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Celebrating winter Artscene Allegro Cafe at Whole Foods Market is showcasing the beauty of the season with an art exhibit called A Group Celebration of Winter. Pictured on the left, Pat McGoey adjusts the painting made by a fellow artist and on the right, Elizabeth Malara, left, and Beverley Jenkins look at Jenkins' work. The show runs until Feb. 26. The store is located at 301 Cornwall Rd. 21 · Friday, February 10, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com with art: michael ivanin / oakville beaver Ensemble hopes to warm people's hearts By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF With Valentine's Day just around the corner, the Oakville Ensemble will sing the songs of love with the hope of warming up the hearts of its audiences. The group will perform a pair of concerts, titled Heart to Heart, this weekend. Both shows will be choral. The concerts will feature about 20 music pieces, each one different, each one exuding emotions of love. "It's all beautiful music. It's all very melodic, very harmonic music. It's very sweet stuff," said Stéphane Potvin, artistic director. "We compared it to a box of chocolate. Every piece is going to be sweet and delicious, but they're all going to be a little different in style and approach." The show will feature music in French, German and English, consisting of pieces by such great com- emotion of the choir," he said. "It's posers as Franz Schubert, Henry really touching people." The emotion Purcell, John is also the best Dowland, Adrian "We compared it to a box of part of a classiWillaert and chocolate. Every piece is cal music permany more. going to be sweet and formance, the "It's all classiconductor said. cal stuff. It's all delicious, but they're all "A lot of peorelated to the going to be a little different." ple come thinktheme of love," ing this is clasPotvin said. Stéphane Potvin, artistic director sical music and The Valentine's Oakville Ensemble it's going to be presentation will obviously feature songs about love pretty and nice. But in the end, they between two lovers, but there will come out thinking, `Wow. I've really be more than that. There will be been touched. You made me cry, various forms of love on musical you made me laugh.' It's all about display, including the love a parent the emotion. That's the best reason has for a child and sacred music to come." At this concert, the music is that professes the love for God. Potvin calls the music beautiful, about desire, or joy felt by someone but there is more to the melodies who wins his or her love, or the heartache of losing a loved one. than aesthetics. "It really touches you because it "It's really about the emotion people get from the music and the relates to our lives today. Even though it was written a hundred, two, three, four hundred years ago, we still have the same emotions. We all go through those stages," Potvin said. "It's really a profound baggage of emotion that we all share together, in this program." The Saturday concert is at St. John's United Church, 262 Randall St., at 7:30 p.m. Treats will be served at a post-concert reception. The Sunday concert is at Mary Mother of God Church, 2745 North Ridge Trail, at 3 p.m. Prior to the concert, flute players from the Oakville Suzuki Foundation will perform in the entrance hall of the church. Advance tickets cost $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and students or $50 for a family. Tickets at the door cost $35 for adults, $25 for seniors, $15 for students or $70 for a family. For more information, visit www.oakville-ensemble.ca. Conor Gains at Moonshine The blues-rock Conor Gains Band is making its return to Oakville with a concert at The Moonshine Café. The band, which gave previous performances in the venue over the past two years, will take the stage on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 9 p.m. The band is led by the young Conor Gains. The band has performed at the 2011 Montreal International Jazz Festival and had shows at The Rex in Toronto, Sauble Beach, Burlington Ribfest and Southside Shuffle in Mississauga. The band also recently competed at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. Tickets cost $10. The café is located at 137 Kerr St. For reservations, call 905-844-2655.