Art Moves

With roots in gospel, soul, jazz, funk, pop & world music, these 6 leading Vancouver Afro-Canadian solo artists have graced stages across Canada, including feature appearances at Vancouver Jazz & Folk Festivals. With deep choral experience, as well, they have lead local choirs like Roots ’n Wings & Eh Capella, and are excited to join their voices for this special We Are Family collaboration.

Jill Samycia is a vocal coach guiding people in a process of self-discovery through singing. For over 15 years, she has helped singers at all skill levels move beyond personal and technical barriers, discover their unique voice, and find confidence and joy in singing and music.

Since completing the Theatre Arts and Music Programs at MacEwan University in Edmonton in 2004, Jill has welcomed hundreds of students from all walks of life into her studio in East Vancouver. As a long time vocal teacher with St. James Music Academy, she has also had the pleasure of leading numerous choirs and hundreds of children at all levels. If you haven’t already seen it, have a look at the viral video of her Art moves SeaBus Singalong in August 2022.

Itamar Erez's music holds a depth and sensitivity that touches listeners deeply. It blends the delicateness of Middle Eastern music, the freedom found in jazz, and the passion of flamenco, creating a unique sound, all his own. Recipient of the 2014 ACUM Prize for Special Achievement in Jazz and the prestigious 2014 Landau Prize, Itamar Erez is an internationally renowned composer and guitarist who has shared the stage with such musicians as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Jean-Louis Matinier, Zohar Fresco, and others.

Itamar has released 5 CDs so far and his most recent album “May Song” was released in October 2022, featuring music that Itamar wrote during the pandemic. In recent years, Itamar has performed in Canada, the USA, Israel, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Austria, Cyprus, Israel, India, Tunisia, Hungary, Colombia, and Suriname. He made his Carnegie Hall (NY) debut in April 2018, performing with the Omar Faruk Tekbilek Ensemble with Ara Dinjkian and Brian Keane as special guests.

Drummer and composer Kevin Romain has established himself as one of the most in-demand musicians in Vancouver’s creative music scene. Over the past decade Romain has toured regularly across North America, Europe, West Africa, and China. He has studied with Mark Guiliana, Tomas Fujiwara, and Bernie Arai, and has shared the stage with notable luminary musicians such as Anthony Braxton and legendary West African percussionist Doudou N’Diaye Rose.

Bassist, arranger, and composer Dan Howard is one of Vancouver’s up and coming voices at the bass, and has shared the stage with Vancouver greats such as Victor Noriega, Triston Paxton, John Lee, and Chris Davis. Dan has a broad range of influences ranging from the great piano trios of the 90s to Radiohead and Nirvana.

Calle Verde is a Vancouver-based flamenco dance and music group that has been delivering captivating performances to audiences across the country since 2014. From British Columbia to Newfoundland, in theatres, festivals and tablaos (flamenco clubs), this powerful trio blends a deep respect for the rich history of flamenco with non-traditional choreographic and musical inspirations ranging from classical to Brazilian and beyond.

Kat Single-Dain is perhaps best known as the Artistic Executive Director of the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret Society, named one of “Vancouver’s best kept secrets” by the CBC. She is an award-winning filmmaker, critically acclaimed performer, writer, director, and choreographer of five full-length, original theatre productions, and the event producer of Vancouver’s acclaimed Parade of Lost Souls. Kat performs regularly throughout B.C. as the well-loved, over-the-hill chorus girl Gloria from Gloria's Happy Hour, and hosts comedic speed dating as Gloria at the Dusty Flowerpot’s home base studio theatre.

Kat is a multi-talented musician, playing brass with Balkan Shmalkan, singing vocals with Blackberry Wood, percussion with the Dusty House Band, and tap dancing with The Myrtle Sisters. Her two most recent original projects include Call Me CC – a musical starring Climate Change as the lead character, and Disco Inferno – an interactive disco musical that took Vancouver by storm this April. https://www.instagram.com/katsingledain/

Babyface Brass has been playing high energy and danceable music on the streets of Vancouver for over 14 years. They play a modern and exciting mix of jazz, world music, New Orleans second line, hip hop, and funk. Defying expectations and musical genres, Babyface Brass is Vancouver’s premier street jazz and party band with an ensemble that regularly ranges from 4 to 12 musicians including horns, drums, bass, and tap dancers.

