2007

This year we have invited
All Ontario storytellers and musicians
to our fourth annual festival, adding a theme tent: Canada in Story and Song, funded by Celebrate Ontario, the Ministry of Tourism’s invitation to people in this province to visit the special festivals and events happening right here in Ontario.

Storytellers and musicians performing in the Canada in Story and Song tent on Saturday, September 8 or Sunday, September 9, 2007 are:


Aaron Bell (Brantford)         

Performing Saturday afternoon, Sept. 8

Aaron Bell, as Ojibway Storyteller, provides First Nations curriculum for schools and also organizes the award winning Gonrah Desgahwak White Pine Dancers.
Aaron was the curriculum designer for Kanata Native Traditional Village, created two storytelling CD’s, and has presented over 1000 performances. He has acted, facilitated workshops in traditional First Nations crafts, told at numerous festivals, and won many awards for his contribution to Canadian cultural life.

Ian Bell (Paris)                        

Performing Sunday afternoon, Sept. 9

For years, as a singer/songwriter and storyteller, Ian Bell has been introducing audiences to themselves, with original words and music rooted in the fields and townscapes of Southwestern Ontario. Ian’s repertoire ranges from old songs and ballads to Celtic/Canadian dance tunes and original compositions. He has performed in venues ranging from the CBC’s Glenn Gould Theatre to rural church basements. Ian plays guitar, button accordian, harmonica, mandolin, smallpipes and fiddle, and continues to draw inspiration from his full-time work as the curator of a small town museum. His music is interwoven with stories, funny, touching, mostly true and always entertaining.

Lorne Brown (Toronto)

Performing with Jean Mills on Saturday afternoon and
evening, Sept. 8.

Lorne Brown is a well-known traditional ballad singer with an emphasis on Canadian material. Founder of the Ballad Project, he has just completed teaching a very successful ballad course through the Storytellers School of Toronto. He is one of Canada’s “elders” in the storytelling community, a co-founder of the Storytellers School of Toronto, and has told stories and sung songs in every province in Canada.


Bruce Carmody (Newmarket)

Telling on Sunday afternoon in CSS tent, Saturday afternoon in the Adult tent.

Bruce is a bilingual storyteller who tells in schools and churches throughout southern Ontario. He has told at the Toronto, Ottawa, Newmarket and Brantford Storytelling Festivals. He tells regularly at the Ontario Science Centre and taught storytelling to seniors at the Yonge Street Mission for 3 years. He has developed and told historical stories for Mackenzie House Museum, Fort York, Spadina House Museum and told the story of David Gibson at Gibson House as part the 2007 Toronto Festival of Storytelling. www.thestoryteller.ca
 

Mike Ford (Toronto)

Performing Friday evening and Saturday afternoon in the CSS tent.

Singer/songwriter Mike Ford (one-fourth of Canadian pop group Moxy Fruvous) brings Canadian history to life through song. His sheer enthusiasm and encyclopedic knowledge of Canadian history combine in a lively and interactive presentation that demonstrates the dynamic and important events in our country’s history.

Gail Fricker (Stratford)

Telling on Saturday afternoon in the CSS tent.

Gail has told stories around the world: Kenya, Japan, Denmark, UK, and across North America. She has a Master Degree in Story Arts and now teaches storytelling and drama at Emmanuel Bible College and North Western Secondary School. She regularly gives workshops through Ontario Arts Council, performs storytelling thoughout Avon Maitland, and is a popular speaker at many arts education conferences.  Her lively and interactive style engages audiences of all ages, especially her 6-year old son Gavin.

Bernice Hune (Toronto)

Telling Saturday evening at the Adult concert and Saturday afternoon in the Adult tent.
 
 Bernice Hune tells enchanting folktales from Asia and immigrant history stories. Her programs have highlighted numerous multicultural events at museums and festivals. Recently, she was invited to the Singapore International Storytelling Festival. As an arts educator, Bernice has made over 900 visits to Ontario schools and libraries, leading workshops in art and storytelling. Her family stories, five generations of Chinese in Canada are entwined with cultural artifacts and historical events.

Mary-Eileen McClear (Baden)

Telling Saturday afternoon in the CSS tent.

24 years as a storyteller, she has performed on CBC radio, at the Toronto Storytelling Festival, the Stratford Festival, and numerous other festivals across Canada and the U.S. Mary-Eileen founded the Second Story Workshop (aka The Story Barn) in Baden, where monthly storytelling gatherings are entering their 20th year. She has won several awards for her work and her writing and has a recording of Strange But True Stories of Early Canada.

Jean Mills (Guelph)

Performing with Lorne Brown on Saturday afternoon and presenting a workshop with Lorne in the morning.

Jean Mills, master of the Appalachian dulcimer, is a well-known performer of traditional music. She has presented courses on Canadian folksongs at the Celtic College in Goderich, and has performed at schools, folk festivals and concert halls in Ontario. She
recorded two albums with the legendary late Canadian folksinger Merrick Jarrett.

