Non-Essential Workers: Recent Episodes
Non-Essential Workers Podcast
Juno Kim is a chef, photographer and food stylist who draws from their background in psychology, mindfulness and trauma informed healing to offer curated experiences and coaching services. We speak about cooking as healing, physical manifestations of trauma and mindful eating.
Instagram: @Jun0k
Cellist and composer Raphael Weinroth-Browne is one half of groundbreaking duo, The Visit, and East-meets-West ensemble Kamancello. His work as a collaborator is extensive, highlights include studio recordings with Lawrence Gowan (Styx) and metal band Leprous with whom he has recorded and toured extensively. Raphael’s debut solo album “Worlds Within” was released in 2020 to great critical acclaim. In this conversation we speak about Performance philosophy and mindset, exploring sonic worlds, building unconscious habits, and marketing musical content.
Instagram: @raphcello
Facebook: Raphael Weinroth-Browne
Soundcloud: https://raphaelweinroth-browne.bandcamp.com/album/worlds-within-live
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Madeleine Bouchard is an elementary school teacher in the Toronto District School Board. She also happens to be one of my oldest friends.
You can follow her creative classroom projects on Instagram here: @madame_bouchard
VOCATIONS is a semi-regular series which features interviews with inspiring individuals who felt a strong calling to their chosen employment, and harness their creativity in their everyday work.
Brandyn and Allison are the Artistic Director and Executive Director of Ensemble Obiora respectively. The mission of Ensemble Obiora is to uncover and disseminate works by composers of colour whose work has been omitted by Western classical music. They aim to promote diversity, equity and accessibility in the Canadian classical music scene and create a sense of belonging in underrepresented racial communities. We discuss being black in classical music, the mission of Obiora, and even get to hear the meet cute which led to this formidable duo! EDIT: Joseph Bologna's mother was a slave and her father owned plantation / Joseph Bologna's mother was a slave and father was a plantation owner. www.ensembleobiora.com
Facebook: Ensemble Obiora
Instagram: @ensemble_obiora
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Bev Standing is a full time international voice actor working mainly in commercial, corporate, explainers, e-learning/trainings and on-hold/IVR. Bev recently won a Reed award for Best Radio Ad – National Mayoral Campaign. She was chosen as Private Education & Development Awards’ Best e-learning voiceover artist – Canada in 2019 and 2021; and has received eight SOVAS nominations. In the fall of 2020, Bev discovered that her voice was being used for a text-to-speech translation on TikTok without her permission. As a result, she has since decided to pursue a lawsuit against the social media giant to seek justice for herself and artists to come. In this episode we speak about voice acting as an art form, Bev's discovery of her voice on TikTok, and why this lawsuit is important to her and artists to come. Please share Bev's story with the hashtag #standingwithbev to show your support for her!
www.bevstanding.com
Instagram: @bevstanding
Facebook: Bev Standing- Voice Talent
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Bernie Van Tiel (BVT) is a Sydney based Hip Hop/R&B Artist, beatboxer, producer, drag performer and actor. Highlights include touring with Aussie star Pete Murray as his "human drum kit", and joining Haiku Hands on their SuperVillian tour. BVT's debut single "Spend Some Time" is available on all streaming platforms. In this episode we speak about the language of beatboxing, what it means to be a TikTok influencer, navigating and defining happiness and success and more.
Instagram: @bossdembvt
YouTube: Bernie Van Tiel
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Harry Stafylakis is a New York City-based composer (b.1982) hailing from Montreal. His music has been described as “an amalgamation of the classical music tradition and the soul and grime of heavy metal” (I Care If You Listen), and “favoring doomsday chords and jackhammer rhythms” (The New Yorker). He is currently the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's Composer-In-Residence and Co-Curator of the Winnipeg New Music Festival. In this episode we discuss his metal head years (kidding he still is one), meeting long lost relatives in Greece, associative Synesthesia, “lyric blindness” and more.
www.hstafylakis.com
@hscomposer
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Émilie Fortin is a trumpet player, improvisor and educator based in Montreal, Quebec. She is the artistic director of the soloist collective Bakalari which is dedicated to contemporary and creative music. Her upcoming collaborations with composers Alexandre David, Gabriel Champagne and Jason Doell, include physical elements in connection with her parallel experience in mime, dance and theatre through multi-media pieces/productions. in this episode, we discuss professional rejection, Émilie's experience in mime school, and being a woman in the brass world.
