This weekend, the National Arts Centre will become a magical realm for children, thanks to numerous music-related events at the BIG BANG festival. A part of Winterlude, this celebration of sound offers many free activities, including interactive audio trips, a musical parade, a mechanical orchestra, and a sound installation made up of ropes, elastics, new technologies, and weights. There are also several paid concerts, with tickets ranging in price from $5 to $15, though there is a 25% discount if you purchase tickets to two or more performances.
Diogenes’ Shed mechanical orchestra. Photo provided.
“[An] explosion for all senses” is how festival programmer Mélanie Dumont describes this musical extravaganza in a statement. The BIG BANG festival was created in 1995 by Belgian native Wouter Van Looy, a violinist involved in theatrical productions.
“At that time, I was a musician working in the theatre,” recalled Van Looy in a 2020 interview. “I was going to a lot of adult concerts and having discovered the beautiful world of children’s theatre, I missed something. I missed really good concerts that shared the richness of music with young audiences.”
The result was the OORSMEER festival, subsequently renamed the BIG BANG in 2010. Today, the festival is held in various European cities, and since 2019 has also been in Ottawa, the first North American city to host this festival.
Photo: Eza Soiferman.
One of the great things about the BIG BANG is how both adults and children can enjoy the music, making it a perfect event for all ages. To get a taste of what audience members can expect, Apt613 spoke to Rebecca Noelle, a vocalist with the Ottawa pop-art ensemble The PepTides, who will be performing on Sunday, February 19, as part of the festival.
The PepTides. Photo provided.
“We have always had an adult audience, while our delivery has been tongue in cheek,” says Noelle. “If you don’t focus on our lyrics you would think that we were children’s entertainers.”
With a three-octave vocal range, the talented Noelle works on various musical projects, including a solo singing career and as a composer/performer with the soul big-band, The Commotions.
For The PepTides show this weekend, however, Noelle promises a fun-filled concert for all ages.
“[Before the show], we are going to teach audience members how to dance the dance parts,” says Noelle. “People who have seen The PepTides can expect the same level of performance with colourful costumes and personalities.”
This is also a good description of what the public can expect at the BIG BANG festival as a whole, given that this event is a colourful celebration of musical fun.
The BIG BANG Festival runs Feb. 18–19 at the NAC (1 Elgin St). Check out the full festival schedule here.
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