DaysArts presented the fourth concert in their 2023/24 series on Thursday, Feb. 15, when Cristian De la Luna took to the stage with his pop-latin beat.
De la Luna performs in Spanish and French, and played a number of songs from his new album ¿Qué Pasará?
A native of Columbia, De la Luna emigrated to Canada, ending up in Northern Quebec before settling in Edmonton, and he talked about some of that journey in between songs.
De la Luna was accompanied by three band mates, and their music brought a bright energy to the stage that had many in the audience clapping along.
DaysArts board member Sharon Eshpeter said that De la Luna told stories throughout his performance, bringing a lot of humour and really connecting with the audience.
He said he really appreciated the crowd acceptance of his spanish and french only repertoire.
Eshpeter says the concert brought something different to the stage, which is kind of the point of the whole series.
Next up will be illusionist/magician Chris Funk, who will take the stage on Wednesday, March 13.
Funk is an accomplished performer, and has appeared on television many times, including spots on America’s Got Talent, Penn & Tellers: Fool Us, and Masters of Illusion. He’s headlined at Hollywood’s Magic Castle and Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
Following in his shoes will be Jeffrey Straker, who will be making his second stop at the Palace Theatre to round out the season in the sixth and final concert, taking place Thursday, April 4.
Eshpeter calls him the ‘Saskatchewan Elton John,’ saying he’s a really talented pianist and singer, who plays a variety of songs, from originals to covers that are sure to entertain.
Eshpeter is already working on next year’s concert lineup, and while she’s not yet releasing names, she says it’s really going to be a good one. DaysArts hopes to announce it by the last of this year’s performance, and build on the momentum that’s starting to return post-Covid.
“We are really hoping that we can continue to build our audiences going forward,” she says, adding that the series has not yet fully recovered its pre-pandemic crowds.
DaysArts is partially funded by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, (AFA), which has grant funding available for presenters, up to 65 per cent of Alberta artists, and 50 per cent of Canadian and international artists. “That’s the ideal, I think we’ve only received the full amount we’ve applied for once,” says Eshpeter. If the AFA grant funding is over subscribed, which it often is, then groups like DaysArts receive just a portion of the funding they apply for.
“It’s still a huge help,” Eshpeter says. “Without the AFA grant, we couldn’t bring in the quality of acts that we do.”
Leslie Cholowsky
Editor