Instagram: @efortin_trumpet
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/emiliefortin_trumpet
Tumblr: https://emilie-fortin.tumblr.com/
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Hailed as a “lovely violist” (The WholeNote magazine), Ryan Davis is swiftly emerging as a sought-after artist in orchestral, chamber music and solo performances. He holds degrees from McGill University, Yale University and Colburn, and is currently based in Toronto where he was selected as a Rebanks Fellow in the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program. Ryan is also an innovative performer under the moniker Radia, fusing elements of classical, folk, electronic, and hip-hop music with a loop pedal. He is also a founder of The Upnote podcast which won the 2019 New Venture Competition, becoming the inaugural Entrepreneurs In Residence at The Colburn School in 2019. In this episode we speak about Ryan's love for basketball, switching to viola, using loop pedals, and his upcoming album!
www.ryandavis.com @radiaviola
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Jah Myhrakle, birth named Eric Garbutt hails from the tiny Central American and Caribbean jewel known as Belize. Jah Myhrakle migrated to New York City, where he founded his record company Gold Den Arkc Recordsz and began working with esteemed collaborators and producers in the scene. Highlights have included chart topping Lead the Way featuring Vaughn Benjamin (Akae Beka), and Key Kode featuring Bigga Haitian. His latest video release on ReggaeVille titled Too Much War features Mobyle Malachi. In 2020, he released two full length albums titled Igziabeher produced by Colin Diles (Central Root Studios), and All 4 U produced by Heights and Sounds record label. In this episode we discuss Rastafarianism, the meaning of "the message", the culture of fear during the past year, and more.
www.jahmyhrakle.com
@jah_myhrakle
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Canadian cellist and composer George Crotty has forged his own unique vocabulary on his instrument. He is the founder of The George Crotty Trio, with whom he released an album Four String Nomad in 2019. Their cross-cultural interplay draws on diverse influences within jazz and world music including post-bop, modal jazz, Indian Raga, and Arabic Maqam. Following his graduation from the eminent Berklee College of Music, he joined a number of ensembles such as the Canadian Arabic Orchestra, Detroit-based National Arab Orchestra, and New York's Brooklyn Raga Massive in addition to collaborating with the likes of Darol Anger, Simon Shaheen, Paquito D'Rivera and Anat Cohen. From 2019-2020 he served as the cello chair on the North American tour of Broadway musical, The Band’s Visit. In this episode we discuss George's artistic influences, his experience playing and touring with Broadway, and how breaking bread and playing music can lead to transformative change and connection.
www.georgecrotty.com @georgeqrious
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Keiko Devaux is a contemporary music composer based in Montreal. In 2019 she won the inaugural Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, at $50,000 the largest of its kind in Canada and one of the largest in the world. From 2016 to 2018, she was the composer in residence with Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (Montréal). From 2020 to 2022, she is in residence with the NAC Orchestra as a Carrefour composer. She is an associate composer with the Canadian Music Centre, president of the board of directors of Codes d'accès, and past organizer of the Montréal Contemporary Music Lab. In this episode we speak about creating community, the practical day-to-day side of organizing creative activity, and Keiko's inspirations including memory of sound and flocking behaviours in birds and fish.
www.keikodevaux.com
Facebook: Keiko Devaux
Instagram: @keiko_devaux
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Anoush Moazzeni is a Persian born and Tiohtià:ke/Montreal based concert pianist, interdisciplinary composer, artist-researcher and educator. In her works, she explores how the human-machine relations in music entail new modes of knowing and being. She is currently undertaking her individualized doctoral studies in Artistic Research in Creative Music Practice at Concordia University, where she focuses her practice on mixed-music and interdisciplinary performance designs for piano. In this episode, Anoush and I speak about the art of interdisciplinarity, how her background in mathematics informs her creative practice, and her views on the future of artificial intelligence.
