This group represents a variety of improvising musicians in Kingston. While it is in no way fully-representive of all the local music scenes, these musicians do work in different genres and are each established professionals in their own way.
The group is:
- Sadaf Amini
- Dave Barton
- John Burge
- Liam Cole
- Danton Delbaere-Sawchuk
- Spencer Evans
- Teilhard Frost
- Paul Morrison
- Kyoko Ogoda
- David Parker
- Chantal Thompson
Sadaf Amini
I started learning the Santur, at the age of 12, and later entered Tehran Music High School. In 2012, I received my Bachelor’s degree in Iranian Music Performance at Tehran University. During my studies, I trained with several Masters of the Santur: Said Sabet, Mina Oftadeh, Siamak Aghaei, Ardavan Kamkar, Majid Kiani, and Daryush Talaei. After immigrating to Canada, I received my Master’s Degree in Music Technology at the University of Toronto in 2018.
Dave Barton
Dave Barton is a jazz guitarist, studio musician, arranger, composer, percussionist and private teacher working in jazz, pop and classical music. He has performed with many of Canada’s great jazz players in concerts and on recordings, most notably recording and touring with the late jazz trumpeter Kenny Wheeler.
John Burge
Dr. John Burge was born in Dryden Ontario in 1961 and grew up in Calgary studying the piano with Dorothy Hare. He holds three degrees in Composition and Theory from the Universities of Toronto and British Columbia and since 1987, has been teaching at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where he is a full professor. For his outstanding work as a composer over the years, in 2013 he was awarded a Queen's University Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship. He has composed a large body of instrumental and vocal music in all genres and his work, Flanders Fields Reflections, for string orchestra, received the 2009 Juno Award for the Best Canadian Classical Composition.
Liam Cole
(he/him) is a percussionist, composer, interdisciplinary artist from Kingston, Ontario. Liam graduated college with a bachelor's of music in jazz performance for percussion and continues to work as a freelance musician performing, recording, and touring in several bands. Currently, Liam is focusing on his own musical project Lius Rhutilius and developing his audio/visual art practices.
Danton Delbaere-Sawchuk
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba from Metis, Ukrainian and Belgian ancestry, Danton has an extensive background in performance as cellist of family band Métis Fiddler Quartet. Their album “North-West Voyage” won a Canadian Folk Music Award for best traditional album in 2012, leading to performance opportunities across Canada which include opening ceremonies for Parapan-am games (2015) and the North-American Indigenous games (2017). As an artist and educator, he has facilitated workshops in schools for students across Ontario sharing Metis culture through music, movement and storytelling. He will be graduating with an honour’s degree in Geography from Queen’s University in June of 2023 and is looking forward to new adventures related to interests in music, fieldwork and environmental sustainability.
Spencer Evans
Spencer Evans is a clarinetist, piano player, singer, bandleader and Entertainer who has been a full-time musician for over 30 years traveling across Canada the US and Europe. He is well versed in the music of New Orleans where he has lived and traveled to extensively, and has performed in many styles including Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Funk, Reggae, Afro Cuban, Latin, Klesmer, Celtic, Folk,Cajun, Zydeco and of course Classical since that is where all his training began. He is a Kingston Ontario based performer but has toured and recorded with notable musicians and songwriters such as Sarah Harmer, Jill Barber, the Good Lovelies, Jeff Healey, Dan Aykroyd, the Cowboy Junkies, The Tragically Hip, Rob Baker, Pat Temple, and a myriad of independent Kingston ensembles.
Teilhard Frost
Teilhard Frost is a multi-instrumentalist, specializing in traditional fiddle tunes, with a particular interest in the Appalachian Mountains. He has spent many years touring with critically acclaimed band Sheesham, Lotus and ‘Son, and is currently touring his new solo album, As the Crow Flies. Living on Wolfe Island, he makes banjos, supper, and his bed.
Paul Morrison
Paul Morrison is a musician, composer, writer, and teacher. Specializing in improvisational music, Paul has studied and played with some of the World's most influential jazz musicians, including Hugh Fraser, Phil Dwyer, Stu Goldberg, David Virelles, Kirk MacDonald, Brian Dickinson, and many others. Some of his significant accomplishments include being the winner of the Oscar Peterson Award for Musical Excellence (the top honor from Humber College), as well as recording multiple albums under his own name.
Kyoko Ogoda
Kyoko Ogoda hails from Shizuoka, Japan. She started playing the piano with her mother, Tomoko Ogoda, at age 3. She began studying her primary instrument, the marimba, at age 9. She’s been teaching Japanese Taiko drumming since 2013, building a community in Kingston, and collaborating with different types of musicians and cultures as well as giving workshops. Kings DON Taiko, a local group she founded, often performs locally including regularly at the Kingston Multicultural Arts Festival.
David Parker
David Parker is a musician based in Kingston/Katarokwi. David draws on experiences and involvement in community radio as well as electrical and computer engineering to develop a unique aesthetic that is grounded in community organizing and grassroots music presentation. His influences include cosmic americana, drone, free jazz, folk, and electroacoustic composition. Since the pandemic David has built a recording studio and developed new styles of improvised music for voice, synthesizer, drum machine, harmonica and slide guitar.
Chantal Thompson
Chantal Thompson is a Kingston-based jazz music vocalist and multidisciplinary artist with an international reputation. Not only is she a pillar of the Kingston jazz music scene, Chantal performs with world class musicians from Canada, the United States and Europe. Her music is played on radio and satellite stations around the world and she has performed in many notable festivals, such as the Montreal jazz festival.