TOM ALLEN
Tom Allen was born in Montreal, went to three universities and earned 2 degrees. He worked as a bass trombonist in Toronto and in New York City when there were still places you just didn’t go. He began working for the CBC on his 30th birthday, a very long time ago. He has written three books, created and hosted countless shows like this one and produced a film starring RH Thomson. tomtomallen.com.
PATRICIA O'CALLAGHAN
Patricia O’Callaghan is a recording and performing artist and songwriter with 7 solo CDs, and many collaborations, including Dark Butterflies and the Juno-nominated Corona Divinae Misericordiae with composer and pianist David Braid. She tours both her own shows, and as a cast member or guest artist, around North America, Europe, and Australia and is on the faculty of the Dan School of Music at Queen’s University.
KEVIN FOX
Kevin Fox is a composer, cellist, guitarist, singer and recording artist with 3 solo recordings and countless credits as a supporting artist and as an arranger for popular artists collaborating with symphony orchestras. He studied at McGill, toured with Sarah Harmer, and plays with everyone including many tours with Steven Page. kevinfox.ca
YOLANDA BRUNO
Yolanda Bruno has performed all over Europe and North America and her recording, The Wild Swans, was nominated for a Juno Award. She serves as Associate Concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, has played for the Queen at Buckingham Palace and backed-up the Australian heavy metal band Parkway Drive. Yolanda won the 2017 Isabel Overton Bader Violin Competition and is the recipient of Canada Council’s Virginia Parker Award. yolandabruno.com
LORI GEMMELL
Lori Gemmell was Principal Harpist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony from 2000 until a few months ago, when there suddenly wasn’t one. She teaches at Wilfred Laurier University and for the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Lori plays often with the Toronto Symphony and the National Ballet, as well as the Four Seasons Harp Quartet, with trumpeter, Larry Larson, fellow harpist Jennifer Swartz, and has recorded for Feist. Lori can often be seen thinking of what’s next.
MICHAEL BRIDGE
Michael Bridge is a virtuoso performer. He received his doctorate in accordion performance from the University of Toronto, is a Rebanks Fellow at the Glenn Gould School, has premiered 53 new works and gives over 100 concerts a year as a soloist and as a member of Bridge & Wolak and Ladom Ensemble. Dr. Bridge embraces a musical aesthetic that is alternatively irreverent, deadly serious, meticulously prepared and completely in-the-moment. He’s at home with classical, contemporary, jazz, folk music and more. michaelbridge.ca
KARL SILVEIRA
Hailing from Toronto, Karl Silveira, a Juno and Grammy Nominated artist, has earned acclaim for his debut album “A Porta Aperta.” He is also a dedicated Jazz educator in the University of Toronto Jazz program and a fixture in the Toronto Jazz Scene.
RYAN DAVIS
Praised by The WholeNote as “showcasing multitudes of colours and possibilities, with much skill and imagination,” Radia, the moniker for Saskatchewan-raised artist Ryan Davis, has swiftly emerged as a singular creative force. His unique sound has garnered attention and has been featured in diverse spaces, including in Toronto’s Koerner Hall, The Violin Channel, in Los Angeles’s Skid Row, and on ABC Channel 7 News LA. Of Glow & Abandon, his debut EP, was released on all major platforms in December 2021. Ryan was named an Artistic Partner with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra for their 2022-2023 season. This collaboration featured a concerto performance on opening night, September 24th; as well as the premiering of an original work for viola, electronics, and the SSO musicians on April 2nd. He holds music degrees from McGill University, Yale University, The Colburn School, and was chosen as the first ever violist for the Rebanks Fellowship & International Performance Residency Program at the Royal Conservatory of Music.