Main Stage Script
READ THIS AT NOON, 1:55PM,
THEN YOU CAN INTRODUCE THE ARTISTS.
MC SCRIPT Lillian
Introduce Self
Hello and welcome to the 22nd Annual Winterfolk Festival, now featuring its first-ever Spring Edition! We’re thrilled to have you here at Toronto’s historic Redwood Theatre.
At Winterfolk, you’ll find three fantastic stages to enjoy. The main stage, where you currently are, will be running non-stop until midnight, ensuring continuous entertainment throughout the day and evening.
Upstairs, we have a workshop stage and an open stage for artists to sign up and play a few tunes that will be active until 6:00 PM today.
Don’t forget to visit our cozy lounge on the second floor, open until midnight, where you might just have the chance to mingle with your favorite musicians and friends. Artists may even drop hints about their lounge visits, or feel free to ask them directly.
Our dedicated team of volunteers is working hard to ensure Winterfolk is an enjoyable and fulfilling experience for everyone in the music community.
If you have any questions or need more information, look out for our friendly greeters—they’re easily recognizable by their bright white Winterfolk Badge of honor. Don’t forget to hug a volunteer.
There are posters around the room which contain a QR link to the performance schedule on your devices.
To make sure everyone has a great time, we kindly ask that noise levels are kept to a minimum while artists are performing. Sets start at the beginning of each hour and last about 45 minutes, with a 15-minute break between sets.
Winterfolk extends its gratitude to our sponsors whose financial support has made this event possible. A big thank you to the Government of Canada, Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, and the Socan Foundation.
Enjoy the festival, and if you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out to our friendly team!
Noon Shawna Caspi –
Toronto-based singer-songwriter Shawna Caspi takes her time crafting lyrics that are poetic and meaningful, often using unusual rhymes and surprising turns of phrase. Shawna has spent years on the road, playing festivals and concert halls, train cars, backyards, and living rooms, supporting her warm, clear voice with intricate fingerstyle guitar accompaniment, and drawing energy from shifting landscapes and long drives through Canada and the United States. Her songs resonate with stories that are relatable, but told in new and unexpected ways. This is music that makes an authentic human connection, that conveys a sense of closeness, of being understood, of feeling less alone. Her latest album, Hurricane Coming, was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award and an Ontario Folk Music Award.
1:00 David Newland –
David Newland is a musician, writer, and scholar, currently working on a Phd in Canadian Studies at Trent University.
His most recent album, NORTHBOUND, was inspired by his journeys in the Northwest Passage. His latest musical project, In Search of Lost Trees, chronicles a journey to northern Ontario with his young son to find trees he had planted in 1990.
David won the 2023 prize for Best MA in Canadian Studies from the Canadian Studies Network. In 2022, he was awarded a Cobourg Civic Award for Distinguished Arts and Culture. David is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
2:00 Taylor Abrahamse –
Taylor is a Kerrville Newfolk & Four Winds Emerging Artist winner, plus a Canadian Idol & Mariposa finalist. Out of love for his writing, Eddie Kramer, producer of Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Bowie, and others, insisted on working with him to produce and mix his acclaimed 2020 debut album and its 2021 deluxe edition.
Taylor’s music and writing is also in the feature film ‘About Fate’ starring Emma Roberts, musicals, and TV series such as Disney’s ‘Fangbone!’ – one of many series where Taylor voiced main and supporting characters. Fresh from an extensive Home Routes tour, this summer his next US tour will be alongside Flamy Grant, the first drag queen with a #1 album on the Itunes Christian chart.