www.anoushmoazzeni.com @anoush.moazzeni
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Emily Steinwall is a multi-instrumentalist from Toronto. In 2017 she was awarded the Mary Alice Stewart Award (presented by JazzFM91.1) and was named one of CBC's "35 best Canadian jazz artists under 35”. In 2018 Steinwall was named the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival's Rising Young Star, and toured as a backup singer with Alessia Cara. Her debut solo album Welcome to the Garden was released on March 28th, 2021. In this episode she tells us the fascinating and transformative story leading up to the release of Welcome to the Garden. We also reminisce about our first jam sessions, and share our latest thoughts on approaching the world with compassion.
https://emilysteinwall.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-to-the-garden @emilysteinwall
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Frank Horvat has been described as "one of the most inventive songwriters to come out of the contemporary scene in Canada" (The WholeNote Magazine), and explores a wide array of themes in his music from love to the environment, mental health and social justice issues. Frank gives his audiences time and space to reflect in this fast-paced world. His compositions tell deeply personal stories while permitting audiences to ponder their own. With a continuously growing discography and premieres on four continents, his compositions have been featured in plays, films and on TV and radio networks internationally. You can find his music on the ATMA and Centrediscs labels, and on all streaming services. We discuss the many things that inspire Frank to write music, our meditation practices, and his project and upcoming album Music for Self-Isolation inspired by the events of 2020.
www.frankhorvat.com @frankhorvatofficial Frank Horvat Music
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Thorwald Jørgensen is one of the leading classical theremin players in the world. He has played as soloist with orchestras around the world such as Brussels Philharmonic, Philharmonie Zuid-Nederland, Boston Philharmonic and more. He has been featured at festivals such as Ravinia Festival (USA), Festival Classique (NL), Klarafestival (BE) and more. He has been an invited guest teacher/lecturer/performer at renowned institutions like the Conservatory of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, St. Petersburg, Stanford University and Harvard University. He has also started composing recently, resulting in several solo pieces for theremin. His first composition Distant Shores for theremin, voice and loop station was recorded for TV and radio in Canada, Croatia, Turkey, Australia, Russia, USA and the Netherlands. In this episode we speak about how Thorwald found the theremin, and what he loves about its unique voice. We also speak a bit about nerves on stage, and his new and upcoming albums available on Spotify!
Website: www.thorwaldjørgensen.com
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Paolo Griffin is a Peruvian-Canadian composer based in Toronto. He is the Artistic Director of contemporary music collective Freesound, and Managing Director of Xenia Concerts Inc. a Toronto-based charity presenting music and arts performances in an environment that welcomes those who experience physical, mental or financial barriers. We speak about focused vs. unfocused listening, creating an accessible concert experience, and our mutual love for food, culture and cooking!
www.paologriffin.com
Instagram: @paolo.griffin @freesoundto
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Evan Shay is a saxophonist, producer and composer based in Montreal, QC. In 2017, he was named one of the "35 Best Canadian Jazz Artists Under 35" by CBC Music. His band Lawful Citizen released a full-length release Internal Combustion in 2018. Shay released his first full-length solo album in October 2020 titled New Normal. We speak about Evan's experience with ADHD, the 1970 Dodge Challenger that inspired his album, and even dabble in some politics on both sides of the Canada/US border! Website: www.evanshay.com Instagram: @evanshaymusic @evanshayphoto
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Indigo Poirier (she/her) is a musician and multidisciplinary artist hailing from Kingsclear First Nation, New Brunswick. Her solo music project, Wangled Teb, was awarded MusicNB's electronic artist of the year in 2018, and Innovator of the Year in 2019. We speak about the history of the breakcore genre, her mother's death, and how humour and comedy can be the best or worst coping strategy for pain.
