TD Ottawa Jazz Festival will return this summer from Aug. 19 to 22 with a mix of live and virtual performances.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was forced to cancel its original plans to mark its 40th anniversary in the summer of 2020. Since then, it has been able to host three smaller, primarily virtual events, including Tenacity in June 2020.
This summer the festival is returning to a larger lineup of musicians with 17 artists performing virtually and 34 performing in-person as part of the festival’s hybrid structure. The lineup will showcase several Canadian artists and musicians, including local Ottawa talents Kmbrly Snstrm, Rise Ashen and Kathleen Edwards.
The festival’s mixed lineup allows local artists to perform in-person and those who would be forced to travel to remain virtual. With some COVID-19 restrictions still in place, Catherine O’Grady, director of TD Ottawa Jazz Fest, emphasized that those restrictions will be adhered to at the festival.
Adhering to Ontario’s Step 3 guidelines, O’Grady said the festival will have contact tracing, mask wearing and physical distancing rules in place for all in-person attendees.
Despite the pandemic still looming in Ottawa, O’Grady said she thinks this event will be exciting for everyone, from audiences to artists.
“[What’s] most exciting is conquering the challenges imposed by COVID-19 by designing and curating an extraordinary series of virtual concerts and ultimately having great quality in both [virtual and in-person concerts],” O’Grady said.
O’Grady added that although not all the performances can be in-person, their quality will not be compromised.
“Our virtual broadcasts were recorded to an exacting standard. We brought in a video designer from Montreal … and an audio engineer to ensure the look and sound quality of the recordings is exquisite,” she said.
O’Grady said artists are excited to perform again after the COVID-19-related pause.
“Artists are tremendously excited to be performing live for their audiences again even if the audiences will be small. The virtual performances, the same thing,” she said.
Nicolas Caloia, a double-bass player who will be performing virtually as part of the duo Mercury, said he is still looking forward to performing regardless of the virtual circumstances.
“I feel grateful to carry forward musical culture in almost any context,” Caloia said.
Rise Ashen, one half of the musical group Silla and Rise, will be performing live at the festival and told the Charlatan via email that he felt a similar sense of excitement.
“It has been a year of performing in front of a camera, detached from the audience, so it’s amazing to be able to share music with a crowd live again,” Ashen said. “Though we are grateful for all of the opportunities we had to perform for presenters virtually, there is nothing like playing music for people live.”
For more information on the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival or to purchase tickets, visit the website.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
