2024 Performers

Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer featuring Rakesh Chaurasia

Playing Friday night in the Concert Bowl

The first time banjo legend Béla Fleck, tabla master Zakir Hussain, and double bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer got together to make an album, it was to write, not to play.

When Fleck and Meyer were looking for a third partner for a triple concerto they had been commissioned to write to mark the opening of Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, they thought of Hussain, who was quite interested in orchestral writing. “We thought we could learn a whole lot from this guy!” says Béla. The result was The Melody of Rhythm (2009), recorded with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin.

Bela Fleck Zakir Hussain Edgard Meyer and Rakesh Chaurasia standing next to each other. The picture is slightly blurred
Black and white photo of Daniel Lanois. He is wearing a black leather jacket, with a Harley Davidson shirt underneath and chain type necklaces. He is also wearing a white felt cowboy hat adorned with a ribbon around the hat.

Daniel Lanois

Daniel will be performing Sunday Evening.

Daniel Lanois is a name that deserves to be mentioned alongside the finest sonic experimenters of the 20th century – and the 21st century too. Yes, he’s been willing to step back into the background as others take the limelight, but that shouldn’t diminish his contribution, which ripples throughout practically every style and sound of the modern era. Whatever you’re listening to – whether it be acoustic or electronic, roots or futurist, underground or pop – if you listen closely you’ll hear traces of the sonic signatures of Daniel Lanois. And what’s more he’s still experimenting as eagerly as he ever has. At a point when most musicians with anything resembling his level of success would be resting on their laurels and playing on old successes, he still has more hunger for the new than people a third his age, and as a result is creating music as beautiful and new as ever before.

Lucinda Williams 

Lucinda will be performing Saturday Evening.

“I wanna feel that moment / When the song can find me I wanna feel that moment / When the song can save me” from “Where the Song Will Find Me”

Lucinda Williams’ music has gotten her through her darkest days. It’s been that way since growing up amid family chaos in the Deep South, as she recounts in her candid new memoir, Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I told You. Over the past two years, it’s been the force driving her recovery from a debilitating stroke she suffered on November 17, 2020, at age 67.

Her masterful, multi-Grammy-winning songwriting has never deserted her. To wit, her stunning, sixteenth studio album, Stories from a Rock n Roll Heart, brims over with some of the best work of her career. And though Williams can no longer play her beloved guitar – a constant companion since age 12 – her distinctive vocals sound better than ever.

Lucinda Williams
Ten women clad in orange dresses holding wooden bowls. They all are sitting beside a riverbank

Les Aunties

“The Chadian woman does not live, she survives.”

The conflicts and structural challenges that have predominated in Chad over the last 60 years are responsible for a serious deterioration in the living conditions of women. Chad has 18 million inhabitants, 52% of whom are women, and only 1 % of whom have access to education.

This Show is the story of a country, Chad, but also that of many other countries where the fundamental rights of women are denied by the government, society, the community, the family and even in the streets. It is these wise and determined women who are the main characters.

Their history goes beyond that of Chad and directly interests all peoples through the power of their story and the heroines they represent.

Stephanie Chou 

“One of New York’s most socially relevant and ambitious jazz talents…”

Stephanie Chou is an American composer, saxophonist, and singer based in New York City. She blends Chinese musical influences with Western jazz and pop to create a unique and vibrant musical world. Chou has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, B.B. King’s, Joe’s Pub, Miller Theater, and at music festivals in New Orleans, Chicago, Vermont (Discover Jazz), Pennsylvania (Musikfest) and NY (Lake George Jazz Festival). She also tours with her band in Europe and China, where her music creates immediate cross-cultural connections and continues to expand her fanbase.
She was mentored by legendary songwriter/musician Allen Toussaint, who encouraged her to develop her own artistic voice. She later founded the Stephanie Chou Ensemble, a chamber quintet that combines saxophone and vocals in English and Mandarin with Chinese violin (erhu), viola, and a jazz rhythm section. 

Stephanie Chou sitting on a piano bench in front of a piano, with a saxophone in her lap. She is highlighted by light in a darkened room that contains turquoise curtains. Credit photo Emra Islek.
Bluegrass meets Irish with JigJam Four musicians standing in front of a brick building with a green door, holding instruments

JigJam

When virtuoso Irish playing jumps the pond running naked through the wide open fields of bluegrass/Americana JigJam is born. Bluegrass and American Folk music originated from the group’s home, and now JigJam is here to take it back!

