Soundbone Folksong Choir (SFC) is a non-auditioned choral group for adults who share a love of the traditional and contemporary folk songs of Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.
The SFC was founded in 2020 and is directed by traditional musician/music educator Jean Hewson. It is a project of Soundbone Traditional Arts Foundation; an organization that fosters the preservation and performance of the traditional folk arts of Newfoundland and Labrador. (soundbone.ca)
The choir has two ten-week sessions a year with each session culminating in a final concert. Since its inception, the SFC has had the opportunity to work with many of Newfoundland and Labrador’s best-known traditional and folk musicians including Anita Best, Brian Cherwick, Ian Foster, Sandy Morris, Dave Panting, and Christina Smith.
This summer the choir is participating in the International Choral Festival taking place in St. John’s called Harbour Voices, and is also delighted to make its very first appearance at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival.
I am a farmer, spoon carver and green woodworker from Co. Limerick, Ireland. I use locally sourced fresh hardwoods like birch and cherry to carve wooden spoons and treen using just simple hand tools.
Like a sporadic option on a menu, Soup’ du Jour performs a variety of music styles both in English and in French.
There is no shortage of talent and charisma in this dynamic duo who rejoice in offering an amusing performance that will surely delight the diverse tastes of their audience.
Tout comme une option occasionnelle figurant sur un menu, Soup’ du Jour interprète une variété de styles de musique en français et en anglais.
Il n’y a pas de pénurie de talent et de charisme dans ce duo dynamique qui réussit à offrir une prestation amusante qui plaira sûrement aux goûts divers de son public.
St. John’s Storytelling is a not-for-profit organization that has been active in the Storytelling community of Newfoundland and Labrador since 2004. St. John’s Storytelling hosts and organizes an annual Storytelling festival bringing storytellers from across the province, Canada and internationally to the stage in St. John’s. We host a monthly Storytelling Circle on the second Wednesday of the month, bi-monthly Storyteller networking/workshopping sessions, and programming for kids, youth, and adults year round. St. John’s Storytelling hosts workshops and courses for emerging and professional storytellers in the interest of preserving, promoting, and developing the art and tradition of storytelling. The activities of St. John’s Storytelling are directed by a Board of four to eight volunteers.
The mandate of the St. John’s Storytelling Festival is to promote the art and tradition of storytelling in Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout Canada; to foster creative expression of this art; and to promote cooperation among organizations related to the art and tradition of storytelling.
Spectrum Queer Choir is a non-auditioned community choir that creates a place of celebration, belonging, and safety for 2SLGBTQIA+ people and their unique voices and needs. Spectrum welcomes all who wish to join regardless of musical experience, ability, identity, or financial means. Together the choir seeks justice, growth, and connection through our music-making to enrich lives and the culture of Newfoundland and Labrador. Spectrum Queer Choir was founded by and is under the artistic direction of Alice Hietala.
Tamsyn Russell is a musician most proficient In button accordion, but also dabbles in guitar, singing and flute. Tamsyn has performed with Terra Bruce Productions where she has taken part in projects such as the touring musical No Change in the Weather and concert series Sounds Like Home, among others. She has been performing all her life, whether it be at the NL Folk Festival, Beaches Accordion Festival, Harbourside Park Concert Series, and other performances such as Feast of Cohen and A Time in Pigeon Inlet. In the summer, she performs solo and with various local musicians aboard the Iceberg Quest Boat Tours, and plays various pub gigs singing blues, folk and country and playing tunes. Outside of her musical involvement with the arts, she currently works in social media marketing with the NLFAS.
A multi award winning solo artist, Rik Barron has been touring North America and Europe for nearly forty years. He is an accomplished and respected roots performer, entertaining his audiences with great singing, expert playing and irreverent humour.
Rik Barron was born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland. There he worked extensively with Dave Panting of Figgy Duff and Rawlins Cross, making eleven studio recordings and touring Canada, the USA and Europe. He is a founding member of The Fousty Toutons, Newfoundland’s most famous folkabilly band. During the 1990s Rik lived in Prince Edward Island performing with many Island musicians including singer and songwriter Allan Rankin. In the US he has recorded and played with banjoist Dan Levenson and clawgrass originator Mark Johnson contributed to one of Rik’s East Coast Music award winning recordings. His relationship with banjo innovator and legend Tony Ellis has helped Rik develop a unique instrumental style combining the elements of Celtic, Newfoundland, Maritime and Americana music. These days he can be found playing with long time musical partner Chili Taylor.
Along with giving workshops at festivals Rik has been a faculty member of the Maryland Banjo Academy, The Smoky Mountain Banjo Academy, The Woods Acoustic Music and Dance Camp, WUMB’s Winter Acoustic Music weekend and the Summer Acoustic Music Week. Rik has been featured on the cover of the Banjo Newsletter and has been a long time endorsing artist for Deering Banjos.
Rik has garnered three Canadian Folk Music Award nominations, two Indie Award nominations and three East Coast Music Award wins.
Through the years Rik has also performed in schools, fairs and concert halls playing roots music for children and families. His enthusiasm for and popularity with young audiences is undiminished and he is a three time East Coast Music Award winner in that genre.
