NEWS RELEASE
FOLK MUSIC ONTARIO
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MISSISSAUGA — Folk Music Ontario is pleased to share that Samir (Sam) Baijal along with Pat O’Gorman and Julie Schryer are the recipients of the 2024 Estelle Klein Award. The recipients will be presented with their awards by CBC q host Tom Power at the Ontario Folk Music Awards on Sunday, October 6th, 2024. The Ontario Folk Music Awards will be hosted by Janice Jo Lee and will feature a red carpet and welcome reception, along with performances by Sultans of String, The Angelique Francis Band, Adrian Sutherland, Mimi O’Bonsawin, Payadora Tango Ensemble, and Jessica Pearson and the East Wind. A post event reception will take place following the Ontario Folk Music Awards, open to all Folk Music Ontario Conference delegates, Ontario Folk Music Awards nominees, and guests.
Named after the long-time advocate of Canadian Folk music and one of the initial founders of the Canadian Folk Festival scene, Estelle Klein, the Estelle Klein Award honours the work of an individual or group that has made significant contributions to Ontario’s folk music community. Nominated by members of Folk Music Ontario and selected by a committee that includes the board of directors and invited stakeholders, the Estelle Klein Award is divided into two separate areas of recognition, The Community Builder Award, and The Lifetime Achievement Award. Recipients receive free registration for that year's Folk Music Ontario conference for themselves and a partner as well as a lifetime FMO membership. Past recipients include Ian Tamblyn, Erin Benjamin, and Jackie Washington.
The Estelle Klein Award Recipients
Lifetime Achievement Award - Samir (Sam) Baijal
Sam Baijal has been an advocate, supporter, and champion of the Ontario Folk music community throughout his career, and is in particular an advocate of a more diverse, more welcoming, and more inclusive Folk and independent music community. Sam is the Artistic Director of Hillside Festival (a role he has served in for 26 years) and the Coordinator of Programming at the University Centre at the University of Guelph. He has been a board member with FMO (and previously, OCFF) and the Canada Live Music Association, has participated in panels on multicultural and multi-disciplinary practices in music and festival programming at numerous conferences including FMO and Folk Alliance, and has served on numerous juries and award panels including The Junos, East Coast Music Awards, Canada Council for the Arts, and Ontario Arts Council. Sam has dedicated his career to advocacy for live music programming and is recognized as one of the foremost pioneers in creating programming for a major Canadian music festival inclusive of racialized, gender-diverse, and Indigenous artists, well ahead of its time.
Community Builder Award - Pat O’Gorman and Julie Schryer
Pat O’Gorman and Julie Schryer are recognized as both musicians and through their work with AlgomaTrad, their charitable organization dedicated to building community through the celebration, sharing, and learning of traditional music, dance, arts, and heritage craft. In addition to musicians based in Celtic traditions from Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and the Maritimes, they have brought Indigenous, African, and Klezmer musicians to share their traditions. They have worked tirelessly for 20 years to bring the absolute best in traditional music to northern Ontario in the form of concerts, dances, workshops, festivals, a summer camp devoted to teaching, and now they are currently developing the year-round, environmentally-sustainable AlgomaTrad Centre on St. Joseph Island.
From Folk Music Ontario Executive Director, Rosalyn Dennett:
"It is with great joy that we honour Pat O'Gorman and Julie Schryer, whose dedicated work through Algoma Trad has significantly enriched the cultural fabric of northern Ontario over the past 20 years. Pat and Julie have played a crucial role in revitalizing the traditions of this region, and their passion and efforts in building a vibrant musical community are truly commendable.
“Samir has been a driving force in promoting cultural diversity, environmental sustainability, and musical excellence in the Ontario folk music community through his roles at Hillside Festival and the University of Guelph. He has been a steadfast mentor and advocate of artists and live music workers through his board service and event participation. Congratulations, Samir! Your vision for a greener, more vibrant, and inclusive Folk music community is beautifully honoured by the Estelle Klein Lifetime Achievement Award.”
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