JigJam made its Grand Ole Opry Debut in Nashville in March 2023 to critical acclaim receiving a standing ovation from a sold-out crowd on Country Music’s biggest stage. The group was joined on the night by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Steve Earle, Lauren Alaina, and many more. This Offaly and Tipperary-born band has started the first wave of attack in the new Irish invasion of Americana.

‘Foot stomping’, ‘high energy’ badassery is what you’re in for when you see this musical powerhouse live in concert.

Rachael Kilgour

“I think I’m gonna make a Dad album,” songwriter Rachael Kilgour heard herself blurt out one afternoon in an Asheville recording studio. She was in the final days of tracking her EP Game Changer (2019), and in the final months, as it would turn out, of her father’s life. She had just written a new song, “Dad Worked Hard.” “I hadn’t written any other songs about him at that point – I certainly hadn’t considered making an entire album in his honor. I had no way of knowing how little time he had left or how much his death would transform me. But when the producer suggested recording ‘Dad Worked Hard’ for the new EP, I just knew I needed to hold onto it. So I said it: no, I think I’m gonna make a dad album.” And she did.

Kilgour’s exquisite fourth full-length collection, My Father Loved Me, is a tribute to her late father, produced by JUNO Award-winning songwriter Rose Cousins and recorded in the senior Kilgour’s native Canada. In the spare, often gutting language for which she is known, Kilgour gives us a complex portrait of a man as seen through his daughter’s eyes. 

Rachael Kilgour in a forest, sitting on a downed forest log in a autumn like setting in the background
black and white photo of Wayne Levesque partially in shadow standing next to a microphone

Wayne Levesque

Wayne Levesque is an Ojibwa recording artist. A member of the Michipicoten First Nation in WaWa, Ontario, he was born and raised in B.C. Wayne’s been doing the music thing for over forty years. He has also spent a good part of his life as a Creekwalker.

“Its a job you probably haven’t heard a lot about.

Basically, a creek walker counts fish, estimates of salmon populations, help the science folk manage fisheries and monitor overall health of returning fish to their natural streams.

It pays a moderate wage for a job that requires you pack a firearm to defend yourself from wildlife. No such thing as danger pay, understandably some would leave early. Even if things don’t go sideways it is still a challenge knowing you’re three hours from any help getting to you . Always but one boat problem away from spending the night on a beach somewhere or worse, one grizzly bear encounter away from the headlines and folklore of your locality.

Michael McGovern

“I love it. What an unexpected gem.” – Paul Brady

Album of the Week, July 2021 – BBC Radio Scotland

✰✰✰✰✰ – Irish Music Magazine

My name is Michael McGovern, I’m a songwriter and performer from Glasgow, Scotland.

Music has been my life since an early age, I grew up on my Grandparents music, Sinatra, Buddy Holly, Ella Fitzgerald, the stuff that played in the kitchen on a Sunday morning. Then, when I picked up the guitar, I started to discover people like the Beatles, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Amazing artists that still inspire my music today.

Michael McGovern headshot with a gold blurred type background.
John McLachlan standing by a beachside. He is wearing a brown jacket, khaki pants and holding a guitar with a brown finish

John McLachlan

British Columbia born folk singer/songwriter John McLachlan’s original folk songs are hand-woven from his own roots, and the history and salty air of Canada’s west coast.

Over the next 20 years he toured his original songs in many corners of British Columbia—from Nazko to Kyuquot, Fort St. John to Princeton, Prince George to Vancouver— presenting hundreds of performances as community concerts and programs for schools about Canadian history. He took a school show to Saskatchewan, played folk clubs across Canada and performed in Bogotá, Colombia.

Moira and Claire

“Sometimes I think that Delaney’s Dad is the most important song of the year. Because of the simplicity and honesty of Moira & Claire’s special vocal delivery, it just seems like an overdue eleventh commandment for inter- generational respect, kindness, and courage”

Paul Corby – rootsmusic.ca

Moira & Claire: Born on one side of Canada and now living on another, Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Moira & Claire write lighthearted, indie folk-pop songs that appeal to East and West Coasters and everyone in between. The sisters have been singing together for longer than their professional careers, their voices harmonizing in the kind of familial magic that only living together your entire life can attain. 

