Sidewalk Concerts provide live performances

With the Stars for Saskatchewan concert series, presented by Yorkton Arts Council, and City Park Parties canceled this year due to Covid-19, the Yorkton Arts Council has found another way to keep our community connected to the performing arts. 

The City of Yorkton in partnership with the Yorkton Arts Council is offering free Sidewalk Concerts for Yorkton residents, while maintaining physical distancing. 

These 30 minute concerts are happening Wednesday or Thursday evenings almost every week throughout the summer, hosted by Yorkton residents on their sidewalks or driveways. (Think of them as a house concert but in the driveway instead of the living room.) 

Host were selected through an application process of the the city's Community Development Parks and Recreation department in June.

All concerts feature local performing artists Katie Morgan, Angus Vincent, Jackie Guy and The Remainders (formerly the Marc Holt Quintet). Funding for artists fees is provided by Saskatchewan Lotteries.

The Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) Board and staff, after consulting with the membership and other stakeholders, have made the difficult decision to cancel the entire 2020/2021 performing arts season.

OSAC stated, "The safety of our volunteers, venue employees, audience members and artists from across the country is paramount and it became obvious that a season of over 170 performances in nearly 40 communities would not be possible. OSAC thanks everyone involved for being understanding during these challenging times and we look forward to be Bringing the Arts to You again in fall 2021."

After consultation with school boards throughout the province, OSAC has also cancelled the Performing Arts in School season for the 2020/2021 school year with the goal of rescheduling those performances in future school years.

That doesn't mean you can't enjoy live performances, though! The Yorkton Arts Council is hosting an innovative series of Sidewalk Concerts this summer. See the following story.

The visual arts program Arts on the Move remains active so check this website for local exhibitions at pARTners Gallery when the Yorkton Public Library opens again, or www.osac.ca for other exhibitions in the province.

The 2019-2020 season was also stopped early. It was to consist of eight concerts, starting October 7, 2019 and ending April 6, 2020.  However, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the last two concerts in March and April of 2020.