An Ottawa venue has launched a new series of online concerts to help provide exposure to local musicians and entertainment while city venues are closed.
The Shenkman Centre’s Encore series is a collection of over a dozen pre-recorded concerts performed in a socially distant manner on the centre’s stage. The shows were recorded in the fall and are being released throughout April. Each Friday sees two half-hour performance videos streamed live for free.
The series debuted on March 12 with performances from funk-pop artist Andrew Cassara and blues-rock band Taming Sari. Other artists involved include Sing Song Party Time, Jess Wedden and Harea Band.
The Encore series will conclude on April 30 with a double bill of duo Pony Girl and DJ and rapper Seiiizi. The series was created by the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition to offer an outlet for local artists and work for professional crew. In addition to the Shenkman Centre, which provided its large stage, the series was supported by the Apartment 613 website, the Ottawa Music Development Fund and the municipal and provincial governments.
Livestreamed concerts like this, often promoted through tools like poster printing and social media, have become popular over the last year as a way for artists to maintain a connection with their audiences.
The Encore concert series will take place weekly on Fridays until 30th April, and it is available to watch through Rogers TV and the Shenkman Centre website.
