Community Events

It’s not a concert, it’s a Sing!

Big Sing London is an event where a couple hundred people get together to just sing for the joy of it for an hour or more. No skill is necessary, and no one will hear you because everyone is singing. People have a need for community, to come together and engage in activity that feeds the spirit. What better activity to do that than by singing together? Besides, it’s proven that singing has positive health benefits!

We’ll sing songs of all kinds—traditional songs. Songs that unite us. Fun songs. Inspiring songs. Simple songs. Songs we can just sing out ut and not worry if we’re singing too loud—because we’ll all be singing loud! Word sheets will make it easy to join in.

Bernie Gilmore is a well-known folksinger, singer-songwriter, guitarist and banjo player right here in London. Bernie is passionate about the power of community singing and the right of every person to be able to sing. He loves leading Community Sings! You can be sure he’ll get the whole room rocking!

As he says, “Get the heck off your favourite chair at home and out from in front of the big screen. If you love to sing great songs come on out to Big Sing London! for an afternoon you will thoroughly enjoy—and get ready to sing your socks off!”

Camp Wendake is proud to host OUT and OUTSTANDING lesbian comic, Elvira Kurt. A Toronto native, and alumna of Second City, she has earned herself international recognition as a comic, actor, host and writer.

Growing up in Toronto, Elvira Kurt spent much of her time in front of the bathroom mirror delivering jokes. Her hairbrush doubled as a microphone. The only child of Hungarian immigrants, Kurt says her parents disapproved of her comedic aspirations. “Their whole thinking was, “We gave up everything to come to the new country, to the New World. So, you’re going to be a lawyer or a doctor – something that will allow you to take care of us as we get older,” she says. “You’re certainly not going to tell jokes for a living.”

Yet for 40 years, that’s exactly what she has done. On Friday, October 25, this internationally renowned comedienne will take to the Aeolian Hall stage to participate in a fundraiser for Camp Wendake.

Camp Wendake is a one-week residential camp program for people living with HIV, their families and caregivers. Camp Wendake is an amazing contradiction! People gather because of a common health concern but find freedom from focusing upon the disease for a brief time and find an opportunity to celebrate life in a community where HIV/AIDS in the norm. People may choose to attend camp in order to learn and share more about coping with their overall health and social issues. Or they may come for the rest and refreshment of a caring and understanding community.

Begin the evening with free hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar whilst browsing through a wonderful array of silent and live auction items. At 8 pm, seat yourself to a hilarious evening with Elvira Kurt. Following that program, you will have a chance to finalize

The next City Symposium explores the theme of work and employment. The event features four speakers: an artist, a researcher, a civil servant, and an activist. Each speaker has 12 minutes to tell us about what they are working on… …and how you can be a part of it. Amazing things will happen. To register, visit: Eventbrite: City Symposium: Work & Employment Learn more about the series and watch videos from past events at citysymposium.com The City Symposium is a collaboration between... London Public Library Urban League of London London Community Foundation Polishuk Camman & Steele Aeolian Hall Grand Theatre Museum London Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion Western’s Faculty of Information & Media Studies Western’s Faculty of Health Sciences Western’s Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing London Arts Council Pillar Nonprofit Network Western University Student’s Council City of London

The first annual Love First Awards will take place at the Aeolian Hall on Thursday, June 27, 2019.

A welcome reception will begin at 6:30pm, with the presentations starting at 7pm. Doors will open at 6pm.
Refreshments will be provided.

This event is free of charge to all attendees.

Each nominee will receive an award based on their charitable approach and actions towards fellow citizens in the organizations and community in which they are involved.

Selected organizations for this program range from government services, private businesses, charities, and nonprofits.

Attached to this message are the criteria for selecting nominees who will, after Love First Board approval, receive an award and a certificate in honour of their good work in 2018.

Love First was established two years ago with a mandate to promote a better world through good deeds.

A major part of our policy is to promote and encourage members of our communities to show compassion, understanding and love to fellow workers and community members.

Our aim is to empower people to act with love first in all that they say and do.

We look forward to your participation and attendance.

Please RSVP with your Press or organization information by June 14, 2019.

If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us at 519-670-4222 or info@lovefirst.ca.

The Aeolian & Pride London Festival are proud to present POESY live at The Aeolian as part of Pride 2019!

POESY is quickly becoming one of the most exciting new Canadian voices. Influenced by innovative enigmatic artists like Kate Bush and Freddie Mercury, as well as 90s alternative rock queens PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, and Alanis Morissette, the Toronto-based artist has formed a gritty and unmistakable sound that demands to be heard. Pairing inspiration from her favourite novels with vulnerable confessions from her own life, POESY’s dark and powerful alt-rock rhythms makes it possible to dance and cry and wonder and hope all at once.

During her 2018 participation in CTV’s The Launch, POESY collaborated with composer/producer Stephan Moccio (Miley Cyrus, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne) to release the top 40 single Soldier of Love. The track drew comparisons to powerful rock front-women Amy Lee and Florence Welch and set the stage for POESY to be a new alternative voice to watch. She signed a major label deal with Big Machine Label Group in May (2018). Following the national success of the single, POESY went on to give spellbinding performances at several Canadian music festivals.

