Artistic Director’s Message

Welcome to Queer as Folk (Music II)! When we first tried to perform this concert years ago, it had to be delayed

due to a massive snowstorm. So, this time it is in June! We have such a wealth of talent in Canada, and we are

proud to share some of our favourite singer/songwriters with you this evening. Local artists Ian Tamblyn, Bruce

Cockburn and Lynn Miles are well represented—indeed we are very excited to have Lynn Miles joining us in

person! Thank you for all your support this year. We hope to see

you again next year for our 25th Anniversary season!

Kurt Ala-Kantti Artistic Director, Tone Cluster―quite a queer choir

President’s Message

How folk is it to spread queer cheer across the country

(at Calgary's Unison Festival Unisson 2018) and return home to share our stories? To celebrate those similarities

and differences that make us both Canadian and hopeful celebrators of diversity? To bring some of our heritage—

Francophone, Anglophone, country and city—together? For me this is the essence of folk music and why I love Tone Cluster—quite a queer choir so much.

As we follow the vision of our guide and dowser of the

way, our own Artistic Director, Kurt Ala-Kantti, bard Lynn Miles, and supporter for our steps and rhythm, Accompanist, Vincent Mar, so too we gather you

together . . . to sway around the campfire of songs and stories, and for a while find our community, our folk and

our music. Next year is a big one – our 25th season (see back cover

for more details)! We'd love to share the journey with you through music and community perhaps as our

audience, perhaps as a member, or perhaps directly contributing as one of our financial benefactors. Your support helps in various ways by:

sending members who couldn't otherwise afford it on trips or retreats;

commissioning new Canadian music; putting out CDs to share our music; and supporting queer/Canadian guest artists,

composers or clinicians.

Hope to see you for "All That Jazz" on November 24, 2018.

Sarah Wibberley President, Tone Cluster―quite a queer choir

Kurt Ala-Kantti, Artistic Director Kurt is extensively involved in choral

music. He is Artistic Director and founder of Harmonia Choir of Ottawa and serves as Director of Music for St.

Thomas Anglican Church, Artistic Director of Cross Town Youth Chorus, Music Director for the Cumberland

Community Singers. Kurt was the Artistic Director of the Canadian LGBTQ Choral Festival Unison Ottawa 2014 and

in the same year, he led a workshop on contemporary choral composers at the Gala Chorus Leadership symposium in Cleveland.

With a keen interest in choral performance and excellence, Kurt has been a member of several local choirs singing

professionally with the critically acclaimed Ottawa Bach Choir and with Coro Capriccio. He is a member of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors and the

American Choral Director's Association.

Vincent Mar, Accompanist Vincent was born in Montreal, but he grew up in Edmonton where he first

started piano lessons at age six. After numerous years in the IT field, Vincent became a mild-mannered translator by

day and a prolific accompanist by night. Among the groups he has performed

with are: the Calgary Men’s Chorus, ¡Olé!, the Chœur gai d'Ottawa Gay Men's Chorus, Suzart Productions, One

Voice Chorus Calgary, and of course, Tone Cluster. Notably Vincent’s first appearance with Tone Cluster was in

2004 at the 7th International GALA Choruses festival in Montreal, where he performed a time honoured Tone Cluster tradition, namely, the striking of a tone cluster on

the piano!

Special Guest: Lynn Miles

There’s something to be said for experience, for taking the time to

grow into your own skin. All sturdy things need time to root firmly

into the ground to find their strength.

Lynn Miles is one of Canada’s most accomplished singer songwriters. With twelve albums to her credit,

the winner of multiple Canadian Folk Music awards (2011 English

Songwriter of the Year), and a 2003 Juno award for Roots and Traditional Solo Album of the Year, she has certainly found her strength over

time.

Through a career that has seen her move from Ottawa

to Los Angeles and back again, with stops in Nashville and Austin TX, and a healthy touring schedule that regularly takes her through the US, Europe and across

Canada, she has always created and performed music with unbridled feeling and vulnerability.

Lynn’s song “Three Chords and the Truth” was chosen as the closing song on the popular BBC TV series “Case Histories”.

Tone Cluster is a 40+voice, auditioned choir for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their allies

in the Ottawa area. We pride ourselves on creating a queer-positive environment where singers can be

themselves while striving for choral excellence.

Our core values include creativity, fun, excellence, a caring community, diversity and spirit. Our repertoire

reflects our values and is wide-ranging and eclectic, from madrigals to Manhattan Transfer arrangements by way of world music and contemporary Canadiana.

Tone Cluster is a proud “out” choir! We make sure that

our audiences are aware of our point of view when we sing… and we trust that you, as a queer singer or straight

ally, are proud to support a queer choir.

In July 2016 at the GALA Choruses International LGBTQ Choral Festival in Denver, Colorado, Tone Cluster performed in the prestigious “Coffee Concert” series.