Moira and Claire sitting on floor with beige wall behind them that contains dried flowers affixed to the wall
Lester Quitzau standing against black background with a guitar held over his shoulder

Lester Quitzau

“Lester Quitzau rattles and reverberates the cornerstones of folk, jazz, blues and rock…”  (FFWD magazine).

Meet Canadian roots music artist and snowboarding pioneer and organic apple farmer Lester Quitzau, a mellow guy who throws down a heavy groove. In a field where intangibles like feel and integrity count for so much, Quitzau has forged an exemplary career.

Distilling the experience of the past 33 years of writing, recording and performing his music, Lester has come up with an approach that is his own. His unique style and fluidity on slide, acoustic and electric guitars, coupled with his well crafted songs and warm vocals, are the fruits of this musical journey. Many of his followers have watched his career with love and loyalty in what began as a solid traditional folk/ blues foundation, that has branched out into myriad of influences and a sound that is his own.

Second Moon

Korean Pansori Meets Irish Music

Evoking Korean traditional Pansori sounds and mixed with Western instrumentals, Second Moon is a dynamic 7-member band that has been making waves since their formation in 2004. With a unique blend of traditional Korean Pansori and Western instrumentals, their sound is truly one-of-a-kind. Incorporating Irish whistle, bodhran, and mandolin into their music, Second Moon has created a captivating fusion of musical styles that will leave you spellbound. Their groundbreaking approach to music earned them recognition early on, winning “Rookie of the Year” and “Record of the Year” at the Korean Music Awards in 2006. Their music has also been featured in hit K-dramas like ‘Princess Hours’ and ‘Goong S.’

Second Moon
Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane in a sitting position next to each other, Oversize clocks sit in the background

Gordie Tentrees & Jaxon Haldane

2023 International Acoustic Music Award (IAMA) winners Gordie Tentrees (Yukon) and Jaxon Haldane (Manitoba) met in 2005 (Fred Eaglesmith Picnic, Ontario) and swapped records before hitting the road with disparate musical aspirations. Gordie performed over 3000 concerts around the world, often touring as Eaglesmith’s opening act, learning about the music business, and leveraging his previous experience in the boxing ring (3x Golden Glove champ). Tentrees also toured with James Cotten, Mary Gauthier, Kelly Joe Phelps, Steve Poltz, and Ray Wylie Hubbard, to name a few. 

Jaxon was meanwhile tearing up stages from Churchill to Belfast (D.Rangers bandleader/banjo player), producing records for his indie label (Dollartone), and touring with the likes of Petunia, The Sadies, Jon Spencer, and Romi Mayes.  His close relationship with lifelong musical hero and mentor Willie P. Bennett led to Haldane recording Willie’s last record, Sharpen The Plow, just prior to Bennett’s passing in 2008.  

Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening

Kathryn Tickell is the foremost exponent of the Northumbrian pipes; a composer, performer, educator and successful recording artist with many releases to her name, whose work is deeply rooted in the landscape and people of Northumbria. 

Kathryn’s extraordinary career began with learning tunes from old shepherd friends and family, and evolved to traverse genres from jazz and global music to large-scale orchestral works. Exploring and cultivating her bountiful native heritage of Northumberland have been a constant throughout.

Kathryn Tickell and her band the Darkening standing in a dry grassy field
Leon Timbo leaning on a white brick building. Behind him is a white painted door with peeling paint.

Leon Timbo

“TIMBO IS KNOWN FOR HIS VERSATILE VOCALS AND HIS UNIQUE STYLE THAT BLENDS ELEMENTS OF SOUL, GOSPEL, FUNK, AND MORE…A TENDER TRIBUTE TO FORGING A LOVE AS CONSTANT AS THE SUN AND MOON, YET AS FLEXIBLE AS THE WIND. THE SONG’S MINIMALIST INSTRUMENTATION OFFERS SPACE FOR THIS EARNEST, SOUL-CLEANSING VOCAL DELIVERY.”
BILLBOARD

Some write music as a creative release. Others feel compelled to perform. For country-soul singer-songwriter Leon Timbo, music is used as a form of growth and healing. Growing up the son of two pastors in Jacksonville, FL, music was integrated into his life from the very start, as a way to communicate spiritual experience. At sixteen, Timbo began singing and by age twenty, he began playing the guitar and performing in a serious way, inspired by artists Bill Withers, James Taylor and Tim Miner. 

