Here are the people performing, leading workshops, and giving presentations in this year's Festival . . .
MARCEL AUCOIN has been working in Toronto as a composer, pianist, and educator since 1998. In 2005 he stepped out his role as a sideman to release his first CD as a leader: Weird Cocktail, a quirky mix of jazz, classical and pop-inspired pieces. He is currently working on a solo album that is set to be released sometime in 2016. He co-founded this festival in 2014 and The Piano Salon house concert series in 2009. 
Since the year 2000, MICHAEL BOULGER has been telling rambunctious stories to youngsters and their chauffeurs. Improvisation plays a large role in his work; whether he's re-enacting a learned yarn or spinning a new one on the spot with the help of the audience, the imaginations of those participating are engaged. Michael leads InsideOUT Storytelling.CHARM OF FINCHES is Toronto's premier (and perhaps only) flute quintet. They have been swooping in and out of each others' lives for as colleagues and friends more than a decade. Their shared connections include hometowns, high schools, universities, training orchestras, and now Canada's professional arts landscape. The Finches are active soloists and chamber musicians in their own right; their performance history extensively covers Canada and the US, as well as Asia, and the United Kingdom, and performance venues stretching from the forests of Haliburton, Ontario to Carnegie Hall. The Finches’ premiere performance opened the Canadian Flute Association’s 2015 Convention and featured bass, alto, C-flute and piccolo. In their inaugural 2015/2016 season, they performed as featured artists at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, The Arts and Letters Club, Guelph Connections Series, and Stratford Summer Music Festival’s Bach Walk, where their performance exceeded expectations, attracting record-breaking numbers of audience members at each show. Media coverage includes Rogers’ Daytime Toronto, the Toronto Star, and Stratford Beacon Herald and a strong social media following. As recent recipients of grants from both the SOCAN Foundation and Toronto Council of the Arts, their 2016/17 season promises to be full of unique and exciting performances.
THE CHRIS BANKS TRIO is made up of Chris Banks on bass, Tania Gill on piano, and Brodie West on saxophone. Brodie and Tania first met over 20 years ago, in Victoria B.C., when Brodie was just 15 years old, and immediately became friends and regular session mates. Chris came into the picture in 1995, and over the past 20 years, the three have rarely let a year go by without finding an opportunity to play together. GREG CLARKE is a singer-songwriter and composer. A former BMI/BUG recording artist, he has toured with many artists, including The Troggs, the Cowboy Junkies, and Johnny Winters. His band the Corndogs was a regular on Radio Caroline and other pirate radio playlists; his current band, Greg Clark and the Madvarks, was a Battle of the Bands finalist for Fall 2016. Greg’s musical style on the guitar spans a broad range, from melodic R&B themes to hard-edged acid rock. He is also a talented keyboard artist, and sometimes performs musical interludes on the keyboard at Madvark gigs. “Clarke’s sweet-pitched Brian Wilson-esque vocals, paired with a raspy blues guitar and Lorne Gould’s saxophone accompaniment, make even their cover songs feel like an original experience.” -- The RadioStar Blog
MICHAEL FRASER is the winner of the 2016 CBC Poetry Prize. His poetry has been published in numerous national and international anthologies and journals including: Paris Atlantic, Arc, CV2, and The Caribbean Writer. He won ARC’s reader’s choice award for 2012 and was included in the Best Canadian Poetry in English 2013. He won Freefall’s 2014 and 2015 Poetry Contests. His latest book is To Greet Yourself Arriving (Tightrope Books, 2016).
