July
23, 2011 was a dark day for the music industry. On that day, the world lost the
creative influence of R&B, soul, and jazz performer Amy Winehouse forever.
Amy’s global impact on the world of music, fashion, and culture is still
relevant to this day, and she is best known for bringing a modernized form of
jazz music to a generation who would have otherwise never been exposed to it.
Amy’s
memory, influence, and creative spirit live on in every fan’s mind, but for
those who’d like to enjoy a more physical manifestation, you can always take in
An Evening For Amy, a benefit concert happening in Vancouver.
For
this event, Avalon Recovery Society and the Capilano University Jazz Studies
Program have teamed up to remember Amy Winehouse and raise money for those struggling
with addiction, with proceeds from the concert benefiting the organizing groups,
as well as the Amy Winehouse Foundation.
Out
of Amy Winehouse’s tragic death, there has been some good. Benefit concerts celebrating
the life and music of Amy Winehouse have been held around the world since her
untimely passing at age 27. Following Amy’s death, her family created the Amy Winehouse
Foundation, a charitable organization which offers aid young people in need of support
as a result of health problems, disability, financial issues, or addiction. The
Winehouses have also been active in encouraging other fans and supporters to
organize fundraising events in her memory.
An
Evening For Amy has had incredible support from the community. Part of the
event includes live and silent auctions, for which the organizers have received
donations of, among other goods and services, a spa experience and a trip to
Mexico. They will also be auctioning original art from artists who have donated
their pieces.
In
addition, all of the vocalists, the stage manager, graphic designers, and
makeup artists have generously donated their time, so that almost 100 per cent
of the ticket and auction revenue will go towards the three organizations
involved: the Avalon Recovery Society, the Amy Winehouse Foundation, and a new
bursary for the Capilano University Jazz Studies Program.
Avalon
Recovery Society operates the Avalon Women’s Centres in West Vancouver and Kerrisdale,
which provide safe environments for women in recovery from addiction. Avalon Recovery
Society provides opportunities for women to attend 12-step meetings, gain
access to counselors, and more. The Capilano University Jazz Studies Program
will be the recipient of a bursary established in honour of Amy Winehouse for
music students whose lives have been impacted by addiction.
Catherine
Bowers, an organizer of the event, has a personal connection to the show and
its beneficiaries: “Avalon is where I myself found sobriety, and rediscovering
music is what motivates me to use music as part of my sobriety,” says Bowers.
The
importance of the concert goes beyond benefiting the charities: it is also a
significant event for the performers: “At least five of the performers are in
recovery, three of them openly in recovery. The reason they are participating
is part of [their] recovery, which is reaching out to other people and sharing
[their] experience with others,” says Bowers.
An
Evening For Amy will feature passionate local musicians, from well-known
professionals, to promising musical students, who will perform a variety of
original songs and jazz standards that were performed by Amy Winehouse during
her short life. Urban R&B, jazz, gospel, and soul will all be featured by the
artists, who will put their own unique spin on the music that Amy Winehouse was
so passionate about.
Fans
of Amy know that her music, always filled with passion and emotion, had a
therapeutic quality to it: “Singing always brings me joy, but when I have a
chance to help a fellow or future student with my music, it is even more
uplifting. I am thrilled to participate in An Evening For Amy and have the
opportunity to help heal hearts and souls,” says Shanna Dance, a Capilano
University student who is slated to perform at the event.
An
Evening For Amy is on Feb. 26 at 7:30 pm at the NSCU Centre for the Performing
Arts. Tickets are $25 and are available online at www.ticketzone.com
//Victoria Fawkes, staff writer
//Graphics by Shannon Elliot
//Victoria Fawkes, staff writer
//Graphics by Shannon Elliot
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