THE ONTARIO COUNCIL OF FOLK FESTIVALS
ONTARIO'S FOLK MUSIC ASSOCIATION
S p e c i a l
C o n f e r e n c e
E d i t i o n
President’s Message Warren Robinson Welcome to our great Folk Smorgasbord! It is the conference’s first move out of Central Ontario, and in what better place than our Nation’s Capital. Many of us will have taken the time to enjoy the beautiful fall colours on the way to the conference. It occurs to me that the fall is a particularly appropriate time to celebrate Folk Music, Dance, and Craft Art, whether you represent a festival, organization or are an individual participating in folk culture. The fall is a time after the harvest has been gathered. Most of our year’s events have happened and, in most cases, the harvest was wonderful. Except for a few festivals who were unfortunate enough to encounter bad weather, virtually all festivals report increased attendance. Media attention has also been good, and there is a general feeling of health and (relative) prosperity. Many performers have played more widely than before and the sense of respect accorded veteran performers and the air of welcome offered to new performers has made a powerful dual dynamic. We hear increasingly from members of our audiences that every aspect of festivals seems to be improving. More attention has been paid in all areas, and it shows. The vibrant colours of the fall remind us that we have a colourful heritage to celebrate. A cursory examination of programmes from this past summer reveals an incredibly rich tapestry: old time, blues, singer/songwriter, world, and so on. The depth and breadth of the offerings is as breathtaking as the fall colours. These colours also remind us that we have a lot of life to take into the next year. The animals spend the fall gathering and storing and so do we. We learn new songs and revisit old one's. We gather to do our post mortems to figure out how to do our jobs better. We travel to Ottawa to communicate our joys and sorrows, pick each other’s brains (only steal from the best), and titillate our palates with glimpses of new acts and intriguing ideas of different ways of doing things. Did I mention party? Of course, like the animals we are most concerned to get through the winter in great shape for next year. This means we want to meet representatives of granting agencies (they are here), artistic directors (yup, they’re here too) and, for personal health, partake in a
few late night jams. Okay, animals don’t do that but you can only stretch an analogy so far! There are numerous thanks that need to be given. To our conference chairs, Chris White and Carolyn Sutherland, to Alex Sinclair for heading up the Songs From The Heart competition, to Randi Fratkin for managing the Showcase jury, and Eve Goldberg for spearheading the Estelle Klein Award, we cannot thank you enough. There are places reserved in Folk Valhalla for you all. We are awed by the vigorous efforts of the Ottawa Folk Festival volunteers, who are acting as hosts. You have our deeply felt appreciation. The success of this conference is your best tribute and may you get lots of hugs, you all deserve it. The best step the OCFF has ever taken, in my opinion, is in hiring Erin Benjamin. Erin, you are fantastic, fabulous and worth your weight in gold. Anyone in this organization who doesn’t know what Erin has done for us, ask the person next to you or take a moment to talk to our own natural wonder of the world. There is one regret that I need to express on behalf of the organization and personally. We are losing three of our board of directors: Al Rankin from Blue Skies, veteran performer Ken Whiteley and, from Harbourfront, Derek Andrews. All have made valuable contributions but I would like most especially to single out Derek. He has been our longest standing board member and has generously shared his expertise and connections to help nurse the OCFF through our growing pains. He has been there at all times and much of what the conference and OCFF have become is due to his guidance and vision. Derek has promised to keep up his connection with the OCFF, and for this we are grateful. Good l uck to all three on the various ventures on which they are embarking and a special welcome to the new board members. Have a great time. Learn lots and did I mention party?
Good Folk
THE 16TH ANNUAL OCFF CONFERENCE
Fall 2002