 

Helen Porter (Toronto)

Telling Saturday evening in the Adult concert and Saturday afternoon in the Adult tent, and presenting a workshop .

Helen Porter's storytelling career began in her childhood when she listened to family stories in the Ottawa Valley and Peterborough County. Since then she has performed in hundreds of schools, churches, art galleries, as well as at the National Arts Centre, St. Lawrence Centre, Hummingbird Centre, at the Tarragon, Factory and Blythe Theatres, Roy Thompson Hall, the Senator Jazz Club and on national radio, television and film. Helen’s wide repertoire includes traditional, biblical, medieval, Shakespearean, Greek, family and personal tales. Programs are tailored to suit all ages. Helen leads workshops on writing and storytelling in centres across the country and teaches in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Toronto.

Janice Turner (Newmarket)

Telling Sunday afternoon in the CSS tent and Saturday afternoon in the Adult tent

Janice has been telling stories since 1990 to both children and adults. Her passion is telling stories of strong, witty and wise maidens, mothers and crones! Recently she has been going back in search of the Women of the Old Testament, adding flesh to the bare bones, calling forth the names and giving voice to the too often hidden stories of these remarkable women. www.janiceturner.com.

ENGAGING PERFORMERS in the Children’s Tent,              

Saturday, September 8, 1 to 4 p.m.

Adwoa Badoe (Guelph)

Adwoa Badoe was born and raised in Ghana, West Africa and is the author of several childrenís books including the Pot of Wisdom: Ananse stories, Nanaís Cold Days, Crabs for Dinner and the Queenís New Shoes. She is a vibrant storyteller who employs interactive songs, chants and rhythm in her telling of African stories. Accompanied by drummer FulÈ, she also teaches and performs African Dance. She mixes her natural talent for storytelling with dance, play and rhythm. It is her hope that she can increase an awareness of black history and culture through the exciting cultural arts of Africa. Find out more at www.afroculture.com

Emerita Emerencia (Toronto)

Aruban born, multi-disciplinary and multi-lingual artist, Emerita brings her own performance style—a fusion of theater, storytelling, percussive music, dance and audience participation –with the hope of not merely entertaining audiences, but to leave them with some food for thought and a whole lot of laughs. She invites audiences to come along on a journey and to celebrate life. She has toured across Canada, USA, The Caribbean and Africa. Visit her website at www.eemerencia.com .

Arnot McCallum (Tecumseh)

Arnot, a retired English Coordinator and teacher, has been involved in storytelling for the past 35 years. He writes and tells original, funny and true stories of things that happen in childhood to real kids, including stories from his own early years. He tells to enthusiastic audiences in schools and libraries in Ontario, Michigan and Florida, and has been a featured storyteller at the Michigan Storyfest and on CBC Radio Windsor. Arnot's  listeners are captivated by his exciting, animated performances.  They become motivated to write and tell their own stories. www.notabrat.com

MORE EXCITING STORYTELLERS in the Adult Tent on

Saturday, September 8

Brenda Byers (Burlington)

Brenda Byers' natural exuberance and delight in her listeners shines through, wakening imaginations with an “easy style and grace” while weaving tales for the very young as well as the young at heart.  Brenda enjoys the wit and wisdom found in folk, fairy, wonder tales and ballads.  Mother of three, wife to Tall Dark and Handsome, we are living happily ever after while slaying dragons, listening to wise old women and finding the magic in life.      

Dianne Chandler (Port Perry)

Dianne weaves candlelight dramas cloaked in magic, illuminating folk-fairy tales, legends, historical tales and myths that touch the heart and tickle the fancy of all ages. Equally comfortable under the stage spotlight, in bright sunshine, or around a campfire she has enchanted young and old in many interesting places over the past twenty years as a storyteller. Founder and Artistic Director and founder of A Celtic Celebration to Welcome Spring Concert and the adult storytelling concerts at the Piano Café in Port Perry for the past five years. Current Chair of the Durham Folklore Society storytelling guild. She lives in a country cottage with her prince and five feline friends. See her web site at www.storymagic. Ca

Barry Rosen (Hamilton)

Barry Rosen founded the Hamilton Storytelling Circle in 2002, and he continues to serve as the group’s facilitator. His story interests include Jewish Folktales, original and family stories. He has told in a number of settings and contexts.

Origami and storytelling workshop presenter:

Diane Halpin (London)

Diane Halpin’s storytelling performances and workshops are dynamic and interactive. She has a large repertoire of folktales and specializes in original life-stories. Diane has been folding origami for over 30 years and storytelling with origami since 1992. She regularly performs in schools and universities, as well as at libraries, festivals and special events. Diane particularly loves storytelling for an inter-generational audience. She says, “Something magical happens when the same story delights three or four generations of people at the same time!”