CW: suicide, mental health
Facebook: Wangled Teb
Instagram: @wangledteb
Band Camp: https://wangledteb.bandcamp.com
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Geneviéve Salamone a Huron-Wendat violinist, producer and composer currently based in Des Moines, Iowa. In addition to being regular member of the Des Moines Symphony and Des Moines Metro Opera, she is a self-managed artist with over 200 annually booked performances with her solo act The One-Woman Symphony, and her violin duo Dueling Fiddles. Her debut original album "Catharsis" will be available to stream on May, 28th 2021. The music from Catharsis is inspired by Salamone's trauma in confronting PTSD as a result of childhood sexual abuse. In this episode we discuss her abuse story, rediscovering her Indigenous heritage, the joys of interdisciplinary collaboration and more. CW: sexual abuse, residential school trauma www.genevievesalamone.com @theonewomansymphony @duelingfiddles
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Cheyenne is a tantric dancer, coach and interdisciplinary artist based in Toronto but currently living in Hawaii. She alchemizes dance, poetry, song and film, creating a genre that has yet to exist: Prayerformance. We discuss tantra and spirituality and how they influence her artistic practices, abstaining from technology, and the benefits of a morning routine among other topics!
www.cheyennesapphire.com
Instagram: @cheyennesapphiire
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Poppi is a filmmaker, writer and podcaster based in Toronto. She hosts the podcast Queerator through Sheridan College Radio that shines a light on queer artists and spreads awareness on queer issues of the day. She is a regular contributor to Cineflix magazine, and is one half of musical duo and film production company Kings in the Back Row with her twin sister Lucia. In this episode we speak about her coming out story, the joys and woes of being a twin, our sibling dynamics, and more.
Instagram: @queerator_podcast @kingsinthebackrowproductions
YouTube: Queerator Podcast
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Mary McPherson is an Ojibwa artist and member of the Couchiching First Nation. Growing up in Thunder Bay, Mary's art was heavily influenced by the family stories and lived experiences which informed her reality. In this episode we discuss some of her early memories of discrimination, what she hopes to accomplish by studying law, and the political and societal contexts surrounding her pieces. CW: Indigenous trauma
Instagram: @mary_mcpherson
Behance: www.behance.net/marymcpherson
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Katy Moonbean is a musician, hula hoop dancer, movement-maker, teacher and performer based in Toronto. We discuss her alter ego, finding flow state, and the power of playfulness.
www.katymoonbean.com Instagram: @katymoonbean
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Yolande Laroche is a Franco-Taiwanese Canadian artist based in Ottawa, ON. She reflects on her hyphenated identity, life and death, and themes of alienation in her debut solo project Orchidae. Yolande is a core member of art-rock band Pony Girl and ambient chamber project mal/aimé. We discuss her three ongoing musical projects, hyphenated cultural identity, and how singing covers can inspire you in difficult times.
Facebook: Orchidae, Pony Girl, mal/aimé
Instagram: @orchidae @ponygirlband @malaimemusic
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Karson McKeown is a Canadian fiddler and song writer who is known for playing in bands such as The Trousers and Anna Ludlow. His most recent band InnEcho was just nominated for Music PEI's Instrumental Recording of the year. We chat about the differences between fiddle and violin, learning and teaching "by ear", and the fascinating lineage of Celtic traditional music in Canada.
www.innechomusic.com
Facebook: @innechomusic
Instagram: @innechomusic @karsontrad
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Kendra and Julien are freelance string players, who also happen to be partnered in life. In this conversation we discuss playing in a duo with a significant other, life during lockdown, freelancing and more.
www.kendragrittani.com
Facebook and Instagram: @kendrascello
Instagram: @julien_mann
https://soundcloud.com/julienaltmann
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Kelsey is a poet, writer, actor and lover of learning based in Ottawa, ON. We chat about the joys of interdisciplinary collaboration, dismantling the ego, facilitating creativity, and processing difficult feedback.
Instagram: @kelseyrideoutart @eternity.arts
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