Proposed community music venue Folkrum finds potential home in Vanier
A not-for-profit group that's been working to establish a community music hub in Ottawa is one step closer to success after locating a potential space in the city's Vanier neighbourhood.
Folkrum is hosting a three-day showcase at a former martial arts studio on Selkirk Street this weekend — a venue that has potential to become its permanent home, said Kim Lymburner, the group's founder.
"It will take a lot of careful planning and a lot of support from the community," said Lymburner on Saturday.
"So one of the things we're trying to do with this [showcase] is generate the kind of interest that will then result in the kind of support we need."
The brainchild of Lymburner, who spent 20 years working for the Canada Council for the Arts, Folkrum would provide a space where artists can go during the day to meet for coffee, take workshops about the music business, and rehearse.
City lacks spaces for musicians
By night, Folkrum would be a licensed venue for all-ages shows of all genres and from all cultures.
Ottawa is sorely lacking space for musicians to come together and collaborate, said Joan Harrison, a member of Folkrum's advisory committee who teaches cello and runs a community orchestra in Ottawa.
"There are so many little pockets all over Ottawa with musicians. Even in the classical world, we don't know each other," said Harrison.
Harrison said the Selkirk Street location has a lot of potential for a permanent home, given its central location, its proximity to transit, and its "amazing" acoustics.
"If you look at the [architectural] drawings, it's incredible what we can do here," said Harrison. "There's a real buzz."
Osgoode Properties lent Folkrum the use of the former martial arts studio, and Lymburner says that if the Selkirk Street location hits the right note, fundraising efforts to convert the facility into a proper music venue will begin in early 2016.