Natalie Warkentin believes we are all artists. Whether it's choosing an outfit in the morning, making dinner in the evening, or taking a selfie with friends - to be human means to create. She has always been a creative, from painting birds at the lake near her house, to starting a jewelry business, to making murals with her neighbours, Natalie’s life has been marked by art.

Her work expresses themes of beauty, community and equality. She is inspired by the playful gestures of abstract expressionism, and the big, bold and beautiful forms of pop art. Natalie is honoured to paint alongside fellow mural artists for Translink riders this summer.

@makersandmurals

Kyla Morgan is a self taught artist from Northern BC. Kyla’s love of art began at a young age when her grandfather, a painter and photographer, put a paintbrush in her hand. With her work, Kyla aims to offer a reflection where imagination runs wild and emotions are acknowledged, validated, and celebrated.

To Kyla, creativity is not merely a skill or talent, but a way of seeing, experiencing, and engaging with the world. By leveraging various artistic techniques, she molds colors, shapes, and textures into visceral representations of the intangible aspects of existence. Her latest projects include miniature building, dioramas, watercolors and mixed media canvas work.

@kylamorganart

Helen Geddes is a lifelong artist, art educator, painter of fanciful feathered friends, bird enthusiast, bread maker and lover of ephemeral botanical shadows.

@helengeddesart

Michael Park (he/they) is a pianist and composer with a keen interest in speech, humour, and improvisation. His aim is to give audiences an experience beyond the realm of traditional concert-going.For more than a decade, Michael has collaborated with dancers, choreographers, and companies including Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Ballet BC.

Taking inspiration from the movement style at hand, Michael has developed a fluency in improvisation that has been praised by dancers and teachers alike. Michael is a passionate champion of new music. He’s performed dozens of B.C. premieres as resident pianist with Vancouver’s Erato Ensemble, and supported the creation of more than 100 world premieres as founder and co-director of Art Song Lab, an innovative program that teams composers, poets, and world-class performers.

Michael’s own compositions have been performed in Vancouver at the VSO’s Jean Coulthard Reading Session, Sonic Boom Music Festival, Songfire Festival of Song, Queer Arts Festival, and Music on Main. His music has also been performed across North America, with notable premieres in Winnipeg, Boston, and New York.

Born in Taiwan, Paul Hung entered the Langley Fine Arts School at the age of 13 and made his first concerto debut at the age of 16 at the Whistler Music Festival. He was a recipient of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Galaxie Rising Stars Award” and placed second in National Music Competitions 2008. Paul performed with the Vancouver Youth Orchestra as a result of attaining first place in the concerto competition in 2009. In May of 2011, Paul won a spot in the YouTube Symphony and performed with 100 other musicians around the world at the Sydney Opera House.

As an active soloist and chamber musician, Paul performed in music festivals such as the Banff music festival, Domaine Forget, MusicFest Canada, Music on Main, New Music Festival Vancouver, Sonic Boom Festival, VSO New Music Festival and more. Paul is also the founder of Vancouver-based ensembles - Fireside Quintet and Elysian Trio.

Paul is also the founder of Vancouver-based ensembles - Fireside Quintet and Elysian Trio. Paul plays frequently with Vancouver Symphony and other professional chamber ensembles like the Vancouver Academy of Music Chamber Players. He is currently the principal flute of Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra and Symphony 21. Paul was a student of Lorna McGhee, the principal flutist of Pittsburgh Symphony. He is currently a faculty of Vancouver Academy of Music.

A flautist born in Vancouver, Canada, Milton Fu is proud to be a serving member of the Band of the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA. He has also performed onstage as a player in the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra and performed in master classes for such esteemed figures as Christie Reside. Milton is also a member of the Moonlight Flute Quartet, a locally recognized and scholarship winning small ensemble that continues to compete regularly and has performed in municipal functions, most recently for the Mayor of the City of Burnaby.

Milton owes a deep and constantly heartfelt debt of gratitude to his teachers. Dr. Mark Takeshi McGregor was first to guide and encourage Milton in his nascent years as a young flute student. Now, Milton continues his studies at the Vancouver Academy of Music under the tutelage of Paul Hung, who has been instrumental in inspiring further development by illuminating the path on the musical journey forward.

Byron and Clare live, work and create in stolen xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ territory, and both strive to contribute meaningfully to reconciliation and decolonization. They met shortly after Byron moved to Vancouver in 2004, and have been making music together since 2009. They explore traditional, contemporary, folk, classical, and early music. They can often be found leading music for various services at Christ Church Cathedral.

