Article: Westbank Rotary Times April, 2010 (PDF)

“Local Magician gets some tips from the top”

“West Kelowna magician Leif Thordarson has just returned from Las Vegas, where he got the chance to study with Joanie Spina, who has worked with magic great David Copperfield.

Thordarson got one-on-one advice from Spina on how to smooth out the rough edges in his show in terms of timing, pacing, transition from trick to trick and music.

Spina is the co-director and choreographer of Copperfield’s show, which plays in the Entertainment Captial of the World and around the globe.

Thordarson has been performing family-friendly magic shows for 15 years in the Okanagan at corporate events, birthday parties, and Christmas functions.

Visit www.BCmagician.com”

The Daily Courier, Wednesday Oct 14th

Planning a Christmas Party in Kelowna, West Kelowna (Westbank), Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, or Vernon? Check out my various Christmas Party entertainment packages!

Last week I did an interview with Catherine Mamo from ilovekelowna.com. She wrote up a great article on me that was published today on their homepage. You can read the full article on their website.

I didn’t expect the article to be a long as it was, but our chat last week did last for over a half hour so she certainly had lots to mention. Catherine met me a few weeks ago when I performing at some local libraries. She really enjoyed the show and thought it would make for a great article! Who am I to disagree?

Congratulations to all the winners of the 2009 Okanagan Arts Awards including the Theatre Kelowna Society who won the “Theater” category for which I was also nominated. It feels great to be nominated in the community for an art which isn’t very “traditional”. The Theatre Kelowna Society has been bringing theatre to Kelowna for over 60 years and is truly deserving of the award. Congratulations again.

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Today I did an interview for “Okanagan Today”. The story is about the Okanagan Arts Awards this weekend.

I had a great time at the interview. We started off by filming a bunch of different magic tricks. Since there was no host this time, I had to do solo effects. I performed some coin manipulation, a few card color changes, changing a $10 into a $100 bill, and a few other things. After filming the effects Tamie Williams interviewed me. We’ve met several times over the years, I performed for her daughters 11th birthday over 7 years ago.

I figure it will only be a few more years until I’ll be performing for kids birthday parties where I performed for their parents birthday. I first started performing when I was 8 years old and I often performed for kids that were about the same age. Now I’m 23, and there’s lots of people my age that are having kids. So I figure in just a few more years I can perform for the next generation. It kind of scares me actually. Makes me feel like one of those teachers where they taught your grandparents, parents, and you!

The Okanagan Today story is going to air on Thursday on Channel 11. The show starts at 6:00pm and repeats every 40 minutes or so until Friday morning at 6am, then back up at 10am til 2pm. I’m going to try and record a copy and put it up on youtube too.

The Arts Council of the Central Okanagan gears up for the 2009 Okanagan Arts Awards in preparation of the awards presentation on Saturday, February 14th.

Sixteen artists from up and down the Valley have been nominated in ten categories in the field of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, design, literary arts, media, arts educator, supporter of the arts, and lifetime achievement.

“The Okanagan Arts Awards recognizes individuals and organizations who have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities in the arts,” says Sharon McCoubrey, Committee Chair. “We’ve added a new category this year, which is the supporter of the arts. This category honours individuals who may not necessarily be artists, but are ambassadors of the arts, and have gone above and beyond to support arts in the Okanagan.

Nominees for the second annual Okanagan Arts Awards for outstanding achievement and contributions in are:

Leif Thordarson (AliKzam) | Westbank
Performing magic since the age of eight, Leif presented over 850 shows in his career, and is the Okanagan’s only full time professional magician. He has been featured on CHBC on the Young Entrepreneur Series and has received multiple awards including the Westbank Chamber 2007 Young Entrepreneur award, the EDDY award in 2002, and a silver medal at the Pacific Coast of Association Magicians.

Francine Gravel | Kelowna
Francine is an accomplished artist, who has worked as a painter, printmaker and poet since 1978. She has had over 80 solo exhibitions and has exhibited locally, nationally and internationally. She has received a number of awards, including Diploma d’honnear from the International Arts Guild, Les Palmes d’Or des Beauc-Arts, and won
first prize in the Calona 2000-2001 wine label competition. In 2001 Francine was winner for the series of folklore and legend for the Royal Canadian Mint. She brings dreams back to life in her paintings, where her figures evolve in wonderful colours and musical instruments.

