Hop, Skip, Halifax
This trip to Halifax was done in record time - certainly not enough time to see any of my Nova Scotia friends (including Voyageur's luthier George Rizsanyi or Six String Nation book co-photographer Sandor Fizli) but it was enough time to make a couple of hundred new friends at the 13th Annual Recreation Nova Scotia Conference at the Westin, where I was invited to deliver the closing day keynote address.
Initially, it was a tough sell to bring a guy and his guitar to a gathering of recreation industry experts but a couple of the organizing committee members had seen my presentation at the YMCA Canada AGM in the summer and advocated on the strength of the links the project makes across generations, across cultures, across interests and across demographics. Since that was a focus of this year's conference, it seemed to have some real relevance. But - as always - the real relevance comes as audiences see the presentation and see themselves, their communities and their constituencies reflected in its story. It is fundamentally about people and place and each of our roles in the larger story. That really resonated with the group yesterday and I was told afterwards that it was the "best keynote in 13 years" and "... a standing "O" at an RNS keynote? That NEVER happens!".
As is the custom, Voyageur was brought to life by musicians chosen by the hosts at the end of my presentation. In this case, Chris Falcione and Blaise Landry did the honours - Chris opting for a Neil Young fave and Blaise going with a whole-room sing-a-long of Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl". That's Blaise holding the guitar and Chris holding the lyrics in the picture.
Thanks to Heather MacDonald, Rhonda Lemire, Christina the volunteer, Chris Falcione, Blaise Landry, Tyler Rodgers, Mickey Quase, Doc Hutchinson, the Westin Nova Scotian, Air Canada and the team at NSB.
Posted at 10:24 AM
A Successful Quest
Teachers, students, policy makers and educational experts from Canada, the U.S., UK, Finland, South Africa and elsewhere gather this week in Richmond Hill for the York Regional District School Board Quest Conference. I was proud to have been invited to address the whole assembly as part of this afternoon's pre-conference activities.
The whole conference is about engaging students to encourage learning at a multitude of levels and the Six String Nation project fits nicely into that paradigm so it was a crowd that I knew would be receptive. But BOY were they receptive! First of all, as far as technical facilities go, this was a real Cadillac of an event - with dual screens with high quality rear projection, dual slide monitors, wireless lav mic - all coordinated by an expert crew from Rogers Television and run tighter than the Oscars. So I had that going for me as well but it all served to help deliver the project and its message to a room at the Sheraton Parkway ballroom that was with me every step of the way.
They were also with Graham Young every step of the way - and so was I! Graham (pictured) is a grade 9 student at Dr. J.M. Denison Secondary School in Newmarket ON and he was chosen to play Voyageur at the end of my presentation - but he picked a piece that some might think way beyond his years: something by the late great Canadian guitar wunderkind Lenny Breau. Like Paganini, Lenny's fingers could just do things other humans' couldn't and Graham really pulled off a brilliant performance.
Afterwards, all kinds of people came by to see the guitar and get me to sign their books, which one of the retailers brought in for the occasion. Both in the presentation and in the lobby, it was a great feeling to really connect with these folks who - at every level - are committed to making learning work in the 21st century and I'm glad they see Six String Nation as a partner in that goal.
Thanks to Jane Cutler, Kevin Merkley, Mary Florio, Dean Bodkin, Graham Young, Intellectual Property Books, Rogers Television and the team at NSB.
Posted at 9:38 PM
A Swingding with Lindy and Swinghammer
Last night's event at the new Gallery Fontana Swing on Carlaw Ave in Toronto was one of those bittersweet events. Sweet because it's a remarkably beautiful space and the people who came to see the Six String Nation presentation each had a moving experience as so often happens. Sweet also because of the generosity of Katrina Anderson and everyone who helped run the event and because of the wonderful and generous performances by Kurt Swinghammer and Lindy Vopnfjord. The only bitter part was that it didn't turn out to be a fundraiser - more like a breakevener. Still, there were enough great moments that I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Immediately following the presentation, Kurt Swinghammer stepped up to take Voyageur and deliver two brilliant selections in his own inimitable style. He started with Owen Pallett's "This Is the Dream of Win and Regine" and followed it with a stunning rendition of Gordon Lightfoot's "Affair on 8th Avenue". As usual, Kurt brought brand new things to each of these songs. Whether he is in a studio, with an electric in hand and a rack of pedals at his feet or sitting with a completely unplugged acoustic as he was last night, Kurt has a knack for coaxing extraordinary sounds from ordinary tools.
Then came Lindy (pictured, with new fan Evangeline). We had four songs from the gentle giant - all of which used his remarkable technique of arching is voice into a kind of heavenly register that sounds as effortless as it does powerful. He also told some great stories and included a riding song from his Icelandic heritage to really give Voyageur a workout. Later, he mused that this guitar may be played by more people than any in the world and that - as a result - it has a glow that will only get stronger with time. I hope he's right.
A real highlight of the evening for me were the comments of a gentleman in the audience who has just adopted Canada as his home and for whom this encounter encapsulated so many of the emotions he's felt in starting a new life in this country. Thank you for sharing that with me, Jeff.
Thanks of course to Lindy, Kurt, Katrina, Sarah, Jen, Hannah and Hailey and everyone who attended the show. But a special thanks also to Rodney Clark and the gang at Rodney's Oyster House. Rodney is always part of my presentations because of his connection to one of the pieces in the guitar from the oyster world in PEI but he was present in a delicious way at this event, having donated some beautiful smoked salmon with all the fixin's for all the attendees to enjoy. Thanks also to Joe Sutherland Rentals for the great deal on the projector. Photo by Hailey Knight.
Posted at 12:15 PM