Clare Morgan (they/them) is a nonbinary queer Anglican priest and Celtic harpist. They serve as pastor to the St. Brigid’s congregation at Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver and as a musician among the Inayati Sufi community in the Pacific Northwest. Clare has been playing in and around Vancouver in a variety of settings both religious and secular since 2002 and has played with local acts Trike, Songs with Friends, and the Neighbourhood Gospel Band. As well as Celtic harp, Clare also plays mandolin, ukulele, guitar, and Appalachian dulcimer.

Byron Scott Hanson (he/him) has played the cello, with many Vancouver ensembles, including A Company of Instruments, Players and Singers, Chains of Love, Phat Tank, Ten Suns, The YVR Pops Orchestra and The Argyle Embargo. He is also an accomplished singer and is a member and regular soloist for Chor Leoni, Christ Church Cathedral Choir, and the Vancouver Jewish Folk Choir. Besides the cello he plays electric bass, ukelele, lap steel guitar, autoharp, melodion and toy piano.

Heather holds a Masters Degree in Opera Performance from the University of British Columbia. She is an active performer and has appeared on operatic stages across Canada, including Pacific Opera Victoria, Vancouver Opera and Manitoba Underground.

She is an advocate for new music and has debuted several new Canadian works, including the Vancouver premiere of Bramwell Tovey’s opera, “The Inventor”. Other debuts include the world premiere of “Missing” by Brian Currant and Marie Clement, and “Stickboy” by Neil Wisensel and Shane Koyczan. She also workshopped the creation of a new Sign Language opera with Insideout Theatre. Outside of performing, Heather worked on the teams of various arts organizations, and is currently the administrator at the Canadian Music Centre BC.

Sarah Jo Kirsch (they/she) is an accomplished interpreter of western european art music traditions who has performed across Canada and in Europe and West Asia as a soloist and collaborator. They have been hailed as "...one of the finest contemporary dramatic vocalists in Canada today," (Calgary Herald) "...with the ability to get under the skin of everything she sings," (Winnipeg Free Press).

Beyond opera and oratorio, Sarah curates and produces sociopolitically relevant art song experiences of works from the last three centuries. An avid and capable interpreter of new music, they have premiered more than 30 new works for voice by Canadian composers and are a laureate of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Competition. As a creator/composer, Sarah weaves electroacoustic tapestries inspired by the primally physical nature of resonance and ontologically evocative texts. As a pundit, they lecture on the ins and outs of western art music, wholistic programming, and vocal liberation for cultural and educational institutions.

Jack Campbell is a violinist, composer, arts leader, curator, and producer. A rising young star in BC’s fine art community, Campbell’s creative practice is centred around innovation, demolishing barriers, blurring lines, highlighting diversity, celebrating the brilliance of Canadian talent, and embracing a bold, new, and exciting age of artistic evolution. As a violinist, he is a soloist with ensemble, recitalist, chamber musician, commissioner of new Canadian works, session artist, and a performer for video, radio, installation, and professional recording.

His compositions are performed nationally, and centre around themes of colour, texture, depth, time, and notions of past, present, and future. A passionate culture enthusiast, Campbell leads J.M. Campbell Creative Production and Consulting, a one-man business dedicated to designing, curating, and producing unique and enthralling cross-disciplinary, socially-progressive, and emotionally valuable events which celebrate that which is beautiful, interesting, and mentally necessary.

A passionate public speaker, Campbell enjoys commenting on the nature of the roll the arts play in society across multiple mediums. Currently, Campbell is the Music Curator at the Vancouver Art Gallery, one half of the Matrix Duo, second violinist in the New Coast String Quartet, and works frequently in production and collaboration with Redshift Records.

Phil Wizard is a Vancouver based artist who specializes in breaking. He started dancing in 2009 under the mentorship of Vancouver’s Now or Never and Soul Felons crews, and later joined the Wizards. United Rivals, and 7 Commandos crews which he continues to represent today. Phil hopes to further evolve and diversify his craft while continuing to compete and perform internationally.

Phil Wizard is the first Canadian dancer to win the Undisputed World Series and to be invited to the Red Bull BC One World Finals. He is also the only Canadian to be a part of the Redbull BC One All Star team. Over the past few years he has represented all over the world competing at the highest level. Phil has also performed in a variety of concerts, festivals, and shows, including the 2018 Takashi Murakami exhibition opening at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He currently holds four solo world championship titles, as well as multiple crew world championship titles.

