Winners announced for second annual Bell Performing Arts Centre Community Program

The Robb Nash Project, the Sãnjh Foundation and the Vancouver Opera Association are this year's winners of the Bell Performing Arts Centre's Community Program.

Surrey Schools and Bell Canada have selected three winners for this year’s Bell Performing Arts Centre Community Program.

The annual program is an opportunity for community groups planning to hold a large event to use the venue free of charge, as well as for smaller organizations that lack the necessary resources to have access to a bigger stage for their events. The application criteria includes providing a society or charity registration number, a background on each organization and how the event will impact the local community.

The recipients of the second annual program are the Robb Nash Project, the Sãnjh Foundation and the Vancouver Opera Association. The prize for each winner includes a one-day free venue rental (up to eight hours), box office services and up to four technicians to work the events.

“We are thrilled to support these organizations through this year’s program,” said Gary Tymoschuk, Vice-Chair of the Surrey Board of Education. “These submissions are a great showcase of the variety of events we host at Surrey’s Bell Performing Arts Centre and we’re looking forward to shining a spotlight on their events.”

“In many of our partnerships, we look for ways to collaborate on Bell for Better initiatives to benefit local community groups,” added David Kennedy, Vice President of Brand & Sponsorship at Bell. “Providing these organizations with access to perform on stage at a big venue is a great example of that.”

The Robb Nash Project is an immersive concert experience that engages audiences through music and storytelling while addressing topics related to mental health, including depression, anxiety, self-harm, addiction, bullying and suicidal ideation.

The rock band, made up of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Nash, drummer Jonny Holliday and lead guitarist Anthony Anderson, provides comprehensive support to participating audiences before, during and after their shows to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

The Sãnjh Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the culture, traditions and heritage of South Asian music, dance and literature. The group provides professional performing arts and cultural training and promotes awareness of the arts in Surrey. The Sãnjh Foundation designs and develops accessible programming for artists who face barriers to accessing and affording professional arts and cultural training.

In the past several years, the foundation has hosted numerous dance, film, music and poetry festivals with both in-person and online attendance in the thousands.

The Vancouver Opera Association creates experiences that engage, inspire and entertain communities through voice, music and theatre. Its country-leading education programs have reached more than 1.6 million children and their families for more than 40 years.

Founded in 1958, the association is known for its innovative and award-winning community programs, and for forging groundbreaking cross-cultural creative partnerships that have brought opera to new generations of Canadians in recent history.

Congratulations to the Robb Nash Project, the Sãnjh Foundation and the Vancouver Opera Association! We look forward to your events at Surrey’s Bell Performing Arts Centre!