Mayor's Arts Awards Lunch Guest Artists
Guest Artist 2010: Molly Johnson
Molly Johnson has earned her reputation as one of Canada’s greatest voices, singing to standing-room-only audiences from coast-to-coast as a pop artist and interpreter of jazz and blues. When Molly was in grade school, she and her brother were asked by legendary Toronto producer, Ed Mirvish, to appear in ‘Porgy and Bess’ at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. By her teens, Molly was fronting a disco band, and by the end of the 70s, she was singing with her own rock band and starting a parallel career in jazz.
Over the course of her career, Molly has recorded numerous albums and toured throughout North America and overseas. She sang for royalty aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia before the Prince and late Princess of Wales, and performed for Nelson Mandela and Quincy Jones. She was the first Canadian female vocalist in the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival’s 17-year history to sell out a show. Last year, she received the National Jazz Award for Best Female Vocalist.
In the early 90s, Johnson started the Kumbaya Foundation and Festival, a concert held annually for HIV/AIDS awareness, and raised over a million dollars . In 2008, Molly’s charitable contributions earned her the honour of Officer of the Order of Canada.
Molly is currently the host of CBC Radio Two’s weekend morning program. For more about Molly visit her website at www.mollyjohnson.com
Guest Artist 2009: Autorickshaw
Suba Sankaran – voice, Ed Hanley – tabla, Dylan Bell – electric bass
Autorickshaw's music lies on the cultural cutting edge, as contemporary jazz and funk easily rub shoulders with the classical and popular music of India. Formed in 2003, Autorickshaw is one of the most intriguing acts on the world music and jazz landscapes, garnering 2004 and 2007 JUNO nominations for World Music Album of the Year, winning a Canadian Independent Music Award in 2005 and a John Lennon Songwriting Competition Grand Prize in World Music in 2008 as well as being named CAPACOA’s Touring Artist of the Year.
Autorickshaw has toured extensively across Canada, including appearances at Montreal, Vancouver, Guelph, Calgary and Toronto Jazz festivals, Vancouver and Winnipeg Folk festivals, Glenn Gould Studio, Stratford Festival and the Sound Symposium in Newfoundland, to name a few.
International performances include Joe’s Pub in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Yoshi's in San Francisco, The Stockholm Jazz Festival in Sweden and dates across India including Chennai and Bangalore, at the Congo Square Jazz Festival in Kolkata, and at the prestigious Jaipur International Heritage Festival in Rajasthan.
In August/September 2009, Autorickshaw completed a 6-week tour of the UK and Europe, including performances in London (Vortex Jazz Club & Nehru Centre), Ireland, Prague and Grabstejn in the Czech Republic, Germany (Festival der Kulturen, Hamburg), Paris, Amsterdam and Alkmaar in the Netherlands and Belfast, Lisburn and Derry in Northern Ireland.
Widely reviewed and profiled in mainstream Canadian media, Autorickshaw has also been featured internationally, including on BBC Radio, NPR’s Weekend America, in Global Rhythm Magazine and All About Jazz (USA); World Music Magazine (Italy), fRoots (UK), Rave Magazine and The Hindu (India); Deutschland Radio Kultur (Germany) as well as appearing at #14 on the European World Music Charts.
Autorickshaw is committed to their role as music educators through school performances, lecture demonstrations, workshops and masterclasses on topics as diverse as jazz improvisation, south Indian and western vocal and choral technique as well as percussion from around the world.
Guest Artists 2008: Regent Park School of Music with Jackie Richardson and Joe Sealy
Regent Park School of Music is one of Toronto’s foremost independent non-profit community music schools with a mandate to provide a safe and secure environment where inner-city young people can participate in an affordable after-school music program. The Regent Park School of Music Choir, led by the renowned choral director and Tapestry New Opera Works’ Managing Artistic Director Wayne Strongman, is often invited to perform at significant community events. Mr. Strongman has conducted the Choir in performances honouring Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Jean Chretien at his farewell party, the Governor General Awards for the Arts and the CEO of the Year Awards.