Born in the small town of Jeonju, South Korea, Taiyo Seo is a world-famous b-boy, and now a Vancouver-based artist. He started dance in 1998, and by 2002, he founded Last For One crew with ten other friends from Jeonju. By the age 23, Taiyo won the International Battle of the Year (BOTY) 2005, in Germany, with Last For One. Thaiyo's crew was highlighted in the feature film "Planet B-boy", and has performed at NY’s Lincoln Center, as well as the 17th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony, in Seoul. After Last For One’s rise to fame,

Taiyo’s hometown of Jeonju named a city square after the crew, Last For One Plaza. At age 27, Taiyo moved to Vancouver, Canada, and joined Canada’s top breaking team, Now Or Never. From then on, along with competing and judging, Taiyo became a full-time Breaking & Locking instructor. Taiyo's style is based off of his belief that a well-rounded b-boy is a good b-boy. He combines style, power, and foundation to create his dance, and passes it on to his students with great enthusiasm.

Jhaymee “Eloquence” Hizon is an “OG” bboy from Vancouver, Canada. He started breaking in 1995 and have won many breaking competitions with his crew, Now or Never, over the years. Jhaymee hosts practice sessions weekly for the local Vancouver dance scene and continues to train regularly. He also coaches and teaches young breakers as he strongly believes in giving back to communities. He hosts annual youth breaking events in hopes to share his passion for breaking and to inspire the next generation to help grow the dance scene. Jhaymee is certified as an adjudicator through WDSF/CDS and has judged many local and national breaking events such as Redbull BC One Canada Cypher and CDS National Qualifier and Champion events.

Born and raised in Chilliwack, Justin aka DJ Jaylo has been an active member of the community since 2015. It was originally breaking that sparked his love for Hip-hop. Since, he has hosted many events by himself, then eventually falling in love with DJing as a passion. His journey further developed through TableTutors, with also inspiration from DJs like B Bad and RellyRels. With a focus on Breaks, Funk and Hip-Hop, Jaylo has DJ'd at many events throughout Vancouver.

Orene Askew, aka DJ O Show, brings energy and expertise to every event she DJ’s and hosts. She brings professionalism and passion and remains true to her love for hip hop and R&B, incorporating beats to ensure you never want to leave the dance floor! From Vancouver to Toronto, Las Vegas to Texas, DJ O Show is driven by her passion.

Coming from a diverse background, O Show is Afro-Indigenous, a proud former council member of the Squamish Nation. Feeling as though she stood out in a unique way, she embraced both her cultural backgrounds and incorporates the teachings she has learned into everything she does.

O Show has DJ’d the red carpet for Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, was voted the official DJ for YES in Ottawa since 2012, and was the official DJ for Gathering Our Voices for five years. She has hosted/MC’d/Played at numerous events, including Bowling for Big Brother’s Classic, Babes on Babes, and she has worked for radio stations like Vancouver’s Virgin 94.5 and Washington’s Movin’ 92.5. DJ O Show is the recipient of a 2015 BC Indigenous Business Award, a 2018 Stand Out Award from the Vancouver Pride Society, and a 2021 Alumni of Excellence Award from Capilano University.

What started twenty years ago as a youth world music initiative has metamorphosized into the crowd-pleasing percussion explosion known today as Kutapira! The name Kutapira means “sweetness” in the Shona language of Zimbabwe, a fitting title for a mallet swinging, skin-slapping quintet that plays a fusion of Zimbabwean marimba with West African and Afro-Cuban percussion and more.

This highly stylized marimba fusion consists of some contemporary Zimbabwean tunes but the majority of the music is composed and arranged by Kutapira and inspired by genres like Reggae, Funk, Latin Jazz, Samba, Cumbia, Disco and Hip Hop.

Kat Single-Dain is a critically acclaimed performer and director living in Vancouver, BC, with an honors degree in Film Production from UBC, and a minor in Dance from UC Berkeley. As the Artistic Executive Director of local non profit society The Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret, named one of “Vancouver’s best kept secrets” by the CBC, she leads the annual Parade of Lost Souls for thousands of community members to enjoy, and has written, directed and choreographed eight full-length, original theatre productions including the Jesse nominated Hard Times Hit Parade, and the upcoming Disco Inferno, in April 2022.