G3NERIC is the solo project of Toronto-based folk-rock singer-songwriter Eric Sorenson. Drawing his inspiration from the the human condition, Eric crafts songs that tug at the heartstrings and feed the soul. Currently he’s in the studio recording his debut solo album, Directions Home, which is a musical journey from rejection to belonging. Featuring straight ahead rock numbers, minimalist acoustic tunes, and evocative instrumentals, Directions Home showcases Eric’s diverse songwriting styles. You can follow G3NERIC on Soundcloud, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GRAHAM GREEN is part of the team at the Toronto Tool Library, where anyone with a membership can sign out tools for home and community initiatives. A Tool Library loans specialized tools to community members, with all skill levels welcomed. Whether you are hanging a picture or renovating a neighbourhood park, the Toronto Tool Library offers a low-cost, resource sharing and space-saving alternative to purchasing and owning a range of tools. Non-profits and charities enjoy special membership rates. A variety of workshops and youth programs offer training for using the tools. Over 40 tool libraries have been established in North America since 1979. By reducing the costs of improving and greening neighbourhoods, they help to transform homes and community spaces into vibrant places that reflect a commitment to sustainability and environmental concern.
SARAH HILTZ's echoes of Billie Holiday, Joni Mitchell and Feist ring out faintly in a modern blend of jazz and folk.
HOPEFUL MONSTER is the musical brainchild of Halifax native Jason Ball, now living in Toronto, with an evolving cast of collaborators in both cities. The self-titled 2002 debut album introduced a lush, orchestral sound, eliciting rave reviews from critics around the world. The 2009 follow-up, Metatasking, took the indie pop format head on, winning support from Canadian radio and prompting CBC Radio 2 to commission a song for its Song Quest 2010 compilation. Hopeful Monster's music ventures into darker territory with 2013's Beautiful Island; haunting piano clusters and brooding, turbulent strings summon a mythic landscape beyond the tangible spectrum, a dream world of double meanings and impossible beings. Whether a group or solo effort, a Hopeful Monster performance is a kind of musical seance, showcasing Ball’s terrific voice and melodic knack, as he purges humours both terrible and euphoric. Ball will be joined by cellist Alex McMaster and violinist Randy Lee, for a modern, psychedelic twist on the centuries-old tradition of chamber music performed acoustically in a parlour setting.
Toronto born and raised, LAWRIE INGLES is one busy musician – singing, playing guitar, keys, bass or drums in any number of bands at a time, including Elton Rohn, David Storey, Tyler Ellis and the Eddy Line. A talented songwriter his wordplay packed lyrics offer a trusting glimpse into his emotional and intellectual depth. 
JEN LANE & JOHN ANTONIUK (Jen & John): Think of Steve Earle and Alison Moorer, or Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons, and you get a good idea of where these two Saskatoon singer-songwriters are coming from. They complement one another beautifully as they perform each other's music. John Antoniuk comes from the indie-folk side of life and Jen Lane has a little more country in her repertoire. Together, they create straight ahead rhythms and heartbreaking harmonies that complete the musical package. They have performed across Canada, showcasing at Canadian Music Week, North by Northeast, and Prairie Scene, and achieved international recognition at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Most recently they have been on tour in support of Jen Lane's new album, This Life of Mine, which hit #1 on the National Folk/Roots/Blues charts in March 2016.
BRIAN KATZ is an internationally acclaimed guitarist, pianist, recording artist, improviser, composer, and adjunct professor of music performance and music education at the University of Toronto and York University. He teaches classical/jazz/folk guitar, klezmer ensembles, improvisation studies and various pedagogy courses including Dalcroze Eurhythmics, a highly experiential method of music education that examines the inextricable connections between music listening/performing and physical movement. Brian draws on jazz, classical, and various world music traditions to form his personal sound. Highly regarded as a soloist and composer, he collaborates widely with artists from a range of styles and traditions. Of Solana, his CD for the prestigious German label, Bellaphon, the Belgian journal Jazz in Time wrote, “a recording of abundant intelligence.” The Toronto Star called his klezmer CD, Collected Stories, recorded with Martin van de Ven, “enchanting.” Brian’s CD with Yiddish-world vocalist Lenka Lichtenberg, Pashtes, has also received rave reviews internationally. The reviews for his latest solo guitar recording, Leaves Will Speak have been consistently excellent: “If you want music that speaks — here it is” — Jazz Podium Magazine, Germany.
