by Pamela Hart and Lou Sheppard. This event is open to all interested in listening and sounding, no choral experience is required.

Gather Listen Hear: 'Evensong (Breathing as One)' with Pamela Hart and Lou Sheppard

Please stay tuned for more details and the on sale date for this event.

Gather Listen Hear: World Premiere of Commissioned Score by Raven Chacon

Join artist Lou Sheppard for a hands-on workshop on the development of graphic scores, where imagery is used in place of other forms of musical notation. Participants will be invited to learn about the artist’s approach to this form of score, particularly in relation to his commissioned work, Dawn Chorus, Evensong (Bow River Valley) presented by Walter Phillips Gallery in the Shaw Amphitheatre from August 9 – September 2, 2024. The workshop will then shift to time for participants to draw or make their own graphic scores using provided materials. No formal musical or artistic experience is required.

Gather Listen Hear: Graphic Score-Making Workshop

Jazz Club, Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music, 2017, Okkyung Lee, cello; Jen Shyu, vocals; Tia Fuller, saxophone; Matt Stevens, guitar. Photo by Rita Taylor.

Gather Listen Hear: Jazz & Sonic Arts Concert

Indigenous Arts invites you to attend the opening concert of Gather Listen Hear hosted by the Indigenous Classical Music Residency cohort for a night of composed classical musical exploration featuring Indigenous collaborations exploring new works and established repertoire.

Gather Listen Hear: Indigenous Classical Music Concert

Join Elisabeth Belliveau, artist, author, and faculty for the Visual Arts: Banff Artist in Residence (BAiR) – Summer 2024 program for an afternoon talk.

Faculty Lecture: Elisabeth Belliveau

Jeanne & Peter Lougheed Performing Arts Centre

Dive into a groundbreaking experience where jazz transcends boundaries, dynamically responding to visual art - an immersive fusion of sound and visuals that captivates and transforms.

Jazz & Sonic Arts Concert: Resounding

Join Lori Blondeau, celebrated Cree/Saulteaux/Métis artist, and faculty for the Visual Arts: Banff Artist in Residence (BAiR) – Summer 2024 program for an afternoon talk.

Faculty Lecture: Lori Blondeau

 Redefining jazz traditions with fearless exploration of sound. Push boundaries of expression and human experience.

Jazz & Sonic Arts Concert: Sonic Visionaries

Governor-General’s Award nominee and Lambda Award recipient Sina Queyras will host a free evening’s performance by seven of Banff Centre’s Summer Writers residents. The night will feature new work composed during the residency by exceptional writers who have come to Banff to develop their practice and build their community. A night of high energy and generosity.

Summer Writers: Participant Readings

Born and raised in the Canadian Rockies, Liam Cowan is a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter and producer. Taking his influence from the likes of Hendrix, Neil Young and Bowie to the Arctic Monkeys, Soul, Motown and old Blues greats like BB King and Buddy Guy, Liam has been riffing on guitars for as long as he can remember.

Amp Sessions: Liam Cowan

The title of William Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT holds a double meaning that teasingly suggests this a play to please all tastes. Is it possible? With his subversive updating of the Bard's classic, cultural provocateur Cliff Cardinal seeks to find out. The show exults in dark humour, difficult subject matter, and raw emotion. Bear these words in mind;

William Shakespeare's As You Like It, A Radical Retelling by Cliff Cardinal

Join us for readings from the esteemed faculty of the Summer Writers program, Sina Queyras (Governor-General’s Award nominee and Lambda Award recipient, author of Rooms: Women, Writing, Woolf) and A.E. Stallings (Oxford Professor of Poetry and author of This Afterlife: Selected Poems).

Summer Writers: Sina Queyras & A.E. Stallings Readings

Now in its 9th season, the project has presented 250 concerts featuring 90 guest artists for nearly 50,000 people, many of whom experienced live classical music for the first time. Inspired by Hunter’s passions, the organization’s mission is to remove barriers to access classical music and the great outdoors, and has inspired several artists and organizations to bring their own music experiences into nature. In the spirit of the Works Progress Administration’s (WPA) Federal Music and Theatre Projects, which presented thousands of free concerts and plays in theaters, public spaces and parks across the country during the Depression, IN A LANDSCAPE events are also offered in rural communities for free or on a subsidized basis.

IN A LANDSCAPE: Classical Music in the Wild™

Repertoire highlights include beloved orchestral classics by Sibelius and Ravel, alongside a captivating performance of Rautavaara's Flute Concerto by the 2024 Canada Council Michael Measures First Prize Winner.

Horizons Tour: National Youth Orchestra

Under the guidance of Alejandro Ronceria and Santee Smith, participants in the Indigenous World Dance Residency program are invited to express re-embodiment and Indigenous voices.

Indigenous World Dance Residency Showcase

Local Singer/Songwriter Todd Clarkson tells stories of life in Banff. From mountain highs to valley lows. Todd live records then loops his recordings, building lush soundscapes full of emotive melodies and beautiful harmonies. Expect to hear influences from The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack Johnson, and The Black Keys.

Amp Sessions: Todd Clarkson

Spend an evening with a true Broadway legend as three-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone performs her concert Songs From A Hat, where she selects her most famous and personal favorite songs from slips of paper in her top hat. Unscripted and full of hits.

Patti LuPone Songs From A Hat.

