On the Board
Activities and Initiatives of the
SJFAC Board of Directors

The Board of the SJFAC has been even busier than usual in the last several months.

The Festival last summer was fabulous – kudos to the programmers, who put together one of the most engaging and diverse programmes in some while, and thanks to the many fine performers who took part and to the myriads of volunteers without whom the Festival would never have come together. The weekend was lovely – weather was great (thank goodness) and there were hosts of dancers each night. The addition of lanterns from the Friends of Victoria Park’s Lantern Festival (held the weekend before) made the end of each evening at the Festival quite magical. Unfortunately, our attendance and revenues were down substantially because of the Downtown Development Corporation’s Buskers Festival, which took place during the day and early evening on both Saturday and Sunday. As a result, one of the initiatives of the Board this past fall has been to meet with members of the DDC to discuss the Buskers Festival. That event will again be held on the same weekend as the Folk Festival this year; we are already planning ways to counteract its negative impact on our event. The Festival Committee gets started on planning in January. Remember, applications from performers are due February 15th.

Our second calendar “No Strings Attached,” featuring nude guitar players, was ready just in time for the Festival. The calendar was launched later in the fall at the Ship Pub with performances by many of the musicians who appear on the calendar, and with a lovely spread of an entirely different nature prepared by Mike Gillan and Erin McArthur. Thanks to Andrew Lang and photographer Sheilagh O’Leary for their hard work getting the calendar together, to Mike and Erin for their culinary prowess, and thanks especially to the musicians who bared much for a good cause. Calendars are available at the office if you have yet to get yours – there are still eleven months worth of musical flesh for your enjoyment!!!

During October, the SJFAC’s Workshop Series continued, with four Sunday afternoons devoted to developing unaccompanied singers’ repertoires. Later in November, the guitar workshop “From Jigs to Django” featured performances by a range of top-notch instrumentalists. The end of January saw the reprise of Young Folk at the Hall – Fergus O’Byrne’s annual workshop for young traditional performers. Look for a report of that event in our next issue.

To mark International Music Day on October 1st, the SJFAC sponsored a day of workshops with the students at St. Theresa’s School in Mundy Pond; the workshops were facilitated by Ray and Greg Walsh, Christina Smith and Linda Slade. We also held a slow session for players at all levels at the Masonic Hall; it was led by Dave Panting and Rik Barron. There was a great turnout for this event and by all accounts Dave and Rik did a terrific job. Participants were very enthusiastic; players of all skill levels felt welcomed and encouraged. The SJFAC also arranged for the Palmer Sisters to perform at St. Patrick’s Mercy Home. No surprise, the reception these lovely and talented sisters received was very warm!

November was a very busy month for the Board. The month began with our first Storytelling Festival – a three-day festival featuring performers from Newfoundland and the Mainland. There’s a longer account of it elsewhere in the newsletter, and a report from Dale Jarvis about a storytelling circle he started in October, so I won’t say more here other than that final reports on the first festival are being written, and plans for the next are underway. Also in November, the first in a series of Folk Forums was held before Folk Club at the Ship Pub. These are panel discussions featuring seasoned performers who address thorny issues – the first, the “curse of the wild rover” or the effect of popular “pub” band music on the tradition. Ray Walsh, Christina Smith and Fergus O’Byrne discussed their relationships with this popular form of traditional music, how it has shaped their careers (for good or for ill), how it has shaped the canon of traditional songs, and whether it affects the expectations of audiences. A nice crowd attended the discussion; many had interesting questions and observations to offer. Afterwards, Ray, Christina and Fergus performed as the featured guests at Folk Night. On March 9th, another forum will be held in time for International Women’s Day, this one focusing on women in the folk music industry. Featured guests will be Anita Best, Shirley Montague and Dennis Parker (of the MIA). Congratulations to Caroline Clarke and Jean Hewson for this wonderful new programming initiative.

November was the month of the SJFAC Annual General Meeting. A small but enthusiastic bunch of members came to the meeting at the Battery Hotel. During the meeting, the membership present agreed in principle to change the name of the SJFAC to reflect its provincial mandate. The Board is continuing to work on that name change; watch future issues of The Broadside for details. Financial and festival reports were given, and a new board was named. All of last year’s board members have returned (gluttons for punishment!); as well, Rik Barron and Tina Ricketts have joined our ranks. Welcome to them both.

December saw the energies of the Board directed to our 2nd annual Christmas Concert and Tea, a fundraiser for the Youth Education Initiative Fund. See Kathleen Parewick’s account elsewhere in this issue for details of that lovely evening. The end of December and early January found the Board working on another, and quite unexpected, fundraiser – a benefit for Oxfam’s work with tsunami victims in Southeast Asia. After the devastating earthquake and tsunami of December 26th, several board members urged doing something to help Oxfam with its work, especially since Oxfam has increasingly had a presence at our events and fundraisers. You can read more details of this event in a separate report. February 9th’s Folk Club was also a benefit for Oxfam. Details of that event will be in our next issue.

There’s one more fundraiser to mention, and that one is for the organization formerly known as the SJFAC. This year we are hosting a Paddy’s Day (or thereabouts) concert at the Arts and Culture Centre. March 19th. Mark it on your calendar! Featured guests include the Ray Walsh Family Band, the Palmer Sisters, the Cormiers and the STEP Fiddlers. Tickets are available at the Arts and Culture Centre. All proceeds go to help with the running of the kinds of programmes and initiatives outlined about.

A busy, busy few months, as you can see. And this account doesn’t cover everything – the regular running of Folk Club, the office work, the grant applications and financial work, the regular meetings of the Board and its separate committees. This is a very energetic and hardworking board; everyone is face and eyes into something for the SJFAC. Special thanks to Jean Hewson (el Presidente) and Erin McArthur for untold hours of labour.