Kat is one of The Myrtle Sisters –three part harmonizing and tap dancing band who have won over festival and schools from PEI to Florida. Kat is also “world famous in parts of East Vancouver” for her over-the-top character Gloria, and the show that goes with it, Gloria's Happy Hour.

Michael Undem is an interdisciplinary artist living in Vancouver BC. Michael creates theatrical characters for public and private events engaging audiences in improvised play and random connections.

He has been a long time performer with the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret. And he is also a clown, actor, educator and dad.

Clara Shandler was born into a musical family amidst the multi-cultural atmosphere of Vancouver, British Columbia. From an early age she recognized music as a medium that brought people together and soothed troubled minds.

Even before completing a Bachelor of Music at UBC her cello was her ticket into rock bands, dance/theatre productions, operas, chamber ensembles and multi-cultural orchestras. She has since spent over a decade teaching, performing, recording, writing, arranging and collaborating in a multitude of different mediums from Canada to Cambodia and around the world.

Visit www.sidewalkcellist.com for more information.

Krystle Dos Santos is a two-time Western Canadian award winning singer/songwriter and performer living on the land of the Halkomelem speaking peoples in BC. Her first self titled album was released in 2008, followed by her highly sophisticated and elevated album in 2011 titled 'Fame Fatale'. Her third studio release 'BLOOM|BURN' awarded her the WCMA for R& B artist of the year in 2020. From singing on stage with Stevie Wonder and Michael Buble to theatre performances on stages all around North America, Dos Santos brings her eclectic style, powerful vocal prowess and magnetic charm to every performance she delivers. Catch her sharing the story of Canadian civil rights icon and entrepreneur Viola Desmond in her original co-creation 'Hey Viola!' in venues across Canada.

Celebrated for his soulful and unique sound, guitarist Scott Verbeek blends funky grooves and fresh melodies that both captivate and challenge his audience. Scott can be seen with his signature red guitar playing all over Vancouver and touring extensively across Canada and the United States. Verbeek has performed/recorded with Five Alarm Funk, Warren Dean Flandez, Bazooka Picnic, Kutapira and many more.

Gavin Youngash is a Vancouver-based multi-instrumentalist performer, session musician, collaborator and composer. His catalogue includes live performance and recording both locally and internationally with notable Canadian acts including Frazey Ford, Krystle Dos Santos (two-time Western Canadian Music Award winner) and Vancouver gospel-soul powerhouse Dawn Pemberton (WCMA’s Urban Recording of the Year 2015). In addition to his collaborative freelance and session work, Youngash plays bass/keys and composes for Vancouver synth-pop group Star Captains, is a writer and guitarist with westcoast post-rock noise outfit I Think I Saw You See Me and plays guitar/composes for his own ensemble, the Gavin Youngash Trio.

Exceptional violinist, Gabriel Dubeuil, moves easily between the traditional sounds of Québécois and Celtic, to klezmer, classical, jazz, and beyond. Gabriel’s musical path is as varied as it is rich. He wears many hats as a touring bandleader in the folk music world, a musical sideman, a concert organizer and promoter, as well as a passionate educator.

Gabriel’s strong grounding in jazz, composition, arranging, and production have grown out of his studies at the Berklee College of Music where he earned a Bachelors of Music in 2016. He is lead fiddler of the trio band Collage Trad, the co-founder of Vancouver’s Early Spirit, and the Executive director for the North Shore Celtic Ensemble in North Vancouver, BC.

Visit gabrieldubreuil.com for more information.

Nishant Jain makes secret art of human activity in public spaces. Drawn in a sketchbook, SneakyArt records how we live around other people in our shared, urban environment.

Nishant is an artist, writer, and host of the SneakyArt Podcast.

As a guitarist, Chris Fraser is one of the Vancouver jazz scene’s most in-demand musicians today. An uncanny improviser, Fraser takes a modern approach to the traditional jazz idiom with influence from guitarists Jim Hall, Bill Frisell, John Scofield and Kurt Rosenwinkel.

Having cut his teeth in the heart of the Vancouver jazz scene, Fraser has been a member of the scene for over a decade and performs frequently at every major jazz venue in the city, such as Frankie’s Jazz Club, Tangent Cafe, and 2nd Floor Gastown.

Visit chrisfraser.online for more information.