Susan Aylard | Sorrento
Susan has been working tirelessly to promote the arts in the Shuswap for years. She is concertmaster for the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and is also 1st violinist for the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. Susan began violin lessons at the age 3, and has been a consistent winner of local music festivals. She holds a degree in church music from the Canadian Mennoite Bible Orchestra in Winnipeg and has performed with the National Youth Orchestra. Susan received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in violin performance from the University of Manitoba and served as concertmaster of the University Orchestra. She formed an all girls folk band, “The Cats and the Fiddle”, and produced a CD. She continues to share her passion for music by performing at fundraisers and gives lessons to aspiring violinists while also dedicating her time to adjudicate at the Kelowna Music School musical festival.

Noel Wentworth | Kelowna
Noel is a dedicated music instructor and heads the Wentworth Music Education Centre in Kelowna. He is a singer, songwriter, and has produced 4 CD’s. He has performed in Indian and Japan, and raises funds from all his concerts, which are donated to the Kelowna General Hospital.

Olga Osipova | Westbank
Olga is an outstanding jazz performer and songwriter. She recently moved to the Okanagan from Russia and launched her debut CD in 2008, winning the Jazz Artist of the Year at the BC Interior Music Awards and was a finalist at the International Independent Music Awards. Her music has been played on CBC radio and around the world. She recently gave a history of jazz presentation at UBCO and supports charities by donating partial proceeds from her concerts.

Janice Fingado | Kelowna
Designing one-of-a-kind jewelry for over 25 years, Janice opened a teaching studio in the RCA at the age of 78. Using humour, kindness, skill, patience, passion and knowledge, she has been mentoring aspiring artists, and encouraging older people to learn the skill of jewelry making. Janice was instrumental in starting the Waldorf School in Kelowna, where children are encouraged to use all forms of art to learn and grow. She has traveled the world and has found interesting stones, which she uses in her designs.

Tina Siddiqui | Kelowna
An exhibiting artist and instructor of art workshops for all ages, Tina teaches a variety of subjects, mediums and styles, equipping her students with academic and practical knowledge. She has taught at the RCA, Parkinson Recreation Centre, Bankhead Community School and at several senior centres. Developing unique techniques and style in her art, she is producing an instruction book documenting her art techniques.

Theatre Kelowna Society | Kelowna
Founded in 1949, Theatre Kelowna Society is the oldest amateur theatre group in Kelowna, and has been a major cultural contributor. A driving force in the development of the Kelowna Community Theatre and instrumental in the creation of the Rotary Centre for the Arts, TKS members have given over $75,000 to these art centres. Producing 3 performances a year, with some extra shows, Theatre Kelowna Society offers workshops, one-act presentations, and participation in festivals, winning several provincial awards for excellence.

Jock Hildebrand | Westbank
An accomplished artist, painter, and sculptor, Jock studied at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design and has had group and solo shows. He has been involved in several public art commissions in Kelowna, Lake Country, Costa Rica, Vietnam, and China, and is actively involved in the arts. He was founder of the Thomson Okanagan International Sculpture Symposium, Sculpture on Main symposium, and Denman Island Bronze Casting Co-Op. Jock served as president of Arts and Business Council Westside Society, the Kelowna and District Arts Council and was Honorary Chair of the Okotoks Sculpture Symposium.

Tiffany Bilodeau | Kelowna
Bringing an artistic sensibility to her performances Tiffany is a dancer with Ballet Kelowna. She has trained in Fort St. John, Edmonton School of Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet of School and has performed in many productions dancing from the classical to modern choreography.

Mary Jo Schnepf | Kelowna
An advocate of the arts and a generous philanthropist, Mary Jo has dedicated hours of volunteer work. She has financially support various arts organizations including the Thompson Okanagan International Sculpture Symposium, and contributed towards having copies of the monograph “Spirit of Kelowna” to all public schools and libraries. She has actively promoted the Robert Bateman “Get to Know” Program, and supported the Global Art Exchanges, working with the Zambia Sister City Initiative, Cool Arts and Aberdeen Hall Preparatory School. Underlying all of her initiatives is the understanding that arts and culture contribute to healthy children, healthy communities and a healthy world.

