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Meet the “Cellist’s” conductor

Steven Galloway, the author of the acclaimed novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, is coming to Whistler this weekend for a reading.

Steven Galloway, the author of the acclaimed novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, is coming to Whistler this weekend for a reading.

The book tells the story of three people struggling to survive in a city rife with fear, and in the midst of it all, a sorrowful cellist continues to play for his crowd: the city.

Galloway is also the author of two other books Finnie Walsh and Ascension, and teaches creative writing at UBC and SFU. His latest book has been nominated for the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

The reading takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Whistler Public Library’s Fireplace Lounge.

 

Sculpting snow

 

It seems only fitting that snow sculptors will be kick-starting the Whistler Winter Arts Festival, a two-month program of live music, dance, film screenings, art, photography and other cultural events, which runs from Jan. 15 to March 21.

On Thursday, Jan. 15, the Yukon Canada International Snow Sculpture Touring Team visits Whistler Olympic Park, ready to dig into the fresh snow and create a local animal represented in First Nations artistic style, which is meant to represent wisdom and chieftainship. Will it be a hoary marmot, black bear, or maybe even a sasquatch?

The Yukon team has won national and international competitions in Quebec City, Russia, Japan, and Italy, and will be sculpting from Jan. 15 to 17 during the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup and the FIS Cross-Country World Cup. View more of their work at www.snowcarver.ca .

There’s also more snow sculpting in store later this season.

The Ephemeral Arts Snow Sculpting Team, formerly known as the Canadian National Snow Sculpting Team, comes from the Kootenay region of B.C. and from Jan. 20 to 22 will be at Whistler Olympic Park. And from Feb. 24 to 26, Team Quebec and Team Manitoba will visit Whistler and/or Blackcomb mountains to create their own unique snow designs.

 

Capturing the struggles of climate change

 

We’ve all heard the expression that this world is a melting pot. But one local woman means it quite literally.

Ana Santos is hosting a climate change movie series, entitled, We Are All In The Melting Pot, each Monday for eight weeks, starting on Monday, Feb. 2 and running until Monday, March 30, at the Squamish Adventure Centre. The series is being sponsored by a number of local groups, including the Squamish Environmental Conservation Society, Youth Climate Leadership Alliance, Squamish Chamber of Commerce and the Squamish Sustainability Corporation, as well as local businesses.

The films are part of an impressive roster of documentaries that explore environmental issues, starting with David Attenborough’s The Truth About Climate Change. Also featured in the following weeks are Garbage Warrior, Bogota: Building a Sustainable City, Big Ideas for a Small Planet, Energy for a Developing World, Growing Energy, The Islands Project, and Climate Change and B.C.

For more information on the series, contact Santos at climatechangemovies@gmail.com .

 

Squamish youth come out to play

 

Organizers of YOUTHfest, an annual presentation of short plays, are looking for volunteers who are interested in being part of this year’s production, which is set to take place at the Eagle Eye Theatre from March 12 to 14.

So, if you’re an aspiring director, assistant director, stage manager, lighting or sound assistant, set, costume or prop maker, or an actor, contact Adriane Polo at 604-898-5930.

 

Just when you thought the holidays were over…

 

Christmas isn’t over in Whistler just yet. Country Music Television (CMT) was in Whistler on Wednesday, Jan. 14, shooting a television special for 2009, entitled, “Christmas in Whistler,” at the Telus Whistler Conference Centre. Country music personalities, Jessie Farell, Aaron Pritchett, and George Canyon, were all on-hand to contribute to the performance.