Omabuwa Edward-Dede (Buwa) – Love is Love

British Columbia based, Nigerian performer Buwa draws influences from the late Whitney Houston, as well as Jill Scott, India Arie, Billy Porter, and Brenda Fassie. Buwa is a contemporary soul artist, with pop and R&B sensibilities and a penchant for storytelling, for whom, music has always played an important place.

Buwa channels his creativity into poetry and performance art appearing in various stage productions on Vancouver Island where he resides.

Recognized for his infectious melodies, his versatile voice and captivating song writing, Buwa has released two EP: Olu [2019] and Road Signs [2016], along with handful of captivating singles.  He uses his music and talents to change the way the world sees Africa

Steve Elder – Singing In Harmony

Steve Elder grew up in Southern California, playing in the bands Elderlocke and The Steve Elder Band. He now lives on a small island off the coast of British Columbia.

He spends his time running with his buddies, recording local musicians and playing at the local open mics.  

Gary Fjellgaard – Somewhere on the Island

Raised on the farm on the Canadian prairies this award-winning singer/songwriter is a champion of vanishing values and the frontier spirit. His western heritage, cattle drives, wagon treks, and working folks with ties to the land have all been an inspiration for the lyrical imagery in his songs.

In 2005 this Juno Award winner was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Gary still tours extensively and looks back on a rewarding career and gratefully acknowledges the hundreds of towns and cities and thousands of listeners who have been touched by his music. With his finger style acoustic guitar, gentle vocals, colorful stories, Gary takes his western roots music to the people with a rare sincerity.

Gary and his wife Lynne make their home on Canada’s west coast. His lifelong love for Lynne, their four daughters, and their many grandchildren is lovingly illustrated in many of his songs.

Bruce Gerrish – Tonight

Bruce Gerrish is a Singer/Songwriter, Performer & Artistic Director. He is also a published songwriter and author.

Bruce’s music is commonly described as a mix of Roots, Alt Country, Blues and Jazz, Folk. He’s a versatile vocalist and musician who accompanies himself on acoustic guitar, banjo, ukulele and piano. He works as a solo performer and as the leader of The Shineolas, a lively group of award winning veteran performers, multi instrumentalists and seasoned vocalists.

Gerrish is the past winner of a Billboard Achievement Award, a finalist in The Budweiser Search for Talent and was signed to DMI Records in Holland. His studio album “Quirkophony” is a seamless combination of Roots, Blues, Folk, New Orleans Boogie and Texas Swing that received substantial airplay on CBC Canada, BBC Scotland, Germany, Holland and Italy. Bruce is a published songwriter with Atrium Music in Los Angeles where he licenses his music and songs for film & television.

Growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Bruce began singing in choirs and was playing and writing music by the age of twelve. He studied guitar with the late Dave “Snaker” Ray, of Koerner, Ray, and Glover fame. At the age of 19, Bruce moved to New Orleans where family friends ran the world famous Preservation Jazz Hall. There he immersed himself in the region’s rich musical tapestry, learning everything from New Orleans Jazz and R&B to Cajun and Blues. Over time, he broadened his style even further with stints in Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Nashville, San Francisco, and more recently British Columbia where he now resides.

Bruce now owns and operates Cozy Shack Productions, an audio recording and streaming video production facility in Nanaimo, BC. He is also the Artistic Director of The Islands Folk Festival in Duncan, BC.

His original song “Tonight” was recently selected as a winner along with six others in the Nanaimo Sings! song search. This song has been professionally adapted for choral performance by a Nanaimo-based arranger. It will be presented as part of a special “Made in Nanaimo” event involving Nanaimo Sings! choirs performing the new arrangements. Web: www.brucegerrish.com

Trish Horrocks and Andrea L’Heureux – Colliery

Trish Horrocks grew up on Vancouver Island and feels very fortunate to be a part of Nanaimo’s wonderful music community. Community-based music education is the thing that moves Trish the very most. She taught violin and viola for several years in Alberta and Ontario before opening her teaching studio in Nanaimo in 2002. Trish also spent several years teaching strings to children in remote fly-in communities in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. She is the founder and co-director of two local community string ensembles including Fiddelium, an award-winning  youth fiddle group.

