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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, October 10, 2012 · 16 Freedom festival at museum Artscene The Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton (CCAH) and Oakville Museum are presenting the sixth annual Roots of Freedom Festival Oct. 18-19 in two venues. On Thursday, Oct. 18, there will be a walking tour and The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Freedom! interactive exhibit at Erchless Estate, 8 Navy St. Both run 5-7 p.m. The following day, there will be a live concert at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre featuring the CCAH Steelband, Beyond Sound and Muhtadi. The concert runs from 7-9 p.m. at 2302 Bridge Rd. A two-day pass costs $10 or $5 for students and seniors. For information, visit www.rootsoffreedomfestival.com. Jennifer Walton at Abbozzo submitted photo Beaches, lakes and frozen ponds are coming to Abbozzo Gallery in the form of paintings by artist Jennifer Walton. The artist's show opens at the local gallery on Friday (Oct. 12) with a reception from 7-10 p.m. The award-winning painter has received national grants and been an artist in residence at various venues. Her works have been exhibited in galleries across Canada, the U.S. and U.K. and hang public and private collections. Her first show at Abbozzo Gallery is titled Beaches, Lakes, Frozen Ponds. It runs to Oct. 27. Walton will be at the opening reception. The gallery is at 179 Lakeshore Rd. E. For information, visit www.abbozzogallery.com. bagpipes: World-renowned Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez and his band will perform in Oakville this Saturday in support of ArtHouse programming. Spanish bagpiper Carlos Nunez plays for ArtHouse By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Renowned Spanish musician Carlos Núñez will be bringing his Galician bagpipes (gaita) to Oakville for a performance stopover during his North American tour. The show on Saturday (Oct. 13) is a fundraiser for ArtHouse, a local organization that provides costfree arts programming to children aged seven to 11. "He's one of the nicest people you'll ever come across. He's warm and his music is brilliant. It's not just the pipes. It's his ability on the flute as well," said organizer and ArtHouse founder Don Pangman. "He's just phenomenal." Núñez and his band will be backed by Toronto musicians Sahra Featherstone on the harp, and vocalist Eleanor McCain, at St. John's United Church. Both musicians are also joining Nunez for a concert he'll be performing in Toronto the night before, which was also organized by Pangman. "We got some pretty high-end talent here," Pangman said. "It's like one big party and it will be a party, I guarantee you. The churches will never be the same." Núñez is currently doing his first major North American tour to promote his first album with the Sony Masterworks label. It is titled Discovery. The Oakville and Toronto shows are his only stops in Canada. The Toronto concert, taking place at the Church of the Redeemer on Friday, is a fundraiser for the Philip Aziz Centre's Emily House, which is expected to open early in the new year. The centre is a nonprofit hospice and Emily's House will be Toronto's first residential hospice for children, for which Pangman is the lead fundraiser. This is not the first time Núñez will be appearing in Oakville either. The musician performed at St. Jude's Celebration of the Arts in 2008 after Pangman had learned about the musician from his daughter who was working in Spain at the time. That year, Núñez was performing in Canada at the Celtic Colours International Festival in Cape Breton, so Pangman worked with the organizers and managed to bring him to Oakville as well. Pangman said the concert was attended by approximately 300 people, all of whom got up on their feet during the performance. Now, people will get the same chance, while supporting ArtHouse. The organization was founded in 2009 to provide children with free after-school arts programming. In its first year, it had 30 students. In 2012, it provided after-school, weekend and summer programing to approximately 400 children and Pangman estimates that number to grow to 600 next year. ArtHouse recently launched its first program outside of Oakville, in St. Luke's Church in Burlington. "It's just been unbelievable. We've had great support, from people providing the venues, from the Y, to Sheridan College, to the various churches and we've just launched our first program at QE Park," Pangman said. "All of our programs are oversubscribed." He said the arts play a major influence in developing children's self-confidence, which can lead to better eating habits, better attitudes towards fitness and better marks in school. "The arts are a huge contributor to the social wellbeing of kids and self-confidence, particularly in the years we're focusing on, ages seven to 11, the middle years," he said. However, the programs cost money, Pangman said, that's why fundraisers like the Núñez concert are so important to ArtHouse. "We've got fantastic instructors, the best you can find," he said. "But I believe the world is full of starving artists and we don't want to starve our artists so it's important we fundraise to continue to provide these programs and continue to bring in the best instructors we can find." St. John's is located at 262 Randall St. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $50. For tickets, visit www.arthouseonline.org. Dancing with Stars for Easter Seals People can to go out and dance the night away while bringing support to children with physical disabilities. The Halton Dancing with the Stars for Easter Seals Kids event is happening at the Burlington Convention Centre, 1120 Burloak Dr., tomorrow (Thursday). It starts at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $125. For tickets, visit www.easterseals.org.