Free Style Focus Group founding members Professor Prawns (Adrian Sinclair) and Count Snacky (Karlis Kalnins) are always developing their freestyle rap methodology as they host weekly invitational drop-in freestyle workshops in the studio or set out on their infamous freestyle bike missions around East Van with a custom mobile sound system.

Their activations and workshops are the praxis of their freestyle philosophy. Embracing the truth that everyone can freestyle, Professor Prawns and Count Snacky use freestyle rap as a technique for mental liberation, free expression, and an opportunity to exist in the moment where true creativity and originality can flow, building self confidence and skills that help in all aspects of life.

For Art Moves, Freestyle Focus Group is collaborating with local talent Chronfused, MC Workshop, B Dice, Arothenaught, and Missy D.

Diamonds in the Rough was founded in 2009 and is based out of Vancouver, Canada, with active members living in L.A, California. Since 2009, there has been a large family of Diamond Ladies and thirteen years later, Diamonds in the Rough is still going strong with new members alongside original members.

The Diamond Ladies have a strong presence in the choreography, industry and freestyle communities. They strive to train in multiple Street Dance styles, and contribute their individual strengths to the crew. This sisterhood of powerful women represents more than a dance crew, their chemistry and lifestyle allows them to support each other, express, create and motivate.

Phil Wizard is a Vancouver based artist who specializes in breaking. He started dancing in 2009 under the mentorship of Vancouver’s Now or Never and Soul Felons crews, and later joined the Wizards. United Rivals, and 7 Commandos crews which he continues to represent today. Phil hopes to further evolve and diversify his craft while continuing to compete and perform internationally.

Phil Wizard is the first Canadian dancer to win the Undisputed World Series and to be invited to the Red Bull BC One World Finals. He is also the only Canadian to be a part of the Redbull BC One All Star team. Over the past few years he has represented all over the world competing at the highest level. Phil has also performed in a variety of concerts, festivals, and shows, including the 2018 Takashi Murakami exhibition opening at the Vancouver Art Gallery. He currently holds four solo world championship titles, as well as multiple crew world championship titles.

Visit philkwizard.com for more information.

Born in the small town of Jeonju, South Korea, Thaiyo is a world-famous b-boy now living in Vancouver. He started dance in 1998, and in 2002 founded Last For One crew with ten other friends from Jeonju. By age 23, Thaiyo won the International Battle of the Year (BOTY) 2005 in Germany, with Last For One, and was highlighted in the feature film "Planet B-boy" which followed the 2005 BOTY story. Following his win at BOTY, Thaiyo and his crew became widely known throughout the world, and were endlessly invited to different countries for performances, battles, and workshops, most notable of which were Last For One’s performance at the Lincoln Center, in New York City, USA, and the 17th Presidential Inaugural Ceremony, in Seoul, South Korea.

In recognition of their rise to fame and international success, Thaiyo’s hometown of Jeonju named a city square after their hometown crew. At age 27, Thaiyo moved to Vancouver and joined Canada’s top breaking team, Now Or Never. Along with competing and judging, Thaiyo is a full-time Breaking & Locking instructor. His style is based off his belief that a well-rounded b-boy is a good b-boy. He combines style, power, and foundation to create his dance, and passes it on to his students with great enthusiasm.

Visit thaiyoseo.com for more information.

Jhaymee “Eloquence” Hizon is known throughout the Lower Mainland as a hip-hop dancer, teacher, choreographer, and member of the infamous Now or Never Crew. Now or Never is one of Canada’s top hip-hop/bboy crews, and highly regarded worldwide. Jhaymee’s style is a fusion of traditional break-dance and his own original movements. Driven by a “it’s not what you do, but how you do it” mentality, he infuses style into every movement.

Highly accomplished, Jhaymee has competed at Massive Monkee Day (Champions), Battle of the Year International (Germany), and IBE (2011 Europe World Battle), and has performed at the Closing Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics at BC Place. His goal is to promote the positive side of hip-hop, while preserving this powerful art form and its strong cultural presence.

Madeleine Wynne is a painter from North Vancouver whose art focuses on whimsical, colourful depictions of everyday landscapes. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Animation from Emily Carr University in 2014, and now works in TV animation as a Set-Up and Background Artist. Her illustrations have appeared in the anthologies The Liar and The Writer’s Block.

