Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet Opens "Doorway" Anew

Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet will perform its brilliant and beautiful dance, choreographed by Jorden Morris - "The Doorway: Scenes from Leonard Cohen" in a mixed repertoire program - January 25, 2014 at the Eric Harvie Theatre, The Banff Centre - Alberta, Canada:

http://www.banffcentre.ca/event/6346/royal-winnipeg-ballet?d=2014-01-25+19%3A30

"Royal Winnipeg Ballet returns to The Banff Centre with a unique mixed program that will not appear anywhere else on their Canadian tour. The complex and beautiful songs of Leonard Cohen come to life in Jorden Morris’s new ballet, The Doorway. Plus works by Banff Centre alumnus Peter Quanz, William Forsyth, and Canadian dance legend, Brian Macdonald.

Repertoire includes:

Quantz by Quanz – Peter Quanz

The Doorway – Jorden Morris

Pas D’Action – Brian Macdonald"

Amazing choreography, dancers and spirit combine for one of the most exciting and enervating collaborative opportunities ever enjoyed by Allison Crowe – whose interpretation of Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, she’s thrilled, is part of this ballet: http://music.allisoncrowe.com/track/hallelujah

Banff, already a wonderful place to be, will be even moreso when the RWB comes to town!

Sophia Lee dances to Allison Crowe's performance of "Hallelujah" in "The Doorway: Scenes from Leonard Cohen" - during the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's debut run in May 2012

Snow on Snow

Fun Facts: Musician Allison Crowe lives in one of the snowiest parts of Canada - Corner Brook - second only to Gander, NL as the snowiest city of them all. Her music label, Rubenesque Records, lives in the least snowiest region of Canada - on Salt Spring Island - between Victoria (#1) and Vancouver, BC (#3): http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Science/2013/11/28/snow1280.jpg

When there’s snow sighted, the best thing, of course, is to sing. Here’s Allison Crowe performing “In the Bleak Midwinter”, a traditional song of the season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNo5U3C0cB4 This recording was made ten years ago this week – for “Tidings”, a national television special. Warmest thanks to Doug Slack and the production elves at the New VI/A Channel.

Like snow-flakes, no two musical performances are the same. Here's the "In the Bleak Midwinter" recording of Allison Crowe made live-in-the-studio at Turtle Recording, White Rock, BC Canada - by the teams of Alex Postowoi (film) and Larry Anschell (audio): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI00JhQpiaA

Human Voices: Muruch's "Words" Video Premiere

Today, one of the world's original and most passionate music blogs, Muruch, drawing from a deeply personal well, premieres its video for "Words", a song recording from Allison Crowe, with images from photographer George Hodan.

Fun Universe Brings Allison Crowe’s Music Home this Holiday Season

How does one of the world’s great musical voices, and most independent artists on the planet, land amidst a face-off between man and Superman in an Hollywood blockbuster?

“I’m a big Johnny Cash fan. And I’m a big Allison Crowe fan. So the combination to me seemed like an awesome opportunity if we could make it happen,” explains “Man of Steel” Director Zack Snyder. “Allison and I had talked about trying to get some of her music in one of my movies whenever we could – and I thought, well, if I just put her in the film then there’s no way that it won’t work. So, that’s where you get Allison from.”

The film-maker, along with his stellar cast and crew, deliver insights into the production of this epic science fiction adventure, in “Journey of Discovery”, a just-released special feature of MoS in Blu-ray edition.

“(Zack) keeps trying to get me into movies and it’s amazing,” responds Crowe in the feature. “I first kinda met Zack over the internet about songs online... I think about four or five years ago the first one would have been the ‘Watchmen’ and he was looking to do ‘Hallelujah’. And then the second one we were looking at another song for ‘Sucker Punch’ and so now we have Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ and the altercation ensues…”

Allison Crowe with Zack Snyder on "Man of Steel" set - photo courtesy Clay Enos / Warner Bros.

The movie itself reveals how all the pieces fit – and it’s an exhilarating ride and humbling experience for the Canadian singer-songwriter. And it’s all inspiring.

“In an entertainment world that increasingly genuflects at the altar of instant fame, Crowe seems an anomaly, building her career slowly and carefully,” commented Times Colonist newspaper scribe Adrian Chamberlain some years back. Fine-tuned at the keyboard in arts reportage, (and an r’n’b combo), the writer noted how the “Nanaimo songbird seems uninterested in celebrity and its trappings”.

The universe is ever-expanding for the now Corner Brook, Newfoundland-based, Vancouver Island-born, Crowe, still her goals and values are constant. "Soulful. Alive. Joyous. Grievous. Real, true, music is what I want to make," she’s said. More than a dozen years along the road less-traveled, she succeeds like no one else.

From attending the red-carpet premiere and festivities of “Man of Steel” this Summer, she traveled from New York City to Cow Head, NL to musically direct the hit stage show “Newfoundland Vinyl”, a production of Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Her LP/album of the same name, joins her latest, “Heavy Graces” among 2013’s best new releases. Crowe’s third album out this year, “Songbook”, is an oeuvre-spanning 22-song compilation.

People everywhere can enjoy the music – and folks in Allison Crowe’s hometowns can join in “Tidings”, a celebration of music for the season and all-time, happening:

Nov. 30 – Arts and Culture Centre, Corner Brook, NL

Dec. 7 – Fairfield United Church, Victoria, BC – to aid Artemis Place and HepCBC

Dec. 12 – Real Food, Old City Quarter, Nanaimo, BC – Community Sing-along to aid Haven Society

Dec. 14 – St. Andrew’s United Church, Nanaimo, BC – with guests: Chelsea Peckett; Daniel Knapp; Melissa Kahan; Taylor Johnstone; Raymond Salgado; & Josh Holloway - to aid Woodlands Secondary Band and Basketball

Concert and community sing-along details coming soon.

Up, Up and Away... Man of Steel flies into home theatres

Allison Crowe has a cameo in "Man of Steel" - the highly-imaginative, epic science fiction adventure featuring Superman.

In this Hollywood blockbuster, directed by Zack Snyder, Allison appears as a singer/musician in Cassidy's Bar where Clark Kent is working incognito. She performs "Ring of Fire", a song penned by June Carter and Merle Kilgore and made legendary by Johnny Cash.

The movie, a tremendous international hit, is out now on DVD and BluRay.

By Your Side + Autumn Frost

Love makes the world go 'round. And it does in this, the latest in our music-movie mashup series.


Allison Crowe's song "By Your Side", (performed "Live at Wood Hall"), is paired here with an excerpt from "Autumn Fire" - avant garde cinema from 1930/31.

Labeled "a film poem" by its creator, Herman G. Weinberg, "Autumn Fire" is an impressionistic love letter from its director to actress Erna Bergman ("The girl" to Willy Hildebrand's "The boy").

As well as making films, Weinberg is a noted writer and film historian, and adapted (subtitled) numerous movies for the screen including cinema classics such as "La Strada" (directed by Federico Fellini) and "La Grande Illusion” (d. Jean Renoir).