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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 16, 2012 · 26 Youth art on display Artscene in practice: Members of High Rendition Jazz are pictured here rehearsing at their new studio at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre, which opens to the public later this month. They have a number of upcoming performances. graham paine / oakville beaver The Oakville Galleries' Youth Council (OGYC) is hosting Up All Night, its second annual exhibition at the Centennial Square gallery. Up All Night features works created by OGYC members and other local youths who submitted their work through an open call for submissions. Through artworks in various media-- including sculpture, video and painting--the young artists explore themes such as insomnia, secrecy, and delirium. The exhibit is now open and ends on Sunday, April 1. "For many youth, night time offers reprieve from the restrictions and obligations of waking life, offering instead a world guided by feeling," said Sarah Febbraro, galleries community arts programmer, in a press release. "As one OGYC member describes it, `Sometimes, I feel like the only way I can experience anything real is to be up all night.'" There is a free public tour at the gallery with OGYC member Lindsay Wilson on Wednesday, March 21 at 6 p.m. There will be an exhibit closing party on Friday, March 30 from 7 to 9 p.m. The OGYC invites all local teens to the closing party. Admission is free. Formed in 2010, the OGYC is composed of a group of local teens who are interested in contemporary visual art. Driven by a desire to create a youthoriented arts scene in Oakville, the OGYC organizes special events throughout the year. The gallery is located at 120 Navy St. For gallery hours and more information, visit www.oakvillegalleries.com. Success is result of talent, experience, support By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When a group of parents got together to create a musical outlet for their children, they likely didn't know they were laying the foundation of a grassroots success story. Five years after its inaugural spring concert, High Rendition Jazz is gearing up for what appears to be another successful and busy concert season. And it's all a result of the work by everyone involved, said group founder and chairperson Kate Robinson. "The talent of the kids, the experience of the directors and the support of the parents, those are the three ingredients that make our success," she said. High Rendition Jazz is a nonprofit organization that provides an educational and performance experience to musicians who are in high school. It is run by a network of parents and directed by a pair of music professionals. In 2008, the group played its first concert and it is gearing up for its fifth annual spring show on Friday, March 30 in Oakville. Additionally, the group will perform at the Queen Elizabeth Park Community Centre grand opening ceremony on Saturday, March 24 and will be part of Canada Day celebrations for its second time at Queen's Park on July 1. The band is a regular act featured at the Oakville Jazz Festival and is currently marketing its first CD, Take One, which was recorded in Oakville. It is available at L'Atelier Grigorian. The band also qualified to perform at MusicFest Canada in Toronto in 2013. All of this was achieved by a group of young musicians who come together once a week and play to their hearts' content. "If you close your eyes and listen to the music, you would not believe that these kids are aged between 14 and 18. The sound is incredible," said Robinson, admitting she has some bias. The idea to form the group came from co-founder and the group's first music director, Brian Vincent, who at the time was a director of the Halton District School Board's Halton Junior Jazz. That group is part of the school board and is for children in grades 7 and 8. "He said we should do a high school version of Halton Junior Jazz and let's have a meeting about it," Robinson said. A number of parents came together to discuss the idea and several months later, the band was born. Not all high schools have a jazz band program and High Rendition Jazz that outlet for teen musicians. "We were very supportive parSee Youth page 27