Wednesday on the Wharf
Online applications for WOW 2025 will open January 2025
Watch this space for the application link and selection criteria
2024: What a season!
From pop to soul, yacht-rock to country, and bhangra to blues, the 2024 WOW season was an electrifying journey through music. Time and again, WOW artists said that Salmon Arm is one of their favourite places to play, because the audiences are so enthusiastic and appreciative. Thank you to everyone who came down to enjoy the evening concerts and create this magical inclusive community event!
The first concert of the series on July 3rd was spearheaded by country music gentleman Ben Klick, who delighted the crowd with his brand of feel-good tunes and upbeat guitar twang. The following week’s heat wave was no match for Indigenous Indie-Rocker Francis Baptiste, who belted it out in English and Nsyilxcən while the crowd stayed cool in the shade. Not to be outdone, Kayla Williams and the Yacht Daddies brought the house down with their high-energy funk and R&B inspired from the glittery 70's on July 17th.
ROOTSandBLUES Festival performers BuenRostro brought their fusion of Indigenous Mexican, blues, jazz, and rock to the gazebo stage on July 24th and had everyone on their feet and clapping along. Up-and-comer Jeremy Kneeshaw electrified the crowd with his youthful charisma, slick guitar playing, and beachy-blues energy on July 31st, while En Karma raised the roof on Aug 7th- our first time having Bhangra on the WOW stage! It was an unforgettable night of energy, dancing, beats, and community.
The magic went on as we moved through the month... Vancouver jazz scene staple Dawn Pemberton served up smooth vocals and powerhouse R&B energy to an appreciative crowd on August 14th, while Josh & Bex took advantage of the cooler evening on August 21st to deliver a languid, wondrous musical experience on banjo and guitar, full of laughs and warm, reflective sighs. It was hard to believe there was only one concert left!
August 28th marked the final WOW concert, and the first of what will be an annual WOW event: a mini Secwepemc powWOW, presented in collaboration with our Neskonlith partners. What a rich afternoon of cultural sharing and celebration! Audiences were treated to stories, dancing and drumming, and the gathering ended with an intertribal round dance, with everyone invited to join in.
The evening’s WOW concert began immediately after, and featured Indigenous artist Hayley Wallis. Her upbeat, soulful pop and lighthearted spirit made for easy listening, and sent us all on our way with good vibes in our hearts.
Hats off to our sponsors!
This by-donation concert series would not be possible without the dedication and generosity of local businesses and organizations that know the arts and culture enliven a community and make it a better place to live. We are so grateful for their support, and their commitment to accessible community events.
Thank you to all our sponsors, we couldn’t have done it without you!
Looking back at 2023
Now that the summer heat is behind us, we can take stock of the 2023 WOW season. The end of August was marked by devastating wildfires in our area, which cut our concert series short, and caused distress for so many. We are grateful that Arts Centre staff, WOW technicians and crew, and musical performers were spared the worst from the wildfires, and our thoughts are with those in our community who are facing a long road to recovery.
Our opening concert on July 5th had all the features of a stellar WOW concert: Under a beautiful blue sky, a huge crowd of 600+ cheered on local favourites Cod Gone Wild. The following week, light drizzle cleared to sunny skies as crowds welcomed well-known Indigenous singer Kym Gouchie; followed by up and comer Métis artist Kaeley Jade and her high-energy performance on July 19th. The Gabriel Palatchi Trio’s Latin-jazz and global funk beats wrapped up the month, and left audiences wanting more.
Cod Gone Wild
Kym Gouchie
Gabriel Palatchi Trio
Kaeley Jade
The Misery Mountain Boys
August 2nd began on a high note with the nostalgic tunes and comic timing of the Misery Mountain Boys. This was to be our last sunny concert, as the following week’s Francis Baptiste was chased off the stage by a deluge after only three songs. The Wednesday ahead of the Roots and Blues festival typically features a festival artist, and this year award-winning Francophone folk artists Le Vent du Nord wowed an appreciative crowd at the intimate setting at Song Sparrow Hall, as thick smoke made an outdoor concert impossible. In the aftermath of an anxious weekend of wildfire activity, we made the difficult decision to cancel the last two concerts in August. The health and safety of our artists, our audiences, our staff and our crew took top priority.
Francis Baptiste
Le Vent du Nord
Despite these challenges, there were many successes this past season, including an increase in average audience size, a focus on reconciliation through Secwepectsin language, and a fantastic working relationship with our community partners, which allowed us to skillfully respond to all of August’s challenges. Like so many outdoor presenters, we will be using the off-season to examine how to deliver future WOW concerts in such an unpredictable climate. Adaptability and innovation, while keeping WOW’s core values of diversity, musical excellence, and accessibility, will be key.
The Shuswap District Arts Council extends a heartfelt kukwstéc-kucw to all the sponsors, supporters, artists and crew who made this year’s concert series possible.
2022
After two arduous and unpredictable years, it was a joy to once again present music in Salmon Arm. Elated performers expressed their gratitude for the chance to share their music in a live setting, while delighted audiences danced, clapped along, or simply leaned back, closed their eyes, and listened with a smile on their face. The connection to music, community, and this beautiful Secwepemc territory were deep and palpable.
Psychedelic instrumental jazz band The Apollo Suns
Roots-reggae band The Spiritual Warriors
The 2022 season was fresh and bold, and featured larger bands, more diverse musical genres, increased Indigenous representation, and an emphasis on touring acts. Audience feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many commenting on the richness and variety of the programming after a two-year hiatus. As always, we are grateful to our sponsors for helping the Arts Council bring this community event to life.
Our thanks also to the wonderful performers who graced our stage in 2022, and who shared their gifts of music with us all:
Looking back to 2021
The Wharf Sessions
Knowing that WOW could not happen in 2021, the staff at the Arts Centre put on our thinking caps and came up with a great way to support local artists and celebrate the spirit of WOW: The Wharf Sessions, a live album featuring new and familiar Shuswap artists created in collaboration with the fine folks at Song Sparrow Hall.
The Wharf Sessions is available for download and through streaming platforms.
The Wharf Sessions was produced by the Salmon Arm Arts Centre in collaboration with Song Sparrow Hall, and is available on streaming platforms now!
Thank You to the 2021 Wharf Sessions Sponsors