Sharon Thesen | Lake Country
Sharon is an instructor with the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBCO. Active in the university-based public reading program at the Kelowna library, she has participated in Project Literacy events and is founder and co-editor of “Lake: a journal of arts and environment”. Sharon organized a public reading commemorating the events of the Okanagan Mountain Park Fire, and has written 8 books. The most recent is a book of poems, “The Good Bacteria”, which was a finalist for the Governor-General’s Award, the Dorothy Livesay Award, the Pat Lowthar Award, and the ReLit Award. She is a teacher of developing poets at various writing studios and artist colonies, including the Banff Centre for the Arts and the Sage Hill Writing Experience.

Neil Wentworth | Kelowna
Creating video projects since 1999 including commercials, short films, music videos, and feature films, Neil has served as a judge in the Okanagan International Film Awards. His work has been recognized in the industry, and as a result is a recipient of several awards including the Jury Grand Prize for the television commercial “Got Silk”. He brought home the Technical Excellence Award for music video, “Coming Home to You” at the Okanagan Film Festival, and was awarded Best Screenplay at the Hollywood Digital Film Festival for his feature film “Crooked Forest”.

Ballet Kelowna | Kelowna
Bringing a world of beauty, grace and exhilaration to the stage, Ballet Kelowna delivers over 50 performances to 27 communities each season. Created 6 years ago, this professional dance company produces two full-length programs in the spring and fall, creating new works, and features emerging Canadian choreographers while providing opportunities for young dancers. Relocating the Banff Ballet Summer School to Kelowna and establishing the Okanagan Summer Dance Intensive program, Ballet Kelowna is dedicated to inspiring, educating and entertaining through the energy and artistry of ballet.

Rick Sagaydan | Kelowna
An artist and filmmaker for over 30 years, Rick has created a diverse range of video and multi-media projects from feature documentaries to short spots for television. Host and producer of Kla-How-Ya TV show, he is a member of the Ullus Collective, presenting technical workshops, teaching filmmaking skills to others and mentoring students on camera techniques at En’Owking Centre. His collaborative film with the Kelowna Art Gallery, “In the Spirit of N’ha-a-itk” won the prestigious Award of Merit from the BC Museums Association in 2006, where the film was presented at the United Nations Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York City

Tracie Ward | Kelowna
A passion for the arts, Tracie has worked tirelessly to support and grow the RCA. As Executive Director of the Rotary Centre for the Arts she has turned things around financially including programming, and communications with arts organizations. She was Cultural Director of Alberta Summer Games, 2004 and was a recipient of the Outstanding Individual Employee Performance Award for the City of Okotoks in 2002, 2004, and 2005. Active in the arts community she was founding member of the Edmonton Student Art Society, and was responsible for educational programs at Estevan National Exhibition Centre. Tracie was also Production Manager of Sierra Art Associates in Toronto, and has also written municipal Public Art Policy.

The Okanagan Arts Awards honours artists in a diverse range of art disciplines spanning a 200-kilometre corridor.

Winners of the 2009 Okanagan Arts Awards will be announced at Creekside Theatre in Lake Country, on Saturday, February 14th at 7 pm. Tickets for the event are on sale now. This is a rare opportunity to meet the artists, and discover the many talents and passion behind their work. The awards presentation will also include the Spirit of BC Talent Showcase, a vignette of performances presented by a collection of artists, sponsored by 2010 Legacies Now.

For tickets call Ticketmaster, at 250.860.1470. Admission is $25, or $15 for students. For more information on the Okanagan Arts Awards visit www.okananganartsawards.com or call 250.861.4123.

The Arts Council of the Central Okanagan is dedicated to enriching the cultural life in the Okanagan by supporting the development of individual artists, art groups, and organizations through sponsorship of cultural events, education and promoting all art disciplines in the Okanagan.

The Okanagan Arts Awards is sponsored in part by Central Okanagan Foundation, Spirit of BC, Province of British Columbia and Legacies Now.

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