Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

HIT hosts Blue Canvas Orchestra

By LARRY HOLCOMBE

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Ironwood — Joyful sounds of the Christmas season will continue at the Historic Ironwood Theatre this week.

Coming off last weekend’s Community Christmas show and the Luther L. Wright High School band concert on Monday, the holiday hits just keep coming as LLW’s Accent! will perform on the HIT stage on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by the Blue Canvas Christmas show on Sunday at 4 p.m.

The Blue Canvas Christmas features the eight-piece house band of the Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua in Bayfield, Wis. Producers call the show “a joyful collaboration of some of Wisconsin’s finest holiday music loving musicians” and “a seasonal musical performance that’s bound to fill your hearts with holiday cheer.”

The evening will feature old songs, new songs, holiday classics, instrumentals and an audience sing-along.

Blue Canvas Orchestra Musical Director Ed Willett said the show is meant to transport the audience to a home filled with family, music and good fun. “It’s as if your favorite aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews all happened to be fantastic musicians, and they showed up at your place one Christmas night to enjoy your company and to warm the rafters with some great music.”

“From the sublime to the raucous, this band of characters brings with them their years of comradely and exquisite musicianship,” said a spokesman. “Expect an evening of beautiful voices blending harmonies as only singers with decades of singing together can; amazing arrangements for violin and cello, transforming music from Vivaldi to Bob Dylan to Jackson Browne to Randy Sabien and his own original, “Boogie-woogie Christmas.”

The evening will also include strolls down nostalgia lane with group member Tom Mitchell’s readings of Charles Dickens and Clement Clarke Moore; and lots and lots of laughter, said a spokesman.

The performance is sponsored in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Other events planned for the theatre include the Garland City Chamber Players returning for another performance in the HIT’s Mezzanine on Sunday, Dec. 29 at 3 p.m., the Sisu Ski Fest wrap up party on Saturday, Jan. 11, featuring Copper Box — an accordion-fueled rock band playing blues and ‘70s rock; and an ABBA tribute band on Thursday, Jan. 20.

 
 
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