Tio Chorinho with Flavia Nascimento

Tio Chorinho is the first ensemble in Canada dedicated to performing choro music, the “New Orleans jazz of Brazil.” Exciting, intimate, nostalgic and virtuosic, choro is an infectious urban folk style whose universal appeal belies its musical complexity. Tio Chorinho embraces the authentic spirit of choro and extends it, thrilling audiences of all backgrounds with astonishing musicianship and easy-going charm on stage.

Flávia Nascimento joins Tio Chorinho, Canada’s first ensemble dedicated to performing Brazilian choro music. Flávia is a favourite at street parties, famous events, major festivals and concert halls.

Tio Chorinho with Flavia Nascimento standing by a tree holding various musical instruments
The Umbrella Collective, a six band members playing in a studio type room full of instruments.

The Umbrella Collective

The Umbrella Collective is a six-piece band based in Abegweit (Prince Edward Island). Ranging in age from 24-47, the Collective’s members are also diverse in culture. Hailing from PEI, Nova Scotia, Ontario, India, Nigeria and Rwanda, these six musicians have united in Charlottetown to create a unique sound.

Drawing inspiration from Hip-hop, R&B, Reggae, Neo-Soul and Afrobeat, The Umbrella Collective defies the boundaries of musical genres and are on a journey radiating love and integrating community through their music.

UC is building themselves as individuals, as a group, and working together with creatives from the community, and has recently released their debut tape “WELCOME TO STUDIO UC!”

Peter Paul Van Camp

And now, what shall we say about PETER PAUL VAN CAMP [“A Name You Might Very Well Have Trusted, Since 1972”] that you have not heard before, or at least lately?

We could tell you that he is a past recipient of the DISTINGUISHED RHYMING CROSS, and Nine-Time Runner-up for the “COVETED PAT PATTON AWARD FOR COHERENCY IN ELOQUENCE”.

 It may also be worth mentioning that he is Short, For A Tall Man, but Tall, For A Short.

We should surely inform you that the veteran versemonger, who turned a vibrant 70 some time ago, has reached a momentous decision ~~~ after over 50 years of toiling in the Poetry Corner of the folk world, Mr. Van Camp unequivocally asserts the following:…

Peter Paul Van Kamp standing in front of a wooden armoire holding a homemade book
Christy Vanden sitting on a group of suitcases holding her guitar.

Christy Vanden

Christy Vanden was born to traveling musician parents in the interior of British Columbia and grew up home schooled, moving from place to place.

Her family made yearly winter road trips from Canada to Baja California Sur, Mexico in their Volkswagen van, where she learned to play on her tiny orange classical guitar given to her by her mother.

From age seven onward, she was mentored by her talented father who inspired her to play the guitar in the first place. Between Christy’s mother and her sister Amanda, she learned how to sing, and picked up harmonies by listening in on her parent’s band rehearsals.

Over the years, Christie has become a beloved local instructor at Long & McQuade and performer/composer.

Jing Xia

Jing Xia is an award winning guzheng artist and ethnomusicologist based in Newfoundland. Born and raised in Hunan, China, Xia started to study the guzheng at six years old and holds degrees in music performance (B.A.), arts management (M.A.), and ethnomusicology (Ph.D.). Xia’s recent accolades include winning the 2023 East Coast Music Award “Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year” and the 2023 MusicNL Award “Album of the Year” for her solo album, “The Numinous Journey”. She was named the 2023 MusicNL “Solo Artist of the Year” and 2022 MusicNL “Rising Star of the Year”.

As a performer of all styles, her musical journey on the guzheng has encompassed Chinese traditional and folk music to intercultural ensembles, improvisational music, and beyond. Her 2022 guzheng CD “The Numinous Journey” shows her diverse musical pathways and presents the guzheng in a wide range of musical genres.

Jing Xia holding a Chinese guzheng instrument
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