DANIELLE KNIBBE's deftly crafted songs combine bittersweet vocals, aching lyrics and indelible melodies to win, and then all too often break, your heart. Born in Ontario and raised in Alberta, Danielle blends memories of her childhood cross-country treks with her country, folk, and roots flavoured sound. The result is a truly Canadian take on love, loneliness, hope, anguish, and everything in between. Her debut full length album, Some Curious Birds, was released in June, and has been played on CBC and other college radio stations. She has performed in Toronto venues The Burdock, Cameron House, Lee's Palace, and The Rivoli, as well as recently completed a two-week western Canada tour.
TOM KOVACS. In January 2010, at the age of 50, Tom literally gave up his day job as a programmer/analyst at a large Canadian corporation to pursue his lifelong dream of being a musician. And it's been a pretty fun ride so far!
KATIE KRELOVE has been an active member of the climate movement organization Toronto350.org since 2013; her many roles have included pipelines campaign chair and volunteer coordinator. She worked with 350 Canada to organize the 10,000 person march for Jobs, Justice and Climate in July 2015. She worked as Climate Coordinator for Environmental Defence, where she organized a touring photo exhibit of people along the Energy East pipeline and helped organize the 100% Possible Climate March in Ottawa in November 2015. She has a B.Ed and M.Ed and has worked for over 10 years as an environmental educator in Toronto.
HENRY LEES . Originally a west coaster, Henry has been heard belting it out on radio/TV jingles over the years as well as singing/songwriting for Calgary's popular original pop-rock band The Household Saints for more than a decade. Henry has written and performed with notable local artists such as Chris Antonik, The Prince Brothers and now, with Lawrie Ingles. When two seasoned artists like Henry and Lawrie combine efforts, the results are bound to be as tasty and satisfying as your favourite old mixtape or new playlist. As the Soul Maître D’s, they serve up a delicious and aurally nutritious mix of their own songs, songs they wish were their own and some woefully underrated comedic banter.
FRANK PATRICK is an award-winning singer, songwriter and musician who has toured the western U.S.A., Hawaii, Europe. and Canada, and has shared the stage with Cyril Neville (Neville Brothers), Jonathan Best (David Byrne), Kevin Breit (Norah Jones, Cassandra Wilson etc), Neil Chapman (Buffy St. Marie), among many others. Into the Market, his first CD with his group Zombo Zombo, charted all over the U.S., reaching #1 in Northern California.
LYDIA PERSAUD’s music combines the rich sounds of soul, jazz and R&B. The Toronto artist draws influences from Stevie Wonder, Gretchen Parlato and Jill Scott, to name a few. Lydia’s voice has been described as having “a fabulous rich tone, wonderful soul inflections and a passionate stage presence” (Duke Ellington Society). Winner of the Oscar Peterson Award in 2013, Lydia was the first female recipient from Humber College. Lydia’s debut EP “Lost and Found,” featuring guest artist Rich Brown, has received support from JazzFM.91 and was featured on their Jazzology program in 2013. Lydia performs original compositions frequently with The Lydia Persaud Group, her fantastic quartet comprised of Chris Pruden, Julian Anderson Bowes and Eric West. You can find them playing throughout Toronto (Poetry Jazz Cafe, Emmet Ray, Jazz Bistro) or in Waterloo at the intimate Jazz Room. You can also find Lydia singing beautiful harmonies with The O'Pears (female folk trio) or getting funky with The Soul Motivators (9 piece funk group)!
IVANA POPOVIC is a violinist, composer and performer from Serbia, now based in Toronto. She has performed her compositions in Europe and Canada with a variety of ensembles, and is a member of The Junction Trio, the ensemble-in-residence at the historic St Anne's Anglican Church. Ivana has recorded and performed with many local and international artists such as Chris Birkett and Charlie Ringas. She was a cast member and composer for the Serbian Theatre Toronto production of "The Marathon Family". Ivana loves playing with Viva Mexico Mariachi, where she can channel her inner gypsy spirit. She writes for the magazine The WholeNote and is one of the curators of the Festival of House Culture.
