GUELPH MUSICIANS RAISE THEIR VOICES FOR LOCAL FOOD PANTRY
Folk/roots music & harmonies that will lift your spirits!
Local musicians James Gordon and Gathering Sparks join forces on February 15th for an uplifting concert to raise funds for Chalmers Community Services Centre (CCSC).
Chalmers Community Services Centre (CCSC) offers a warm and welcoming space where guests can receive food and personal support within an environment of dignity and respect. Funds raised from the concert will support their ongoing work to provide a caring community response to food insecurity in Guelph. Concert attendees are invited to bring an optional food item contribution to CCSC's food pantry.
Harcourt Memorial United Church works closely with CCSC, and is hosting the concert in their visually and acoustically beautiful sanctuary on Dean Avenue. This reflects Harcourt's dual interests in supporting Chalmers to address food insecurity in Guelph and providing a community space for musical and artistic performances.
GATHERING SPARKS is the graceful collision of Jane Lewis and Eve Goldberg—musical friends who bonded over finely tuned harmonies and the craft of songwriting. Their inclusive approach embraces folk, pop, blues and gospel influences tastefully played on acoustic guitar, piano, accordion, and ukulele. They were nominated for a 2014 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year, and won the 2019 Folk Music Ontario "Songs From the Heart” award. Gathering Sparks will be joined by special guest Cheryl Prashker on percussion. You will come to listen, and walk away singing!
CHERYL PRASHKER studied classical percussion at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where she was born and raised. She has toured Canada, U.S. Europe and Russia. She spent many years in NY City where she honed her skills of playing anything from Rock and Roll, Klezmer, to Celtic as well as Middle Eastern music. She now uses her special style of percussion to enhance the music of such artists as Eric Andersen, Jonathan Edwards, Pat Wictor, Tracy Grammer, Full Frontal Folk and her own Celtic Roots Music group RUNA.
JAMES GORDON has been there. He’s done that. He has had a remarkably diverse and resilient career in the Canadian cultural sector. As a solo singer-songwriter and with the ground-breaking trio Tamarack, he’s recorded 42 albums and toured relentlessly around the world. He’s written for symphony orchestras, musical theatre and dance works, scored films, and for more than ten years was heard on CBC radio as songwriter-in-residence for the ’Basic Black’ and ‘Ontario Morning’ programs. Between tours, James is a record producer, playwright, community activist, theatre director and he was a Guelph City Councillor for eight years.
“We wanted to support CCSC’s important work around food security in Guelph,” says Gathering Sparks member Jane Lewis. “Food prices have increased dramatically, and many people are struggling with housing costs. People are dealing with choices they shouldn’t have to make around food and other basic needs. We hope the concert will bring attention to this issue and raise some funds for the CCSC program.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, CCSC has seen an exponential increase in food pantry use as costs have risen for food, hygiene products, and basic household necessities. In 2024, CCSC served 21,249 food baskets, up from 18,668 in 2023. Sixty percent of our guests are children. Food insecurity continues to be a huge problem for a growing number of families and individuals.
Contact:
Jane Lewis — [email protected] / 519-994-8707
www.chalmerscentre.ca www.gatheringsparks.com www.jamesgordon.ca
GATHERING SPARKS AND JAMES GORDON IN CONCERT
In support of Chalmers Community Services Centre
February 15, 2025 at 2:00 pm (2 pm doors)
Harcourt Memorial United Church, 87 Dean Ave, Guelph
Tickets: $15 General/$25 Supporter/$35 Patron/By Donation at the Door
https://tinyurl.com/3avxe7s3
87 Dean Ave