She started painting live in 2012, when she was chosen to paint a bus at a Transit Convention. Since then she’s been painting at events through the lower mainland, include the Vancouver Art Battle, Harmony Arts Festival, The Cultch, and the Anonymous Art Show.

Visit artstation.com/madeleinewynne for more information.

For Art Moves July residency, in celebration of Vancouver's Pride Festival Month, TransLink is thrilled to feature the della kit. She is a queer Singer/ Songwriter Producer, DJ and Curator and is collaborating with a fabulously diverse group of local artists to bring a mix of Soul, Hip-Hop, Afro beat, Funk and everything in between. Her lineup includes Chelsea Johnson, Tonye Aganaba, DJ Skylar Love, Ndidi Cascade, Jojo Zolina & Alyssa Amarshi.

Visit thedellakit.com for more information.

Canadian bassist, composer, producer and educator Jodi Proznick has received many awards including the Western Canadian Music Award for Jazz Artist of the Year (2019), National Jazz Award for Bassist (2008, 2009), Album (2008) and Acoustic Group (2008) of the Year, and Galaxie Rising Star of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival (2004). Jodi was also nominated for two JUNO awards with her 2007 release, Foundations, and 2019 release, Sun Songs.

Jodi is in demand as a collaborative performer and has played with internationally recognized jazz artists such as Michael Bublé, George Coleman, Sheila Jordan, David “Fathead” Newman, Harold Mabern, Michael Feinstein, Peter Bernstein, Seamus Blake, Christine and Ingrid Jensen, Lewis Nash, Russell Malone, Ed Thigpen, Don Thompson, Dee Daniels, Phil Dwyer and Laila Biali as well as collaborators outside the jazz tradition including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Mark Fewer with John Novacek, the Vetta Chamber Ensemble, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, Sal Ferreras’ Drum Heat, musica intima, Chor Leoni, Elektra Women’s Choir, Mohammed Assani, Celso Machado, Bill Henderson, and the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble. She has been featured in over 40 albums as bassist. Jodi’s quartet features her longtime partner Tilden Webb on piano and she co-leads a chamber jazz group called Triology, a jazz trio that features Miles Black on piano and Bill Coon on guitar.

A dedicated and highly respected educator, Jodi is currently the chair of the Jazz Department at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music and Artistic Director of its Summer Jazz Workshop, Painting with Sound Workshop and Sister Jazz Day. She is also the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Music Arts Collective, an online music education platform. Previously, she was part of the music faculty at Capilano University and Kwantlen Polytechnic University and during the 2019/2020 season, Jodi was the Manager of Education and Community Outreach for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Visit jodiproznick.com for more information.

Blues Man Murray Porter’s music career has taken him all over the world for the last 40 years. He’s a proud Mohawk man from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory in southern Ontario, who now lives on Squamish Nation unceded territory in North Vancouver, British Columbia.

Murray may have a blues soul to the core, but he also grew up on rock and roll, R & B and country music. Porter’s first CD since his 2012 JUNO Award for ‘Aboriginal Album of the Year’ is titled, “STAND UP!” and reflects these early musical influences. He strongly feels that this album is some of his best music to date. This album was nominated at the 2019 Native American Music Awards for ‘Best Blues Recording’ and ‘Best Male Artist of the Year’. One song, `Love Will Find A Way’, words by Elaine Bomberry and music by Murray Porter, charted at Number One, on the Indigenous Music Countdown, the week of July 18, 2020.

During this COVID-19 era, which has rocked all of our worlds, and cancelled the live music scene throughout the world, there have been ‘virtual concert series’, that Murray has performed at including: `#CanadaPerforms with the National Arts Centre’, `Tkaronto Music Fest’, ‘Assembly of First Nations Water Summit (twice)’, `Live at Mikey’s Place’, ‘Indigenous Music Awards Performance Series’, ‘Rez Bluez 25th Anniversary’, presented by the Toronto Blues Society & Elaine Bomberry. Plus, he’s performed for a number of Indigenous organizations virtually as well for Elders Gatherings and Friendship Centres.

Whether he is playing an intimate venue for local blues fans, as a solo, duo, trio or with a four-piece band, or on a festival stage to thousands of music aficionados, Porter’s love of performing comes across clear and strong. He has been compared to Dr. John, Joe Cocker and even Elton John! Robbie Robertson has called Porter “a master bluesman.” He captivates audiences wherever he performs and makes new fans…and they never leave his show disappointed.

Visit murrayporter.ca for more information.