SARA PORTER is a contemporary dance choreographer, performer, writer, musician and speaker. Her multi-disciplinary performance works have been presented over twenty-five years in theatres, festivals and galleries in Canada, the US and the UK. Her recent one-woman show, Sara does a Solo, toured many cities, including New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto and St.. John’s. She has created works about erotic poetry that compares women to flowers (Blossom), a spoof on Harlequin Romance novels (Those Penetrating Dreams), and ocean detritus (Neap Tide). Her iconic solo Opus Ornithologicus: the great bird work was invited to Scotland’s Holyrood Palace, where she performed for Prince Charles in 2000. As a writer, Sara has contributed to dance books, magazines and journals in Canada and the UK. Her biography of Canadian icon Peter Boneham, Peter in Process, was published in 2010 by Dance Collection Danse. Sara was based in Montreal and Edinburgh before settling in Toronto in 1998. She is a member of the Intergalactic Arts Collective, an Associate Artist at pounds per square inch performance, and a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists.
IVANA POPOVIC is a violinist, composer and performer from Serbia, now based in Toronto. She has performed her compositions in Europe and Canada with a variety of ensembles, and is a member of The Junction Trio, the ensemble-in-residence at the historic St Anne's Anglican Church. Ivana has recorded and performed with many local and international artists such as Chris Birkett and Charlie Ringas. She was a cast member and composer for the Serbian Theatre Toronto production of "The Marathon Family". Ivana loves playing with Viva Mexico Mariachi, where she can channel her inner gypsy spirit. She writes for the magazine The WholeNote and is one of the curators of the Festival of House Culture.
SARA PORTER is a contemporary dance choreographer, performer, writer, musician and speaker. Her multi-disciplinary performance works have been presented over twenty-five years in theatres, festivals and galleries in Canada, the US and the UK. Her recent one-woman show, Sara does a Solo, toured many cities, including New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto and St.. John’s. She has created works about erotic poetry that compares women to flowers (Blossom), a spoof on Harlequin Romance novels (Those Penetrating Dreams), and ocean detritus (Neap Tide). Her iconic solo Opus Ornithologicus: the great bird work was invited to Scotland’s Holyrood Palace, where she performed for Prince Charles in 2000. As a writer, Sara has contributed to dance books, magazines and journals in Canada and the UK. Her biography of Canadian icon Peter Boneham, Peter in Process, was published in 2010 by Dance Collection Danse. Sara was based in Montreal and Edinburgh before settling in Toronto in 1998. She is a member of the Intergalactic Arts Collective, an Associate Artist at pounds per square inch performance, and a member of the Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists.
NICOLE RAMPERSAUD is a trumpet player and composer well known in the jazz and improvised music scenes for her original and versatile voice, and an in-demand performer in cities across Canada and the United States. She has performed in some of the most prestigious venues in North America, including New York’s Lincoln Center, Berklee Performance Center in Boston, and Massey Hall in Toronto. Her past and current collaborators read like a who's who of today's leading artists: Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, Rakalam Bob Moses, Django Bates, Marilyn Lerner, Joe Morris and Jean Martin, to name a few. Nicole has been the recipient of multiple grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council, most notably to record and release albums with the Shaw/Rampersaud Project (a group she co-leads with Alto Sax Player, Evan Shaw), and with the improvising trio, cRL. She has also worked actively to promote the improvised music community in Toronto, sitting on the Board of Directors for the Association of Improvising Musicians, Toronto, and co-curating the long-running Leftover Daylight Series.
leslie ramsay taylor was conceived in a pre-colonial Jamaica, born in Toronto, ON and raised in a post-colonial Barbados, and this has informed the way she views and locates herself as an African-Canadian in Toronto. Leslie now calls Humber College home as a part-time faculty member in the Faculty of Community and Social Services, and has honed her skills in a variety of front-line and management positions in the field. Leslie has an undergraduate degree with honours in Social Work with a minor in Political Science from Ryerson University, and a graduate degree from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. In her spare time she listens to as much jazz as she possibly can and if she were not a Social Worker, would have been a full-time jazz musician; her story has yet to be completely written; and the beauty of improvisation is easily transferrable from the field of social services to music.Singer/songwriter LORA RYAN is poised to make some noise in the independent music scene. Born and raised in Montreal, she relocated to Toronto to pursue her music full-time. Lora Ryan draws on personal experience to pen her lyrics, which can only be described as original and emotionally driven, sometimes angry, often angst-ridden, but always heartfelt and honest. After releasing her first album Perfectly Imperfect in 2012, she got industry-wide attention for her catchy hooks and relatable lyrics. Since then, she has matured, and her music has grown with her. She has now released her debut single, "Best of Me," a motivational and inspiring pop ballad. It is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Spotify and wherever digital music is sold! "Music is my passion, my life. I would be nothing without it," she says. "In one way or another, music affects us all."