And we just performed at the Unison Festival Unisson in Calgary on May 19, 2018.

Queer as Folk (Music II)

Saturday, June 2, 2018 * First Baptist Church * Ottawa

We would like to acknowledge the Algonquin nation whose traditional, unceded territory we are gathered upon today.

Woodsmoke and Oranges – Ian Tamblyn, arr. Rebecca Campbell

Ah! si mon moine voulait danser – arr. Donald Patriquin

Saltwater Joys –

Wayne Chaulk, arr. Peter Jackson guitar: Gianluca Ragazzini

Tears - Lynn Miles

Watching the Apples Grow – Stan Rogers, arr. Ron Smail

bass: Aly Ahrens

Intermission

Many Voices, One Song – words Lynn Andrews, music Laura Hawley

Four Strong Winds – Ian Tyson, arr. Larry Nickel

All the Diamonds –

Bruce Cockburn, arr. Larry Nickel

The People You Love – Lynn Miles, arr. Laura Hawley

solo: Rob Bowman

We Rise Again –

Leon Dubinsky, arr. Stephen Smith

Before the show and during the intermission, please consider

purchasing 50/50 tickets to support our next season! The

draw will be held in second half of show.

Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5.

Tone Cluster is a proud member of:

Tone Cluster Singers

Basses

David Fowler

David Hudson

Patrice Mallet

Gianluca Ragazzini Éric Stephenson

Éric St-Laurent

Adrian Witol

Tenors

Marc-André Bernard Robby Bastien-Cleary

Roger Butt Keith Duncanson

Andrew Hosale

Nancy Illman Stéphan Métivier

Altos

Joyce Aboud

Jac Curry Veronique Depuis

Katie Gratton

Bridget Grounds Christine Mair

Stella Ness

Sue Rice Lisa Stewart

Sopranos

Alyssa Ahrens Jan Andrews

Asha-Maria Bost Colleen Glass

Janel Goyette Mary McFadden

Cordon Purcell Giselle Rivest

Casandra Saavedra Veronica Saavedra

Sherri Watson Sarah Wibberley

Tone Cluster Board of Directors

Sarah Wibberley, President

Gianluca Ragazzini, Vice President/Concert Coordinator

Adrian Witol, Treasurer

Andrew Hosale, Secretary

Robby Bastien-Cleary, Fundraiser/Outreach Coordinator

Alyssa Ahrens, Choir Liaison/Accessibility Coordinator

Our Donors We gratefully acknowledge the support of our donors. This list reflects donations received between June 2017

and June 2018.

Conductors: RBC Foundation

Arrangers: Berry de Bruijn, Bridget Grounds, Christine

Mair, Colleen Glass, David Fowler, Diana & Dennis Stimson, Eric Stephenson, Jenna Richards, Margaret Lee, Patrice Mallet, Sherri Watson, Vincent Mar

Minstrels: Adrian Witol, Anton Lovink, Dan Miller, Daniel

Benson, Frances Enright, Gianluca Ragazzini, Jan Andrews, Janel Goyette, Joan Andrews, Keith Duncanson, Nancy Illman, Vanessa Davies

Thank you also to all other donors and those who donated through the United Way campaign and

CanadaHelps.org.

How to Support Us

To help us maintain our reputation as Ottawa’s finest

queer mixed choir, we invite you to make a donation.

The choir is a Registered Charitable Organization (Number: 883453102RR0001). We will issue tax

receipts for contributions of $20 or more.

You may also donate online through Canadahelps.org

or through PayPal on our website: www.tonecluster.ca

Tone Cluster’s donation categories are:

Maestros ($2000+over)

Conductors ($1000-$1999)

Composers ($500-$999)

Arrangers ($100-$499)

Minstrels ($20-$99)

We sincerely thank...

Our concert volunteers:

Thérèse Bastien Louis Frève

Christopher Wibberley Margaret Goyette

and...

Ross Jewel: recording engineer

Kevin Smith: archival video

Janel Goyette: 50/50 draw coordinator

Patrice Mallet: volunteer coordinator

Gianluca Ragazzini: programme cover, ticket and poster design, promotion, graphics support

Jan Andrews: webmaster, programme design

David Hudson/Sue Rice: music librarians

First Baptist Church: hosts

Brehon Trade Litho Inc.: printing Martin Sound and Lighting: technical support

and…

Our audience for joining us tonight!

Tone Cluster gratefully acknowledges arts

funding program support from:

Tone Cluster at the Unison Festival Calgary, May 2018

Message from our president, Sarah Wibberley...

“The choir worked hard to tighten Kurt’s well-

crafted programme from good to show stopping. The sheer number of audience members, (including well-known choral

personalities) raining praises upon us was almost overwhelming. After attending a host

of meetings on choir management, I too am reminded of the exceptional nature of Tone Cluster. The sheer level of volunteer

commitment, and engagement, the passion of the members blows me away.”

TC Festival Chorus Performers