Artists from Tibet, Ecuador, Appalachia to perform in Banff August 19 to 21

Banff Mountain Summit: Cultures at Risk
August 19 to 21, The Banff Centre
Box Office: 1-800-413-8368 or 403-762-6301

Drummers and dancers from Alberta’s Stoney First Nation, a 17-year-old folk singer from Appalachian West Virginia, two Tibetan musicians in exile, and other artists from around the world will gather at The Banff Centre for a weekend of public performances as part of the 2005 Banff Mountain Summit: Cultures at Risk.

Dedicated to the arts and culture of the world’s mountain regions, Cultures at Risk will gather musicians, dancers, speakers and writers from all over the world for a celebration of indigenous and traditional cultures. Performances, exhibitions, panels, and speakers will encourage visitors to decide whether the world’s mountain cultures are threatened or thriving in their fast-paced, changing environments. Highlights include:

On the evening of Friday, August 19, the show opens with a blessing by Alberta First Nations elders, followed by a performance by Tibetan musicians Gompo Dhundup and Jamyang Yeshi, and a multi-media show by photojournalist Stephen Ferry on the indigenous Kogi people of Colombia.

The evening of Saturday, August 20, indigenous musicians from Otavalo, Ecuador open the evening’s schedule, followed by a concert by the Edmonton Swiss Men’s Choir, and an illustrated talk by acclaimed National Geographic photographer Gordon Wiltsie on the nomadic herders of Mongolia.

On the evening of Sunday, August 21, while guests enjoy a gourmet dinner of international mountain cuisine, performers will include 17-year-old Appalachian folk singer Elizabeth Laprelle, traditional Ecuadorian musicians Cesar and Luz Cotacachi and Rau Conejo, and an encore appearance by Dhundup and Yeshi.

On the Summit weekend, daytime presentations will include readings by mountain poets Jacob Polley from Cumbria, England, and British Columbia’s Peter Christensen, an illustrated talk by photographer Beth Wald called Eternal Afghanistan, and a music and reading combination by popular Appalachian novelist Sharyn McCrumb and fiddler Jack Hinshelwood.

Cultures at Risk evening events include Friday, August 19 and Saturday, August 20 at 8 p.m. in the Eric Harvie Theatre at The Banff Centre. Tickets for each night are $20. On Sunday, August 21 at 8 p.m., in the Banff Centre Main Dining Room, tickets are $70 and include gourmet dinner. On Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21, tickets for the daytime programs are $25 each. For tickets, call the Banff Centre Box Office at 1-800-413-8368 or 403-762-6301.

For a full schedule of Cultures at Risk public performances and events:
http://www.banffcentre.ca/mountainculture/summit