Arts Mosaic, the community arts organization for the Virden area, has cancelled its annual concert series. Subscribers say they received notification about the loss of the decades-old series a few months ago.
The chair of the Arts Mosaic board of directors, Ann Patmore, declined comment on the reasons for the cancellation saying only that “changes to Arts Mosaic’s concert series are an in-house board decision.”
World class entertainment
Virden-area resident Lynda Lyng was a season ticket holder for five or six years, and she recalls the Aud Theatre used to be filled “to the rafters”.
“Sometimes you couldn’t even get a ticket, so many had bought season tickets.”
But she says things have changed in recent years and many shows by visiting performers are under-attended. “It seems like only Michelle (Chyzyk’s) musicals can fill the place now.”
Mary Lou Reid used to volunteer for the arts group as the head of the Entertainment Committee back when it was still called Virden Community Arts Council (VCAC).
She remembers travelling to showcase events where arts councils from across Manitoba could preview and select performers for the coming season.
Valdy, Rankins
Reid recalls the many top-notch artists that VCAC brought to Virden over the years like folk singer Valdy, the Rankin Family and Barra MacNeils from Nova Scotia, and comedian Lorne Elliott.
Touring theatre productions, many of them from the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, also took to the stage, most recently a one-man adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
VCAC roots
VCAC was formed in 1982 by community members who wanted to foster the arts and act as a “catalyst” for creative endeavours, according to the Arts Mosaic website.
It describes their mandate as: holding workshops, operating an art gallery, providing retail space for local artists, offering scholarships and bursaries, helping run the Costume Closet and presenting the annual concert series.
Arts Mosaic receives funding from four municipalities including the Town of Virden as well as sponsorships from local businesses for the concert series.
An upcoming concert at the Aud in May featuring Sean McCann (a founding member of Canadian folk rock band Great Big Sea and now a solo artist) is the final act booked by Arts Mosaic.
