The free Simms Summer Concerts return to Simms Millennium Park this month with free live music on Sundays throughout the summer.
The season opener is the Georgia Strait Big Band on Sunday, June 15 at 7 p.m.
Come enjoy the sound of Big Band! The Georgia Strait Big Band is a community-based band that attracts musicians of all ages mastering their sound with weekly rehearsals from September to June. The band has been together for 18 years, with a music library that has grown to about 350 arrangements.
Conductor Greg Bush will lead the 18-person band at Simms Park. Bush has recently retired as a professor of jazz studies at Vancouver Island University and is also a jazz composer and arranger.
The concert will run until approximately 8:30 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the music in the riverside setting of Simms Millenium Park, located by the 5th Street Bridge and across from Lewis Park.
Other featured Simms Park performances on Sundays at 7 p.m. include Duo of Duos (Anela Kahiamoe & Michael Johnson and Easy Street Duo) on June 22, Fiddelium on July 6, Spanish Boots on July 13, Blues Jam (various artists) on July 20, Time Well Wasted on July 27, Stealing Dan on August 10, Shotgun Kelly on August 17 and the final concert is the Doobie Brothers Experience on August 24. A Food Bank Drive will also be included as part of the August 24 concert.
For concert information please call the Courtenay Recreation Lewis Centre at 250-338-5371 or get updated information on our Simms Summer Concerts (www.courtenay.ca/simms) page.
Concert schedule
All concerts begin at 7 p.m. and last one to two hours.
| June 15 | Georgia Strait Big Band (media release below) | Enjoy the sound of Big Band music! The band has been together for 18 years and plays a wide selection of exciting, fun and danceable tunes! |
| June 22 | Duo of Duos (Anela Kahiamoe & Michael Johnson and Easy Street) | Come for some feel good vibes including jazz, blues and Hawaiian tunes. |
| July 6 | Fiddelium | A high-energy and award winning youth fiddle group featuring traditional and contemporary folk music. |
| July 13 | Spanish Boots | This 5-piece ensemble plays irresistibly danceable rhythms interwoven with Latin, rock and blues styles. |
| July 20 | Blues Jam (various artists) | Enjoy a great evening of the blues with some of the valley's talented players! |
| July 27 | Time Well Wasted | A 10-piece horn-driven powerhouse band playing rock, R&B, pop and dance music classics and modern hits. |
| August 10 | Stealing Dan | Enjoy an ultra-authentic homage to the great pop-jazz band Steely Dan! |
| August 17 | Shotgun Kelly | A seasoned tribute band putting their hearts into the music and bringing a selection of tunes from Adele to AC/DC. |
| August 24 | The Doobie Brothers Experience (concert includes a food bank drive) | Enjoy a masterful celebration of The Doobie Brothers music! This band brings top flight performances of the greatest hits incluing "What a Fool Believes", "Takin' it to the Streets, "Minute by Minute" and more. This concert also features a food bank drive. |
