July 26th Gala Concert to Air on CBC February 23rd

[KimSolez]

COHEN FESTIVAL GALA CONCERT MAKES IT TO CBC RADIO2 ON FEB. 23

On July 26 of 2008 over 1,600 Leonard Cohen fans, along with artists such as Serena Ryder and Darrell Scott, gathered at the Winspear Centre to celebrate the work of the iconic Canadian artist.

The gala concert was the crescendo for the 2008 International Leonard Cohen Festival. http://www.cohenites.blogspot.com/ The five day event featured a number of events around Edmonton and the festivities celebrating Cohen's work featured interpretations of that work via dance, theatre, multi-media productions, and of course, music.

The Winspear concert featured a brilliant array of artists from around the globe, including Australia's exciting cabaret ensemble Monsieur Camembert, and brilliant young Scottish tunesmith Roddy Hart, and multi-dimensional Nashville songwriter Darrell Scott .

Some of Canada's finest artists, representing a number of musical genres, lit up the night with articulate and unique interpretations of Cohen's work. Along with Serena Ryder, Peter Elkas, Kate Hammett-Vaughan, and Ann Vriend were on the receiving end of thunderous ovations for their vocal performances, as were the spoken word interludes delivered by novelist Todd Babiuk.

On Monday February 23 CBC Radio2 takes listeners back inside the Winspear for a broadcast of the highlights from that Gala concert on Canada Live.

Working with an all-star band directed by Mike Lent, the artists captivated a crowd with a cross-section of work from all chapters of Cohen's heralded body of work.

There were many highlights over the course of the evening including a stunning interpretation of Joan of Arc from Darrell Scott and Karla Anderson, Roddy Hart's magnetic reading of So Long Marianne, and Serena Ryder's musical etching of Sisters of Mercy.

This memorable concert can be heard on at 8 p.m. on Monday February 23 from coast to coast on CBC's Canada Live. The executive producer of the concert was Dr. Kim Solez, the concert was produced by Peter North, and the broadcast was mixed and produced by CBC producer Dan Cherwoniak. For additional information head to http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/