Jackie Richardson has forged a successful acting and singing career on stage and screen receiving nominations and awards for performances such as her portrayal of Alberta Hunter in “Cookin’ at the Cookery” (Dora), her role as dunk in movie “Turning to Stone” (Gemini) and NAACP for movie “Sins of the Father”. She is also known to the younger generation as jazz on “Doodlebops” and “Nana” on the Rogers commercials.
Joe Sealy has enjoyed a successful career as a musician, actor, composer, music director and recording artist. He has worked in variety television and in such films as "Brown Bread Sandwiches" and "I'll Take Manhattan” and has performed with a wide variety of notable performers such as Sammy Davis Jr., and John Candy, and with jazz greats Joe Williams and Milt Jackson. In October of 2003, Joe and Paul Novotny released a seasonal CD called "The Man in the Red Suit" on their Seajam Recordings label. He also hosts of a weekly radio show called "Joe Sealy's Duets" on Jazz FM 91.
One of Canada’s most distinguished music directors, Wayne Strongman is a champion of Canadian writers and composers. As Managing Artistic Director of Tapestry new opera works, he has commissioned and premiered over 30 new Canadian operas. This year, in addition to the 7 new short operas for Opera to Go as part of Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage he conducted the premiere of Sanctuary Song (Chan/Richardson) for Toronto’s Luminato Festival. Mr. Strongman sits on the Ontario Region and National Council of the Canadian Music Centre and also volunteers as choral conductor for the Regent Park School of Music.
Guest Artist 2007: Patricia O’Callaghan with Gregory Oh
Patricia O’Callaghan has been named “the most promising cabaret performer of her generation.” Born and raised in Northern Ontario, O’Callaghan trained at the University of Toronto and The Banff Centre for the Arts.
In 1996, she received a Chalmer’s Grant, which allowed her to devote herself to music full-time. She has produced several CDs including Youkali, Slow Fox, Real Emotional Girl and, most recently, Naked Beauty, co-produced by Steven Page of the Barenaked Ladies.
O’Callaghan currently divides her time between recording CDs, touring her own shows, appearing in television shows, and collaborating on other projects. Her collaborations have included singing with Bryn Terfel at Roy Thompson Hall, touring the multi media opera Constantinople by Christos Hatzis to London’s Royal Opera House, among other places, and recording and touring with jazz clarinettist Don Byron, in support of his Bluenote release, A Fine Line. Recent appearances include opening the 2007 season with Soulpepper Theatre Company playing the role of Polly Peachum in Threepenny Opera. She is currently producing and co-creating a work called The Gypsy Wife, which will see its premiere in 2008.
Pianist and conductor Gregory Oh teaches at the University of Toronto, directs the new music group Toca Loca, plays harpsichord in uberband The Lollipop People, conducts Continuum Contemporary Music, and coaches at the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the Canadian Opera Company. He enjoys cycling around Toronto in dedicated bike lanes, a rare treat.
Guest Artists 2007: Gryphon Trio
Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin * Roman Borys, cello * Jamie Parker, piano
Touring internationally since 1993, the Juno award-winning Gryphon Trio is one of North America’s premier chamber ensembles. The ensemble is recognized for its interpretations of both standard and contemporary repertoire as well as its effective education and outreach initiatives. Based in Toronto, the Trio tours regularly throughout Canada and the United States and has also performed in Finland, Germany, France, Belgium, Mexico, Russia, Poland, Greece and Egypt. Since 1998, the Gryphon Trio has been Ensemble-in-Residence at the Music TORONTO chamber music series.
The Gryphon Trio is also well known for its diverse range of outreach initiatives. Produced with Music TORONTO, the very popular ‘Chamber at the Lula’ concerts combine repertoire from both classical and jazz worlds. Presented at Toronto’s Lula Lounge, these concerts broaden the boundaries of music for small ensembles and feature Cuban and Brazilian inspired collaborations with well-known jazz artists.