Temporary foreign workers perform at Banff Centre
Housekeepers, cooks and dishwashers have 'hidden talent,' says organizer
The Banff Centre is known for hosting concerts with world-renowned musicians, but on Friday, it will present the talents of some of the town's foreign workers.
The World Comes to Banff multi-media concert will feature actors, photographers, visual artists and musicians who also work as cleaners, cooks and dishwashers.
Many of the performers will be leaving Canada in the next few months because of the recent changes to rules surrounding TFWs.
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That's the case for the concert's organizer, Rodrigo Castro, who has been working as a housekeeper at the Banff Centre for almost three years.
"We want to say thank you to the Bow Valley for letting us work and live in the beautiful Rocky Mountains," he said.
Castro himself will be playing guitar in a Latin American fusion band called Origen that he says also plays "oldies and foreign stuff."
Along with being a farewell concert, Castro hopes to showcase the "hidden talents" of Banff's foreign workers.
"Sometimes it's frustrating. You want to do other things in your life. So this is a chance to do it," he said.
The concert starts at 7 p.m. on April 10 in the Max Bell Auditorium at the Banff Centre. It's free but people are encouraged to bring a monetary donation to the Banff Foodbank.