KITCHENER GETS NEW ARTS LEADERS

The City of Kitchener’s arts and entertainment department has added two local arts leaders to its team to support the launch of the recently announced Kitchener LIVE destination marketing brand. Green Light Arts’ co-founder and managing director Carin Lowerison will be taking on the role of Manager of Arts and Entertainment Venues and music industry veteran Will Muir will become the city’s Music Officer.  

Kitchener LIVE was first announced at Mayor Berry Vrbanovic’s State of the City address on Oct. 21, 2025 at Centre in the Square. In his address, Vrbanovic said Kitchener LIVE will be a centralized platform for residents to discover events, purchase tickets, and learn how to host an event at a city-owned facility.   

The new brand is a small part of the city’s growing Arts and Entertainment Department. Led by Director of Arts and Entertainment Jeremy Dueck, the department includes three divisions: Arts and Creative Industries, Special Events and Arts and Entertainment Venues.  

Arts and Creative Industries is managed by Andrea Hallam and includes calls for public arts, the 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace, and the city’s film and music offices. Special Events is led by Steve Roth and includes the city’s Canada Day celebration, Way Back Festival, and the Christkindl Market. Music Officer Will Muir will work with the Special Events team to integrate local talent into events like the Roos Island Music Series.  

Lowerison will lead the third division as the Manager of Arts and Entertainment Venues which oversees the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts, the Victoria Park Pavilion, the City Hall Rotunda and Carl Zehr Square.   

The Arts and Entertainment Venues team is also responsible for the Kitchener LIVE platform. Dueck said the platform’s vision of “Your City. Your Stage.” is designed to help audiences and artists connect across all of the city’s venues, from Centre in the Square and The Aud to Roos Island and Carl Zehr Square. Kitchener LIVE will also include information on public art calls that are coming up and camp opportunities at THEMUSEUM and Centre in the Square.  

“How many times have you talked to people and they say they didn’t know that an event or concert was happening? We think all these events are common knowledge, but it’s not. Our community is growing so quickly that even for the people who’ve been here for a long time, they may not always know what’s happening,” Dueck said.  

For audiences, Kitchener LIVE will be the brand for its existing KW Tickets website and will include events at all city-owned venues and spaces. The new platform will also include information and tools for event hosts and producers to help book venue space.  

“There’s never been an easy entry point if you want to organize an event in one of the major event spaces. That’s what Kitchener LIVE will introduce,” he added.  

In addition to Kitchener LIVE, Dueck said the new department structure will help improve communication across the city’s owned and operated venues.   

“When the Mayor and Council created this division, one of the visions they had was, we need our venues to talk more. Now we meet monthly where we can share what’s coming up. Through those conversations, we get more insight as to what the other venues are doing,” Dueck said.  

While the new platform helps guide the public and event organizers, Dueck said the overarching goal is to present a cohesive brand to potential event hosts. The new structure can potentially help the city to attract major destination events, such as national award shows.  

“Down the road, if we’re trying to attract a major destination event, the Canadian Country Music Awards or the Junos, if we’re trying to go after an event brand, Kitchener LIVE helps us package and present our experience in the arts and entertainment scene here in Kitchener,” he said.