One of the world’s most innovative musicians, appearing as a concert pianist, curator and conductor, MacGregor is Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music and Professor at the University of London. She runs an annual Summer Piano Festival at the Royal Academy and has just been appointed Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Brighton Philharmonic. As a solo artist Joanna has performed in over eighty countries and appeared with many eminent conductors and orchestras, including the London Symphony and Sydney Symphony orchestras.

Art of Piano: Joanna MacGregor

At the close of the residency, participants in Art, Writing, Practice will share texts that they have developed over the course of the program.

Visual Arts: Participant Readings

Join us for a series of brilliant performances from the participants in the Art of Piano program, and be inspired by the next generation of pianists.

Art of Piano: Participant Concert 3

Art of Piano: Participant Concert 2

The Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series invites leading Indigenous Art creators to talk about their practices and processes. Explore and deepen your understanding of how Indigenous artists are using their arts discipline as a tool to decolonize artistic process and creation.

Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series: Cheryl L’Hirondelle

Masterclass: Joanna MacGregor

Join Michael Turner, acclaimed author, art critic, songwriter, musician, poet, and faculty for the Visual Arts Thematic Residency – Get LIT! Language, Image, Text for an afternoon talk.

Faculty Lecture: Michael Turner

“A performer of near-superhuman technical prowess” (The New York Times), pianist Marc-André Hamelin is known worldwide for his unrivalled blend of consummate musicianship and brilliant technique in the great works of the established repertoire, as well as for his intrepid exploration of the rarities of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. He regularly performs around the globe with the leading orchestras and conductors of our time and gives recitals at major concert venues and festivals worldwide.

Art of Piano: Marc-André Hamelin

Masterclass: Marc-André Hamelin

Art of Piano: Participant Concert 1

Tema Blackstone’s rich and varied life in music has grown out of her career as a pianist. Her influential work encompasses advocacy of music and musicians as a force for personal and societal well-being.  As an artist dedicated to forging deep human connections through music, the exploration and intricate relationship between audience, performer, student, and composer invigorates her work as a teacher & performer.  The Chen/Blackstone duo has performed annually in Shanghai, New York and Europe and Canada to great acclaim.  On the faculty of The Juilliard School’s Pre-College division in New York, she & her husband, Hung-Kuan Chen feel mentoring young pianists at Juilliard, through her non-profit foundation & performing as a piano duo, worldwide, informs the holistic perspective Blackstone believes in.

Masterclass: Tema Blackstone

Pianist Hung-Kuan Chen was born in Taipei and raised in Germany. His early studies fostered strong roots in Germanic Classicism tempered with the sensibility of Chinese philosophy. The winner of the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the recipient of an Avery Fisher Grant, Chen has collaborated with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach and Hans Graf, and his colleagues include the Tokyo and Shanghai string quartets, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinists Cho-Liang Lin and Roman Totenberg, clarinetist David Shifrin, and pianist Tema Blackstone.

Masterclass: Hung-Kuan Chen

Hung-Kuan Chen was born in Taipei and raised in Germany. His early studies fostered strong roots in Germanic Classicism tempered with the sensibility of Chinese philosophy. The winner of the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions and the recipient of an Avery Fisher Grant, Chen has collaborated with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach and Hans Graf, and his colleagues include the Tokyo and Shanghai string quartets, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinists Cho-Liang Lin and Roman Totenberg, clarinetist David Shifrin, and pianist Tema Blackstone.

Art of Piano: Hung-Kuan Chen

A peek behind the curtain at the creative process in a workshop presentation of this light comic story of middle aged couple Mimi and Bird as they face ageing and each other on a spontaneous trip to Prague.

Opera: Indians on Vacation

New works from collaborations with participant composers and performers are premiered, showcasing dynamic explorations of sound and style. Embrace tradition with the avant-garde spirit and innovative techniques that breathe new life into the genre, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the world of chamber music.

Epic

Witness the intersection of tradition and innovation as these chamber music masterpieces push the boundaries of musical expression. Delve into the intricate technical innovations that define the genre while embracing the timeless traditions that form the foundation of these brilliant compositions.

Tapestry

Join us for an evening of poetic resonance as these chamber music masterpieces unfold, revealing the profound language of emotion. From the whispered nuances to the bold declarations, each note and phrase contributes to a poetic narrative, inviting you to immerse yourself in the lyrical beauty of the compositions.

Poetry

Don’t miss this exceptional chance to see the first workshop presentation of this seminal Canadian dystopian classic about a woman’s struggles in a totalitarian society, in a new chamber version commissioned by Banff Centre. Witness the early stages of an opera production before it premieres on stages near and far in the coming years.

Opera: The Handmaid's Tale

Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of chamber music, where each masterpiece acts as a unique hue in a sonic kaleidoscope. From the delicate brushstrokes of serene melodies to the bold strokes of passionate themes, experience the rich palette of emotions and textures that define this genre.

Kaleidoscope

Explore the intricate layers of chamber music as these masterpieces guide you through a diverse array of styles, evoking a range of emotions from profound serenity to passionate intensity.

Landmarks

A casual, wild night that offers up your favourite operatic arias and ensembles, performed by the participants and faculty of the program. This is the perfect introduction for newcomers and a refreshing new take for opera vets who want to experience something a little different.

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Nov 14, 2024

Don't Be A Stranger To The Danger: Hawksley Workman

Nov 6, 2024

Jim Cuddy - All The World Tour

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity