Live from the Banff

Classical, jazz, and traditional Arabic music collide in the works of Karim al-Zand. To hear him tell it, though, the inspiration points come from outside the world of music.  

“I usually tell people my music is, with some exceptions, usually inspired by something that’s non-musical,” he says. “That can be any number of things from visual to textual-literary. Some of my pieces are based on paintings of different kinds.” 

The wide-open landscapes of North Dakota are not necessarily the landscapes that inspire avant-garde free improvisation. For double bassist Gahlord Dewald, that vast emptiness represents the canvas on which he has based his artistic career. 

Leillehua Lanzelotti can remember writing music from an early age growing up in Honolulu, but her voice as a composer did not fully emerge until she had moved far away. 

“As soon as I started composing, my connection to Hawaii and my homesickness at the time living in Europe came out immediately,” she recalls of her days pursuing a career in violin performance. “It was almost as though composition was an outlet for a lot of the ways that I was trying to express myself that I didn’t have other outlets for.” 

Karen Slack didn’t even hear the full name of her album being read from the stage at the Crypto.com arena at the 67th Grammy Awards. 

“I still can’t believe it,” she says months later. “I leap up out of the chair and I’ve got this big, gorgeous gown on... I just felt like I was ten thousand feet above ground. It was extraordinary.” 

In an age where it is increasingly difficult to make a career in the arts, more aspiring artists are looking to diversify their skillsets in order to be employed in multiple positions. This is especially true in the world of theatre arts, where multitudes of people are needed both on and off the stage in order to maintain a career. 

One of the most iconic stories ever written in Canada is getting reimagined for the operatic stage at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity this month.  

It was love that first brought Éric Le Sage to the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.  

“I first came here 40 years ago to meet my girlfriend at the time,” he recalls.  

“Sometimes it’s a fantastic discovery. Sometimes it’s more difficult. But I think it’s part of our job to do it, and I always loved it.” 

The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is one of the best places in Canada to explore new artistic expression and to add to one’s creative arsenal. This can be true even for one of the most celebrated masterworks in western classical music.  

Artists from a wide variety of mediums descend on the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity to gain new skills in their chosen field. Those skills extend far beyond the spotlight to the backstage roles, including lighting, sound, and, in the case of Steinbach's Lauren Peters, wardrobe.