In recognition of their community education work, Trish and her husband Geoff were the recipients of the City of Nanaimo Honour in Culture Award in 2020. As a composer and arranger, Trish has created hundreds of classical, pop and folk string ensemble arrangements for groups across Canada. However, arranging for community choirs was a new experience, one that was very rewarding and more than a little humbling! 

Singing sacred music since the age of 4, Andrea L’Heureux is emerging as a singer/songwriter while balancing her time as Musical Director at St. Peter’s, as a community occupational therapist and as a mother.

Andrea’s musical achievements include collaborating with Rick Scott in live and recorded performances and the release of her debut CD, “Hymns for Her”, produced by veteran producer Valerie Hennell with arrangements by Nico Rhodes.

She has deeply enjoyed her collaboration with Trish and Geoff Horrocks, creating original works and unique renditions of traditional songs.

Andrea is also a member of Nanaimo’s own Island Consort choir, plays fiddle in the Nanaimo Folk Band and regularly records music at her home studio with her recording engineer husband, Anthony Maki. In addition to her family, work and musical life, she enjoys gardening, yoga, journaling and hiking.

James McRae and Dave Clark – Singin’ On

James McRae has played with many different musicians: Miles Black, Jennifer Scott, Gerry Barnum, David Essig, Marc Atkinson to name just a few. His passion for music defies easy categorization.

James has lived on Vancouver Island since 1986 and has long been an important part of the VancouverIsland music scene, including his time in the 1990’s with the popular Victoria group Loose. In 2011 he released Slow Down, an album of all original songs he wrote with a Brazilian flavour. It received praise both in Canada and internationally. His most recent project as leader is a re-imagining of Gordon Lightfoot’s music in a jazz context. It was released as a CD titled “Impressions of Lightfoot” in 2017. 

James is the Vice-president of the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival and is responsible for the Sounds of Summer noon hour concerts in the Old City Quarter.  For more info: http://www.jamesmcrae.ca 

David John Clark is a composer, musician, producer, and educator. Over the past 40 years Dave has worked with the Woodshed Orchestra, Jah Youssouf, Gord Downie, Kevin Breit, Chris Walla, Neil Peart, the Rheostatics, Ron Sexsmith, the Uplifters, Amanda Rhaeume, Sarah Harmer, the Dinner is Ruined, Suzie Vinnick, Stephen Fearing, Julie Doiron, the WoodChoppers Association, Charles Spearin, and Alex Lifeson, and many more.

www.thewoodshedorchestra.com|
woodchoppers@sympatico.ca
Instagram: @davidclarkmk1

Rick Scott – Angels Do

Three-time Juno nominee Rick Scott is an award-winning singer, songwriter and actor, whose gift for combining music, humour and storytelling has earned him a devoted following from four generations.

His song Island Oohlahey, co-written with Valley Hennell, was featured in Nanaimo Sings 2021.  Accompanying himself of Appalachian mountain dulcimer, from Pied Pumkin to the Vancouver Island Symphony, Rick has performed his lively original music in 11 countries and released 19 recordings honoured with Parents’ Choice, NAPPA Gold, WCMA and Canadian Folk Music Awards. He’s Goodwill Ambassador for the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation and curator of the Protection Island Museum.

In 2018 he received the Nanaimo Cultural Excellence Award and in 2019 was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame StarWalk. In addition to solo shows, Rick also performs in the duo ROOTS & GROOVES with young keyboard wizard Nico Rhodes. “His gift for enriching and healing the human spirit will not soon be forgotten.” – Rogue Folk 
www.rickscott.ca