‘With a big, real voice, SOOZI SCHLANGER can conjure up Wanda Jackson or Lucinda Williams, and make you wanna cry or sing along. Most of all she writes straight-shooting, tell it like it is tales...She has a knack for dropping a line that'll knock you back a couple of steps... and wraps up her stories nice and neat...you feel like you've gotten to know the characters well...and your heart's been nudged.’ – Bob Mesereau (Top 100 Canadian Singles)
SUE SÉGUIN is a multitalented artist, but is primarily a singer-songwriter. Sue writes original works with a goal of performing live shows and engaging her audience. She is known for her versatile vocals and extensive range. Having toured across North America and Europe, Sue's been inspired by many people’s stories and diverse cultures. Sharing her soulful voice and songs has been her main focus, but collaborating and creating a musical community wherever she ventures has helped define who she is and what she has to offer as an artist. Toronto has been her home for the last four years and, loving this great city, she has started songwriting sessions, hosted open mics, played plenty of shows, and lent her voice to some interesting collaborations. She continues to express her passion for music and search for opportunities to deliver empowering and meaningful performances.
CORA SIMONE is a lifelong artist, musician, counsellor/healer, community-builder, and activist. Since contracting Lyme disease in BC, where she lived off the grid in a cabin she built on an 80-acre subsistence farm, she has also become a Lyme activist and advocate.
WAYNE SMITH is a musician and activist living in Toronto. Having stepped down from full time employment, he is now free to pursue his career as a rock 'n' roll superstar. He plays flute and saxophones, guitar and percussion, and is a singer, songwriter, arranger, and soundman. He performs as Wayne Neon in a bewildering range of musical styles with many different groups, including his own band, the Amazing Tubular Orchestra!™ As an activist, Wayne has volunteered extensively with Amnesty International, and has also spoken and campaigned widely on electoral reform. A founding member of Fair Vote Canada (FVC), he has served as the organization’s President and Executive Director, and as Director of the Fair Vote Ontario Campaign.
SWAMPERELLA: From Cajun twin fiddling and rustic solo accordion, to rockin’ washboard-driven Zydeco originals and traditional tunes, the Swamp experience is exciting, heartfelt and authentic. DR. LATA SWARN was introduced to Indian Classical Music at the tender age of six. She inherited the art of music from her father, Krishan Chand Joshi, who was a very good singer and a poet. She picked up sitar as one of her subjects in grade 6, and today she is an accomplished artist with more than 20 years of instrumental training, including a Ph.D. in Sitar. She has also always been an active participant in activities like theatre, singing, dance and literature. She was a regular writer of poems, short stories and articles (in English, Hindi and Punjabi) for her college annual magazines, and in 2004, she appeared in the Bollywood film Touch of the Pink, shot in Toronto. Dr. Swarn has been in Canada since 2001 and has been teaching sitar to Torontonians since then, and enthralling audiences with her sitar recitals across the GTA. Dr. Swarn is also a certified Reiki master who has studied energy-based healing in India, the U.S., and Canada.
1. You are required to be fully clothes-on. 2. You don’t have to snuggle anyone at a Snuggle Party if you don’t feel comfortable, you can just come to learn and watch. 3. You should ask for permission and get a verbal YES before you snuggle anyone. 4. If you’re a yes say YES. If you’re a no, say NO. 5. If you’re not sure, say NO. 6. You can change your mind at any time.
SANDRA TAYLOR is a Sudbury-born singer-songwriter-pianist whose work has been likened to Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Norah Jones, and Sarah McLachlan. Sandra has released one full-length home-studio album (Stretch Out, 2007) and can be found playing small music cafes and salon-style concerts, and improvising for dancers.
