Back in 2009, the Esplanade played host to an Earth Harp, pictured here being played during a lobby concert, and will do so once again this September during Alberta's Culture Days.--PHOTOS COURTESY SANDI REIMER, co-ordinator event services
The Earth Harp, invented just over 20 years ago, adapts to its surroundings. On its first iteration the strings ran about 300 metres from one side of a valley to the other, where four large resonators and bridge about the size of two grand pianos were mounted to the ground.
Since then, the Earth Harp, in various sizes, has been installed all around the world: the Coliseum in Rome, the Kennedy and Lincoln Centers in the U.S., the temples of Vietnam, the Esplanade in Medicine Hat.
Wait – the Esplanade?
Hatters who attended the 2009 Alberta Arts Days at the Esplanade will remember the Earth Harp stretching across the lobby. Demonstrations of how it worked and the sounds it could make were intriguing to all ages. The day ended with a symphonic and ethereal musical arts experience in the form of a concert resonating throughout the main and upper lobbies.
Every year, our city celebrates culture in September. Alberta Arts Days has grown from a three-day weekend event to become the province’s month-long celebration of arts, heritage, diversity and community spirit, called Alberta Culture Days.
This year’s Culture Days at the Esplanade will include school tours called Kids Culture Walk, and Pecha Kucha will kick off the public programs. Every Pecha Kucha night is fascinating as we learn what individuals in our community are passionate about. It’s also a fun night out alone or with friends.
The next Culture Days event in our event facility will be an experience on our collective reconciliation journey. The Kairos Blanket Exercise explores the nation-to-nation relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. Sensitive cultural content may be difficult to absorb but is essential to the learning and hearing of Truth and Reconciliation.
The final event of the Culture Days celebration in the city will be on the last Saturday of September. AIM, Art in Motion, celebrates our community’s arts with a street party for all ages. End summer with this family day of music, art and artisan’s vendors, street performers, demos and interactive community displays. Be sure to save the date and watch for more to come on the lineup of events.
P.S. – For those who have asked about viewing the Ewart Duggan House, it will be open for AIM.
Visit esplanade.ca for details on the events mentioned in this article and more!
Sandi Reimer is the co-ordinator of events services for the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre
