Music

"Surfin' Safari:  The Ultimate Beach Party Show" celebrates the music of Jimmy Buffet, Frankie Avalon, Jan & Dean, The Ventures, and of course ...The Beach Boys!  Don't miss this fun-filled, audience interactive "beach party show" that combines fabulous musical tributes with an outstanding live band.  Song highlights include "Surfin' USA", "Margaritaville", "Surf City", "It's 5 O’Clock Somewhere", "California Girls" “Wipeout” and "Kokomo" amongst the many audience favourites.  No matter what the weather is like, it'll be warm and sunny on stage!  Get your tickets today to ensure the best seats, and get ready to have some "Fun, Fun, Fun"!!

Sharon Kahan, flute
Marion Miller, piano
with Guest Kevin O’Donnell, flute

Sharon and Marion have delighted London audiences for eight years with heartwarming January recitals, and this year's will be another gem. Subtitled “warm music for a cold afternoon” this program guarantees to do just that, with music from the world of opera (Taffanel’s Fantaisie on Themes from Der Freischutz and the Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes) as well as Malcolm Arnold’s Flute Sonata, this varied program will certainly lift the winter blues.

Acclaimed London composer Jeff Smallman will be represented as well, with the performers premiering two of his works for flute and piano, Les Rodeurs de Nuit and the aptly named l’Hiver a Cesse (winter is over!)

Sharon and Marion are delighted to be welcoming guest flutist Kevin O’Donnell from Kitchener-Waterloo where he performs with the orchestra and can frequently be heard in the National Ballet Orchestra in Toronto. In addition to Doppler’s Andante and Rondo, Ian Clarke’s Maya for two flutes and piano is an evocative and haunting piece of music.

Sharon Kahan performs regularly with orchestras throughout Ontario and performs at the Stratford Festival, where she can be heard in the 2018 production of The Music Man.

Marion Miller is one of London's most versatile musicians. Trained in Canada, France and the United States as a classical pianist, she has nevertheless covered the musical spectrum from playing in a swing orchestra to composing for musical theatre. At 18 she was on faculty at the Banff School of Fine Arts. She has been musical director of the Grand Theatre and pianist for the Aria International Summer Academy for Advanced Music Studies, played Chopin on CBC Radio and vaudeville tunes at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre. She taught at UWO shortly after graduating there with a Master’s degree in musical performance and the president’s gold medal for academic excellence. Today she maintains a large class of private students ranging from young and adult beginners to university-level aspiring concert performers.

Singer-songwriter Marty Kolls brings the energy of her east coast upbringing, classical music training, and life-long experience on the stage to every one of her performances. She mesmerizes her audience with her voice, melody and presence, with songs that speak of living life from the heart. “Marty Kolls is a revelation,” says the London Free Press’ Arts Editor, James Reaney.

Pat Maloney is a Canadian songwriter, a storyteller, and a serious whistler.  He’s a concerned citizen, with a busted acoustic guitar and a fake bass drum.  He’s a too-tall, Ottawa ex-pat, singing songs as meaningful as he can muster, with a healthy, self-defaming sense of humor.

Since Fall of 2013 Pat has performed more than 600 times in 4 different countries.   Lengthy tours of the United Kingdom during University “Freshers” and “Refreshers” seasons have galvanized his efforts as a hard-working, self-made artist.  Pat is an award-winning favorite in the Canadian campus market.

In three short years, he has released three full-length albums, and a dozen “art project” style stop-motion animated music videos.  The single Repotting hit number one on several campus charts in Ontario and the Maritimes.

Audiences are dazzled by Pat Maloney’s natural candor on stage.  The ad-lib banter comes across like a comedy show, while his brand of quirky folk music doesn’t hesitate to explore the lesser-spoken meaning of things.  He sings with refreshing purpose, in a rich baritone.

Arlene Paculan creates soulful pop with passion. The Filipino-Canadian’s recent successful debut album, “Everything Begins with Love” has been embraced by CBC Radio. Arlene was named the runner-up for NOW Toronto Magazine’s Best Songwriter for 2015 and she was in the Top 10 Regional Finals for CBC’s Searchlight Contest in the same year. She is currently nominated for Best Pop Artist in the Mississauga Music Awards for 2017.

Arlene has graced many stages across Toronto, including Nathan Phillips Square, Yonge & Dundas Square and Mississauga Celebration Square. In addition to her performances around the GTA, she has also performed in LA, NYC, Anaheim, across Canada, and adventured through her first European tour in the fall of 2015 playing in front of audiences in England, Scotland, Holland and France. Notable festivals and events she has performed at include Taste of the Danforth, Beaches International Street Fest, Bread & Honey, Mabuhay Philippines Festival, CHIN Picnic, YYZ Live, Paisley Arts Festival in Scotland, Pedestrian Sundays, and more. In 2012, Arlene played at TD Toronto Jazz Festival and performed again in the 2015 season for the full length of the festival at Habits Gastropub. She has opened for Canadian songstress Jill Barber, as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration.

With her song, I’m Worth It, her goal is to remind individuals to trust and believe that they can achieve anything they put their minds to. She aims to campaign the idea globally and to be an empowering positive voice for women. As Executive Producer for her company, Let’s Make Good Productions (LMG), she produces many events including WonderFest which showcases local talent and offers free workshops to all ages. The goal of LMG is to spread empowerment through art. For this, she was awarded 2014’s Hazel McCallion Volunteer of the Year MARTY Award in acknowledgment of her work encouraging others to be creative in their daily lives.

Arlene is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts in Toronto and also studied piano through the Royal Conservatory of Music. Arlene plays cover songs from 1930s to the present, but it is as a singer songwriter that she has made her name in Toronto. Her debut EP album “I’m Worth It” was released under the production team, Kuya Productions. Rob Rapiti from BLR Entertainment has described her voice as “haunting, yet passionate”. Who knew such a ‘beautiful, natural singing voice’ could come from such a shy little girl who used to whisper in conversation growing up?

Before songwriting, Arlene has graced the stage as an actress, garnering the roles in such plays and musicals as Juliet (Romeo & Juliet), Nancy (Oliver), Rizzo (Grease), Laurey (Oklahoma), Kate (Shotgun Wedding), Puck (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Tiger Lily (Peter Pan), and Josie Pye (Anne of Green Gables). She hosted her own TV show, Night Time with Arlene Paculan on Rogers TV in Toronto, Mississauga, and Brampton and is now currently hosting a new web series, The Hive.

A seasoned road warrior whose full-time touring schedule dates back to her days in Canadian rock band The Joys, Sarah continues to feel most at home on-stage. She plays nearly 300 shows per year, primarily in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Along the way, she has shared the stage with artists including Melissa Etheridge, Sass Jordan, Emm Gryner, Craig Cardiff, Joel Plaskett, David Wilcox, and many others. Whether it’s just her and her acoustic guitar or her full band, she is a mesmerizing performer. The 2015 DVD Sarah Smith: Plugged and Unplugged captures Sarah and her band in peak form, both live and in the studio.

With nine studio albums under his belt and multiple CCMA, Juno, and Industry award wins, Corb Lund’s three-decade long music career is a force to be reckoned with. His seventh album, “Cabin Fever” (2012) debuted at #1 on the Billboard Canadian Charts. Three of his albums have been certified GOLD, while his latest release, “Things That Can’t be Undone” (2015), cemented his status as one of the top country storytellers, and placed him on Rolling Stone’s “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know.” The record received rave reviews from all parts of the globe.

"Finds Lund flirting in fresh sonic waters, while still keeping his sardonic mix of eerie lyrics and deceptively joyful vamps well intact." - Rolling Stone Country

"The album is a high mark of a long career." - NPR

“Melodically engaging and narratively compelling, Things That Can’t Be Undone furthers the case for Corb Lund as one of the best contemporary country songwriters.” - Popmatters

The Native Albertan has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. Aside from the many summer festival appearances planned for his band, Corb will embark on his first SOLO tour in his home country starting April 30th and running until May 20th covering most of the Maritimes and Newfoundland & Labrador. This follows late ’16 successful USA shows in New York, Washington, LA and San Francisco among others.

• Maja Kjær Jacobsen (Denmark): fiddle, vocals. Also known from Maskineri and Maja Kjær Jacobsen Kvartett.
• Elise Wessel Hildrum (Norway): fiddle, recorder, vocals. Also a member of Gudbrandsdølenes Spelemannslag (NO).
• Anna Lindblad (Sweden): fiddle, five-stringed fiddle. Also known from LYY (S), Folk All-in Band (SE).

Led by pianist/artistic director Catherine Wilson, Toronto’s Ensemble Vivant continues to receive international accolades and is a favorite wherever the group performs. Since its inception over thirty years ago, "Canada's Chamber Music Treasure" (Toronto Star) has been a pioneer, championing exciting, innovative programming that ranges from classical to Latin jazz and tango.  EV is known for its depth of artistry, passionate performances and engaging stage presence.  Canadian music icon Rick Wilkins raves: “This is the highest-level chamber music-making.  No matter the genre, there is magic in Ensemble Vivant’s music-making.”

For Ensemble Vivant’s latest TD Sunfest date, the group will be augmented by jazz greats Mike Murley (tenor & soprano sax), Kevin Turcotte (flugel horn/trumpet) and Barry Elmes (percussion) in an eclectic program that features selections by Astor Piazzolla, Leroy Anderson, Charlie Chaplin and more.  The concert celebrates the release of a brand new CD-DVD (EV’s 13th recording) of the Tribute to Rick Wilkins performance captured last spring at Grace Church on the Hill in Toronto.  Special guests for that occasion included Guido Basso (flugelhorn, trumpet), Mike Murley (sax) and Brian Barlow (drums & percussion).  The DVD portion of this new release was directed and edited by London, Ontario-based Darryl Lahteenmaa.

Ensemble Vivant is dedicated to fostering a love of great music among our youth. Through the not-for-profit charity EUTERPE (named after the Greek Muse of Music), the musicians enrich the lives of children and others on multiple levels.  Catherine Wilson’s research on “Music and Healing,” for which she received her Ph.D., supports Euterpe’s initiatives, which have also been endorsed by the scientific community.  Thanks to EUTERPE’s support, EV + guests will be performing a special children’s concert on March 23rd at 1:00 PM at Woodland Heights Public School.

RICK WILKINS, C.M.

Hamilton-born Rick Wilkins, C.M. is one of Canada’s most accomplished saxophonists and a world-renowned arranger, composer, conductor and performer.  Throughout his career, Rick has worked with a variety of music legends, including Oscar Peterson, Anne Murray, The Boss Brass, Burton Cummings, Wayne and Schuster, Peggy Lee, Celine Dion, Oliver Jones, Guido Basso, Julie Amato and Tommy Ambrose.

Rick enjoyed major success in the world of radio and television, creating music for programs on CBC TV and Radio, as well as on CTV.  He was music director for a CBS television series and several specials starring The Jackson Five.  Also, he conducted a portion of the opening ceremonies of the Calgary Olympics and served as music director for the gala opening of Toronto’s SkyDome (now Rogers Centre).  In addition, Rick rescored the ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ theme and wrote the theme for CBC’s ‘The National’.

Less well known is that, for close to three decades, Rick Wilkins and Ensemble Vivant have enjoyed a rich musical collaboration and friendship.  From the outset, Rick championed the group’s artistry, sensitive musicality and diverse range of styles & genres. Ensemble Vivant’s Tribute to Rick Wilkins gives a glimpse into the wealth of inspired repertoire that he’s written and, in earlier days, produced for them.  Rick is an honorary board member of Euterpe: his advocacy for the charity has deep roots as he recalls how music inspired him in his youth and how it became his life.

Since first arriving on the music scene at the turn of the last millennium, Ottawa’s The Souljazz Orchestra has never stopped pushing the limits of its signature sound: an explosive clash of soul, jazz and tropical styles, unleashed by blaring majestic horns, dusty vintage keyboards, and an arsenal of earthquaking percussion.

A Sunfest audience favourite for more than a decade, the multicultural collective returns to London on the heels of releasing one of its finest albums to date: the scorching “Under Burning Skies” (on the UK-based Strut Records label). Turbulent times call for strong voices and The Souljazz Orchestra’s new set packs a heavy lyrical punch, with wry observations and an urge for progressive change. Musically, the band continues to take it higher, dusting off ‘80s vintage synthesizers and early drum machines for the first time, bringing lo-fi disco, boogie and electro touches to its trademark horn arrangements and earthy analogue sound. The result is nothing short of fascinating and the group sounds at its confident and versatile best from start to finish.

The Soul Jazz Orchestra continues to be an unstoppable force. Nominated for its third JUNO award in 2016, and now enjoying airplay on influential stations like BBC Radio 6 Music, the band tears up venues worldwide through its punishing schedule. In fact, years of relentless touring have turned The Souljazz Orchestra’s live concerts into the stuff of legends – often culminating in ecstatic, sweat-soaked, cathartic affairs, mixing pulsating arrangements with eruptive improvisations.  In conquering global stages, the sextet has had the honor of sharing bills with heavyweight hipsters like Bob Dylan and Femi Kuti.  As saxophonist Ray Murray puts it, "Souljazz is more than just a band for us, it's a way of life."

Toronto-based pop and jazz vocalist Lori Cullen has a beautiful, pristine voice that recalls the likes of Joni Mitchell and Jane Siberry.  Lori has been acclaimed by jazz great Kurt Elling as one of his favourite new singers.  It’s her singing that always draws attention, and partly for the things that it doesn’t have. No vibrato, no trendy affectations, no unnecessary melodic ornamentation.

Fittingly, Lori’s latest album, titled “Sexsmith Swinghammer Songs” (2016, True North), is a collaboration with Ron Sexsmith, who penned the lyrics, and Lori's husband, singer-songwriter Kurt Swinghammer, who wrote the music and handled the arrangements. "To have two of my favourite people who also happen to be two of my favourite songwriters write an album of material for ME to sing is beyond exciting," beamed Cullen.

The 12-song recording has been described as a "fresh expression of jazz-infused chamber-pop," though it draws inspiration from Burt Bacharach, Antonio Carlos Jobim and others. The critics have been unanimous in their praise, California’s Rawcus Magazine calling it “an audiophile’s dream” and one of the best albums of 2017, and The WholeNote (Toronto) singling it out as “a stunning example of creative, musical symbiosis”.

Lori achieved lasting artistic identity with her 2006 disc, “Calling for Rain”: a hybrid of carefully curated jazz and pop covers, which was nominated for a Best Vocal Jazz JUNO.  Lori’s six-album discography also includes 2011’s “That Certain Chartreuse,” which presented an eclectic selection of covers by artists as diverse as Gordon Lightfoot and King Crimson, all creatively arranged by herself and a band of stellar Toronto musicians.

Lori Cullen made her TD Sunfest debut just last season (as the opening act for Ron Sexsmith), and she is not to be missed as she returns to London – this time as the headliner – with her “sensual, swinging and sashaying songs” (Uncut Magazine, UK).