TAYLOR & BRYN (Taylor Abrahamse & Bryn Scott-Grimes) have a distinctive mutual ability to create songs that are all at once nostalgic and new. Destined to join the ranks of Oscar & Hammerstein and Lennon & McCartney, the long-time creative friends & business partners are steeped in a rich variety of popular, folk, rock, jazz, broadway, hip hop and world music — a combination that allows for endless musical exploration and expression. The duo first garnered praise in 2014, when they won first prize (out of hundreds of contestants) in the Landmark Events Showcase Competition for their titanium harmonies, meshing acoustic guitars, and beatboxing-virtuoso harmonica. After a wide variety of personal pursuits and two years of meticulous construction, Taylor & Bryn recently revealed Silverthorn Studios, an industry-standard professional recording studio & event space they manage & co-own, which also doubles as the perfect location to record their duo & solo albums. Taylor & Bryn are also accomplished in their individual pursuits: Taylor is a well-established voice actor & professional songwriter for TV, and Bryn is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and music teacher.
JAMIE THOMPSON is a founding member of The Junction Trio (the ensemble-in-residence at St. Anne's Anglican Church), and author of Urban Flute Project, one of Canada's leading music blogs. Respected as a prominent flutist and pedagogue, he is on the Faculty at the Royal Conservatory and the TDSB’s Music By The Lake (MBTL) program. Jamie performs internationally and has presented at the Rotman School of Management's Creative Industries.
Since 1999, DOUG TIELLI has been a fixture of Toronto’s music scene, contributing his multi-instrumental abilities, songwriting and composition to a variety of local acts such as The Silt, Drumheller, and The Reveries, as well as pursuing his own singer-songwriter project. He has performed and recorded with such renowned musicians as Marshall Allen, Baby Dee, Devon Sproule, Jennifer Castle, Eugene Chadbourne, Amy Millan, John Oswald, Evan Parker, Dan Whiteley, The Constantines, Rheostatics, Snailhouse, and Royal City. He has toured Canada, U.S.A., Italy, Germany, U.K., Ireland, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Finland and Estonia. In 2011 he released his first solo recording, Swan Sky Sea Squirrel, and followed it with his second in 2013, Keresley, which met with critical acclaim. Truth and Elseness, his third recording, is awaiting release in 2017. He is also an accompanist for dance improvisors and for a yoga class, and he maintains a teaching practice.
JOHN VICTOR is a Toronto singer-songwriter and playwright. He writes traditional folk music with blues and bluegrass influences. He has been playing open stages and occasional shows for over 30 years. John has never released a CD, but does have a SoundCloud page with some of his songs.
DEB WILES is a Toronto artist with East Coast roots. She is an open-form media and subject artist who utilizes whatever media her subject inspires. As a Buddhist, fascinated by esoteric thought and practices, Deb aims to live in the flow of the moment; the inspiration and sheer range of her art practice reflects this movement. Formally, Deb has a Sculpture/Installation degree from Ontario College of Art and Design.
THE WANTED “If you want to know about roots, and some blues and rock and country and bluegrass, all rolled into one, an incredible mix, this is the band for you!” - Hudson Music Festival. The Wanted combine intricate harmonies with traditional and unique instrumentation, such as lap-steel, guitar, mandolin, washboard and bodhran, creating a distinctively eclectic musical style - The Carter Family meets Chuck Berry!
BÄNOO ZAN is a poet, translator, teacher, editor and poetry curator, with more than 120 published poems, etc., as well as two books. Song of Phoenix: Life and Works of Sylvia Plath was reprinted in Iran in 2008. Songs of Exile, a collection of her poems, was released in 2016. A second collection, Letters to My Father, is due to be released early 2017. She is the founder of Shab-e She’r (Poetry Night), the most diverse poetry reading and open mic series in Toronto. It bridges the gap between poetry communities, bringing together artists from different ethnicities, nationalities, religions (or lack thereof), ages, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, poetic styles, voices and visions. Find her on Twitter at @BanooZan. 
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