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Music To Our Ears
THE WENTWORTH LEGACY
» Thursday 1 October 2009 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as third-generation retailer and studio manager Noel Wentworth profiles his family's decades-long dedication to the Okanagan musical scene.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
A Family Tradition of Lighting the Way for Musicians in the Valley
Perhaps the apex of an organization's success is when it attains the stature of "fixture" in a community - an established and stalwart institution with a history of service and stories to tell. One family's enterprise, after more than forty years of operation in the Okanagan, can certainly claim the distinction of "fixture."
 And "fixture" is an apt description. The Wentworth family began business in a lighting fixtures store in the late 1960's. Walt Wentworth had just left a top-secret position working on the Avro Arrow and, shortly after moving to Kelowna, took the position as electrical engineer for Capri House of Lights. He eventually bought the business.
While Walt sold fixtures in Wentworth House of Lights, his son Dale taught music lessons in the back of the store. It was a "light bulb" of a different sort that must have inspired Dale Wentworth to claim some of his Dad's front window space, supplementing the store's offerings with, of all things, a few guitars: an auspicious - if incongruous - addition to inventory.
On Thursday, October 1st at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series at the Bohemian Café presents Music To Our Ears: The Wentworth Legacy. Join us as third-generation retailer and studio manager Noel Wentworth profiles his family's decades-long dedication to the Okanagan musical scene.
 In the forty years that have followed the sale of those first guitars, the Wentworth family has opened its doors to countless musicians and music lovers, not to mention a few music legends and "characters." Their dedication to music has persisted, now spanning three generations, weathering at times the vagaries of fluctuating economies and adapting always to the ever-changing trends and technologies of a mercurial music industry.
Now in the hands of the third generation, the family's vision has expanded, reviving a music education department for new generations of budding talent. Noel and Lora Wentworth operate twelve studios, with their team of instructors, to train a burgeoning stream of young singers and instrumentalists. Their year-end concerts - theme-based extravaganzas - are professional productions that are a delight to experience. Noel's mother Hedy, trained opera singer and former piano teacher, plays gracious host and emcee, encouraging the young artists and cheerfully announcing musical numbers that are generally of a genre as far removed from her own classical training as any musical genre can get.
The Wentworth family's enthusiasm for music continues to drive their endeavors. It is an infectious passion that reaches out to the community at large. That first "light bulb" moment - that brought guitars to a lighting store - has helped ensure that music and musicianship thrive in the Okanagan Valley.
 Noel Wentworth knows first hand what life as a professional musician and entrepreneur is about. His family business Wentworth Music has been a staple in the Okanagan now for 43 years. Noel has seen success in his own right over the years by having his diploma in music, performing internationally, releasing CD's, receiving international airplay toping out at #26 in the top 200 in Europe, and collecting four Billboard song awards. Now as a third generation owner operator Noel now takes the reins as Studio Manager at Wentworth Music offering a highly respected concert program that has become the largest of its kind in Canada.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Creative Aging: Redefining Retirement takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 109th event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
Friends of Arts, Culture and Heritage:
The current BC Liberal budget plan for 2010/2011 includes cuts of 90% to arts and culture investment. As you know this will devastate arts organizations, throw thousands out of work, hurt our communities, and negatively impact our economy. It just doesn't make sense. These cuts include the elimination of gaming funds, the entirety of BC Arts Council grants, and other investments in arts and culture.
A key opportunity to influence the next provincial budget, and call for a restoration of provincial investment in arts, culture, and heritage has arrived. The provincial Finance Committee will be travelling the province to hear from you about what you think the 2010/2011 budget should look like. They will be in Kelowna on Thursday October 15, 4-7 pm.
To get on the speakers list you need to act fast. The government has provided very little time to respond, and we can't let them get away with keeping our voices from being heard. Call toll free 1-877-428-8337 or go online to www.leg.bc.ca/budgetconsultations and click on the "participate in a public hearing" button.
If you are unable to make it to an in-person session then you can submit your thoughts in writing or by Web video. This is very important - even a one page submission outlining the impact of cuts and the need for next year's budget to reverse the trend would be helpful. It is important that speakers include community members speaking in support of the arts, culture, and heritage sectors, professionals, membership organizations, board members and volunteers.
For a copy of the 2006 socio-economic BC government study on the impact of the arts and culture in BC, click here. |
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The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
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