This Canada Day, ArtsXpeditions and Arts Commons Presents brings a full day of free, live programming to Olympic Plaza. Our lineup of six talented performers showcases the breadth of talent that exists right here in Calgary. From the music of Cree artist Walter MacDonald White Bear, to the smooth grooves of Natalia Chai, to the avant-garde low-fi of Sargeant x Comrade, our Canada Day celebration has something for everyone!  

This year’s lineup features two Calgary-based performers with completely different takes on jazz: Music with Mandy puts a kids-first spin on big-band jazz standards and saxophonist Perpie Nwaefido creates melodic jazz that is accessible for all audiences. Despite their differing artistic approaches, both are excited to be a part of Canada Day at Arts Commons. 

YYC Music Award nominee Music with Mandy kicks off the Canada Day festivities at 11 a.m. with an interactive performance of original songs designed to get kids on their feet and moving around. Led by Mandy Morris, Music with Mandy finds creative ways to connect with younger audiences through song and dance. “I think most people connect to art in some way or another,” Morris says. She notes that music is especially important in the learning process and the songs she creates focus on boosting self-esteem and curiosity in children. On Canada Day, she’ll be performing her songs, “From My Head to My Toes,” a song which teaches body positivity, and “What’s Your Name” which explains how pronouns help cultivate relationships of respect. 

For Morris, combining her background in music and passion for building self-esteem in children was a natural extension of her background as a music educator, but she is adamant that we need to broaden our expectations of children’s music. “I think that we put children’s genre into one thing, like children’s music sounds like this,” she says, referring to the perception that children’s music is all hokey sing-along songs. But just like adults can like different types of music, children can also appreciate musical variety, including jazz. “I started playing a bunch of swing music for my classes and I was like, ‘oh these kids really feel it and naturally connect with this style of music,’” she says. 

Connection is a big piece of what makes music so special for saxophonist Perpie Nwaefido. Known for her especially melodic approach to jazz, Nwaefido says that music helps her connect to her past growing up in Africa as well as her present here in Calgary. “I come from a singing background, which is an African practice. All our singing from lullabies to kids, to the village squares where we have the market days and all of that, it’s a very major practice,” she says. “It is just an expression of what I know, how I grew up, and the things I was exposed to.”

Nwaefido was recently named one of Alberta’s 2022 Lt. Governor Emerging Artists, a distinction she shares with 11 other artists. For her, the nod inspires her to continue to develop her art and continue to push the boundaries of what we expect from a jazz artist. “You cannot define jazz because there’s room for so many things,” she says. The diversity of jazz music, in many ways, reflects the diversity of the the Calgary community. “It’s such a diverse space and is so diverse in such a beautiful way,” she says. “I’m trying to pull in all that diversity that I experience in the city and connect it to my childhood and also make it accessible to everyone around, as much as possible” 

It’s that ability to connect with people, live and in person, that makes the Canada Day festivities at Arts Commons so special. Morris notes that she spent much of the pandemic performing from her living room over live-stream and is excited to be performing live again. “It breathes life back into the music,” she says. “There’s a kind of magic when it’s just a bunch of humans playing music together in front of other humans.”  

Audiences can expect to enjoy a range of music and activities at Olympic Plaza on Canada Day, including food trucks from Arepas Ranch, Mr. Frosty, and Happy Hero. The festivities start at 11 am and run throughout the day until 5 p.m.. As the event is free, all you have to do is bring a positive attitude and a willingness to have fun. “Just be ready because every art form is going to be different,“ Nwaefido says. “Just come ready and open minded to just experience that art.” 

For the full Canada Day festivities schedule, please visit artscommons.ca/arts-commons-presents/artsxpeditions