Sound and video - coming soon.
An original poetic song cycle
Written and composed by Onalea Gilbertson
With additional compositions and arrangements by the ensemble
Onalea Gilbertson: Vocals/piano/guitar
Jonathan Lewis: Violin/clarinet/sound-scape
Morag Northey: Cello/back up vocals
If we don’t tell their stories all will be forgotten…
BLANCHE is a song cycle that lives in the dream state between music and theatre. BLANCHE was commissioned by the Banff Centre and it had its premiere at the 2007 Banff Summer Arts Festival. In BLANCHE the songs are poetic family movies inspired by the bittersweet life of a wild prairie dame; also included in the sonic landscape are underscore selections that act as memory sequences, utilizing Blanche’s voice which has been recorded and carefully pieced together from interviews over the past few years.
BLANCHE is set in a dusty sitting room in the far corner of the mind. At its core this piece is a meditation on memory; what we remember, when we remember, who we remember and what others remember about us.
In the live presentation the audience is treated to projections of fantastic photographs that Blanche Gilbertson and her friends took during the 1930’s on an old Brownie Camera, as well as other carefully curated photographs and movies from her long and dramatic life.
To book Onalea's Symphony Pops Concerts:
Contact Onalea
Created by Doug McKeag and Onalea.
Original music & arrangements by Dave Pierce.
Vintage costume and wig design by Doug and Onalea.
From out of nowhere came the impossible Las Vegas duo of Dick and Sandi, singin', dancin' and charmin' their way into the hearts of a new generation of Pops audiences.
The story of two great singers who meet, fall in love and set the stage on fire with their unique blend of vegas humor, big city dance numbers and swingin' vocal pyrotechnics.
Featuring Onalea in a solo Pops Orchestra concert paying tribute to the fabulous musical dames of the past century including the songs made famous by Garland, Piaf, Shirley Bassey, Patsy Cline, Joni Mitchell and many more.
Performed with a full symphony orchestra and a wardrobe to die for!
To inquire about booking Dandi Production's Symphony Orchestra Shows for Young Audiences: Contact Dandi Productions
Dandi Productions was established in 1997 by Canadian performers Doug McKeag and Onalea Gilbertson to develop new and innovative programming for orchestras.
Together with master puppeteer Judd Palmer, McKeag and Gilbertson developed a brand new kind of performance concert, which features strong comedic acting, unusual puppets (by the Old Trout Puppet Workshop) and a great respect for the highly original scores and entertaining scripts.
Since then, the company has adapted and created FIVE delightful concerts for Young Audiences. They have commissioned original stories and scripts, as well as full orchestra scores. Dandi's concert productions feature top-notch acting and all-ages comedy. All of the music is professionaly prepared and published. Technical requirements are quite reasonable.