Opening Act: Brontae Hunter
Desboro Music Hall 2017 Concert Series
All Ages Doors Open: 7pm, Music Starts: 7:30pm
Tickets:Â Advance: $20Â ($17.70 +HST), Regular: $25Â ($22.12 +HST)
*Advance tickets are only available up to the Box Office hours the weekend before the show or we run out (Note: there is a limit of 25 advance price tickets)
James Hill & Anne Janelle
Four strings and a favourite chocolate bar: that’s all James Hill â âpossibly the best ukulele player in the worldâ (Waikato Times) â and Anne Janelle â âa cellist of true beautyâ (Ottawa Citizen) â had in common when they first met. It was more than enough. Today, they’re an award-winning, âutterly world-classâ singer-songwriter-ukulele-cello duo (Paul Symes, The Blacksheep Inn). Itâs true: opposites attract. James grew up playing folk, jazz and blues on his ukulele while Anne was exclusively a classical cellist. But the pairâs differences quickly became their biggest asset. The uke is high, the cello is low; the uke plays short notes, the cello long bow strokes; the uke is all about strumming while the cello radiates melody. Like shadows and light in an old photograph, these contrasts are complementary. âWeâre like a pair of dancers who canât step on each otherâs feet,â jokes James. Flash back to 2008. Anne was working on her Masterâs degree in cello performance at the University of Ottawa while James was wowing crowds with his ukulele wizardry at festivals across North America, on a mission âto prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that in the right hands the uke can be a formidable axeâ (Ann Arbor News). And then, one email changed the course of their musical lives. James and Anne were selected to record a track for a compilation album called Classical Ukulele for release in Japan. âIf it werenât for that recording project,â confides Anne, âI donât think we ever would have started playing together. It just wouldnât have occurred to us.â Often the most obvious thing is the thing thatâs most easily overlooked. âWe chose Schubertâs Ave Maria and arranged it for ukulele and cello. We recorded it in a tiny practise cubicle at the university!â The result? âAbsolutely brilliantâ (The Folk Diary). Naturally the next step was to release a duo album and, so, True Love Donât Weep was born. The album garnered a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Traditional Album of the Year in 2009. A mixture of traditional tunes with âfresh vitalityâ (Country Music People) and, for the first time, original songs, True Love Donât Weep showcased the duoâs ability âto capture the soul of a song.â (Folk World). By this time, Anne had completed her degree and the pair were performing regularly, bringing their âinstinctive musical interaction and contagious enthusiasmâ (Ottawa Citizen) to audiences across five continents. Since True Love Donât Weep, James and Anne have each released two solo albums each (Jamesâ Man with a Love Song and The Old Silo; Anneâs Beauty Remains and So Long at the Fair) and toured in over 15 countries, making their mark not only as accomplished instrumentalists but also as some of the finest songwriters of their generation. 2016 marks the return of the duo in full force. âWe walked our separate musical paths for a while, but I think we both came to realize, each in our own way, that the duo is our strongest musical offering. There is passion, there is diversity, there are many levels with which an audience can engage with our music when itâs not one or the other but both of us.â reveals Anne. Together, James and Anne craft a sound that is intricate, enchanting and engaging: âa crystal clear sound filled with warmthâ (Bob Mersereau, CBC). In concert, James is âa dazzling performer with a genial, low-key sense of humourâ (Edmonton Journal) and Anne brings her âgorgeous syrupy voiceâ (Acoustic Magazine) to songs that are âinventive, entertaining, beautifully written and brilliantly performedâ (R2 Magazine). In short, a night out with James Hill & Anne Janelle is âthe perfect evening of tunes, stories and musical virtuosityâ (Wellington Dominion-Post).
James & Anne Website
James & Anne Facebook
James & Anne Twitter
James and Anne Photos by Ed Boulter Photography
Brontae Hunter
Brontae Hunter is a performing artist who currently lives in Stratford, Ontario. Although she concentrates on acting, she is passionate about the live arts and what they bring to our quickly evolving culture. Previous projects she is most proud of include directing Innocence Lost: a play about Steven Truscott, producing and performing in The Women of Broadway and Beyond in Stratford’s factory 163, playing at Summerfolk along with the youth discoveries, and curating the performance collective For Our Stolen Sisters to raise funds and awareness for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman crisis. In the fall, she plans to attend a conservatory style acting program. She looks forward to pursuing a career, in hopes of enriching the lives of others and starting important conversations through the medium of the performing arts. Check out her video and an original song on Facebook
We welcome the Harmony B’s for our Canada Day Celebration at Desboro Music Hall. Â It all happens between the Strawberry Supper and the Fireworks. Â PWYC (Pay What You Can). Â We’ll have lots happening:
~ Join us for a little Open Mic between sets from 7 – 8pm, 8:30 – 9:00pm-ish, 9:30 – 10pm-ish.  We’ll have a guitar and piano.  You bring your singing voice and songs or whatever you want to perform.  Please sign up when you arrive.
~ The Harmony B’s play at 8pm & 9pm and the dance floor will be open.
~ Our Concession Stand will be open for snacks and drinks.
HAPPY 150th CANADA!
A special bluegrass concert from Rhyme ‘N Reason.
Sunday September 29, 2019
Doors Open 1:30pm, Music at 2:00pm
Tickets: $15
All Ages
Stefan Van Holten on banjo, harmonica, lead vocals, and harmony, has put together a wonderful mix of musicians, vocalists, and friends to create the newest version of Rhyme ânâ Reason. Joe Rohrer on guitar sings lead vocals and harmony, Randy Pierson on bass sings lead vocals and harmony adds a solid heartbeat to the group, and Norm Ayerst who sings lead vocals and harmony adds beautiful sound to each song on the dobro. We pay special attention to harmonies in two, three, and also four part. Our blend of traditional and gospel bluegrass music is sure to please all crowds.
Check out their website for more info.