POESY has since joined forces with acclaimed producer and now-artist manager, Gavin Brown (Metric, Three Days Grace, Billy Talent) to build on her sound and artistic vision. The two have built up an eclectic, intensely emotional body of work to be released soon. Strange Little Girl is POESY’s first single from the project - an unapologetic feminist anthem, uniting unusual girls to step into the spotlight. POESY is a mirror for her audience; a place where they can see their own struggles, fears, desires, and dreams reflected back in an empowering larger than life performance to be shared together. Put simply, POESY is a force.

London Lesbian Film Festival is proud to present this year’s Pride Film Night at Aeolian Hall! This year will feature three films:

• Many Loves, One Heart: Stories of Courage and Resilience (2017)
• Sweet and Sour (2017)
• Quiet Heroes (2018) In Salt Lake City, Utah, the religious monoculture severely complicated the AIDS crisis, where patients received no support from — or were cast into exile by — the political, religious, and medical communities. Further, Mormon culture encouraged gay men to marry women and have a family to cure themselves of their “affliction,” counsel which led to secret affairs and accidental marital transmissions of HIV. In the entire state and intermountain region there was only one doctor to serve all HIV/AIDS patients. This is the story of her fight to save the lives of a maligned population everyone else seemed willing to just let die.

All proceeds will be donated to the John Gordon Home Resident Transition Fund.

The Aeolian is proud to host the next Tampon Tuesday event on Tuesday, May 28th from 5:00 - 7:00pm. Catered by Jack Astor's.

Together we can create a world where no woman or girl is left behind because of her period. It’s time for action!

TAMPON TUESDAY is a unique way to gather with women in your community to network, socialize and go with the flow. Drop by the second Tuesday of every month. Admission - 1 Box of Feminine Hygiene product.

 

Join us for a Round Dance honouring Women on International Women's Day!

Feast 5:00pm & Round Dance to follow.

Emcee: Joe "Smokin' Joe" Pahtayken
Emcee: Ann Marie Proulx
Emcee: Dion Tootoosis

Stickman: Vydel Sands

Invited Singers:
Delia Waskewitch
Danetta Strongarm
Cyrina Bull

Irvin Waskewitch
Brian Waskewitch
Sage Scabbyrobe
Brad Crain
Lester Mianskum
Dave Hookimaw
Matthew Isaac
And Many More!

All welcome!
All singers will be acknowledged.

Join us on Monday, May 13th 2019 for Aeolian Talks: Leading Change - The past, present & future of plasma donation by men who have sex with men, a community conversation about current and planned efforts to change donor eligibility criteria for men who have sex with men.

Most people know about blood donation and organ donation… but have you heard of plasma donation? Plasma donation is another important form of donation that is ‘in us to give’ that many Canadians depend on to treat conditions like bleeding and immune disorders, shock, and liver disease. Canada doesn’t collect enough plasma to meet the needs of Canadians and so we currently rely on purchasing plasma products from international companies that process plasma from donors in the US.

While we aren’t collecting enough plasma in Canada, at the same time some Canadians are limited from donating! In particular, men who have sex with men (MSM) have historically been limited from donating blood or plasma if they’re sexually active. Something needs to change. Eligibility criteria for MSM are slowly but surely becoming more inclusive, especially for blood plasma donation. There is now (finally) a conversation starting about providing some sexually active MSM an opportunity to donate if they want to. The donation clinic in London is the only dedicated plasma clinic in Ontario. Londoners are at the forefront in Ontario to advance this conversation as policy discussions are starting to shift. This Aeolian Talk is an opportunity to hear directly from experts in the field, ask questions, share feedback to shape upcoming research in London, and help move this conversation forward.

Hosted by the Source Plasma Study and presented in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Pride London, the exciting evening will feature a series of speakers that explore plasma donation from multiple perspectives. Learn about plasma, hear stories from donors and recipients, gain insights on regulation in Canada and shifts towards more inclusive policies, discuss emerging research opportunities, and share your voice. The second half of the event will feature a panel discussion and Q&A session with the audience!

Ken Eastwood will emcee the evening.

With Special Guest Speakers:

Andrew Rosser - President at Pride London Festival
Justin Presseau - Scientist at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Terrie Foster - Nurse Specialist at Canadian Blood Services
Don Lapierre - Manager of stakeholder relations at Canadian blood services
Chantalle Clarkin - Research Associate at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Mindy Goldman - Medical Director at Canadian Blood Services

Doors open at 6:00pm and we encourage people to come early to network, share stories, connect with leaders in the field, and meet some of the speakers.

Official program will start at 7:00pm.  Free Event. No tickets required.

 

To celebrate Social Work Week we have put together a presentation for the Aeolian Talks. The topic, It takes a community to protect children, will be discussed. The London Children's Aid Society is celebrating their 125th anniversary and will have representation during the talk. The Muslim Resource Centre, a foster parent, someone with lived experience, a discussion about private adoption and a representative from the Indigenous community will make presentations as well.

Doors open at 6:30pm and presentations will begin at 7:00pm.

This event is free to everyone and we look forward to seeing you all there!