Sept 28

Kurtis Eugene

Kurtis McAllister, a versatile composer and multi-instrumentalist, showcases his talents through the solo project Kurtis Eugene, enchanting audiences across Canada. With 7 full-length albums under his belt, from the soulful country-blues of “New and Old Songs” (2015) to the evocative cinematic-folk of “Old Rooms, New Light” (2016), and the boundary-pushing experimental-alt-folk of “Cardinal” (2022) and “Sunsheep” (2023). Beyond his own music, Kurtis operates Cardinal Studios, producing and engineering for fellow Canadian artists. His creative journey extends into theater and film, where his compositions for Galeforce Theater earned him acclaim at Theater Nova Scotia’s Robert Merritt Awards. Kurtis continues to explore the profound impact of music on connection, empathy, and joy, sharing his passion through improvisation and sonic innovation.

Sun Sheep

Artist Project

The Sunsheep roams up and down _____ street, hoping to meet an audience. If you get close enough, this friendly creature will set the stage and invite you to sit and listen to their music and to explore the wares on their cart.

Lumiere Arts Festival 2024 // The Art of Caring

Lumiere Arts Festival invites artists and community members to reflect on the concept of care.

In a polarized landscape, care can lap like a brook, or pound like large waves crashing ashore. To care is to tend, to root, to rebel, to share and to endure. This year, the festival is encouraging artists to submit works rooted in solidarity, with community building as resistance, that explores the need to care for ourselves, others, and the earth, both locally and globally. The Lumiere Arts Festival makes space for joy, contemporary art, and meaningful dialogue.

Land Acknowledgement

Lumière Arts Festival, on behalf of the board, the artists, and the communities we represent, acknowledges that we work, live and play in the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people, in Unama’ki Cape Breton, who have stewarded these lands since time immemorial.

We are grateful not only for the strong and ongoing stewardship of these lands we call home, but also for the stories, music, and art that Mi’kmaq people continue to create and share, carrying ancestral voices, sacred teachings, and legacies of interconnectedness and resilience forward into the present and on to the future.

We aspire to reflect that sense of connection between past and present in our festival. We are inspired by L’nu artists to foster connection and self-reflection in our work. We will work to ensure that art is accessible, inclusive, and integrated into public spaces so that we can share our collective stories, recognizing the challenges of our past and imagining brighter futures.

We are all Treaty people.