Coming Full Circle

“The Universe is circles within circles, and everything is one circle...” – Black Elk

“And the seasons, they go round and round.”

– Joni Mitchell, “The Circle Game”

Welcome to Westben’s Summer Season 2023! Inspired by the cyclical nature of life and nature, we celebrate “Coming Full Circle” this summer. It is a season imbued with that wonderful sense of “starting afresh” as the world emerges from a pandemic into a sunnier future.

Share the circle with a colourful array of local to international Canadian artists in various stages of the “cycles” of their careers. From international “classical” circles, we welcome Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, Janina Fialkowska and Ben Heppner. Singer-songwriters include Chantal Kreviazuk and Lennie Gallant, and jazz artists include Emilie-Claire Barlow, Laila Biali and the Brian Barlow Big Band.

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Award winner Dan Hill is here, as is platinum up-and-coming Warkworth-born country artist, Sacha (one of Country Music Television’s Next Women of Country, class of 2021). Around the Campfire, we have Ben Caplan and Del Barber. And pushing the boundaries, we have The Fretless, as well as a fully improvised concert complete with silent films, improv musicians and a mime!

We also share in the sacredness of the circle with our Michi Saagiig neighbours from Alderville First Nation who will be here with music and stories focusing on the caretakership of the Black Oak Savanna. From further around Canada, we also meet the young, joyful Mi’kmaq fiddler and singer Morgan Toney, winner of two East Coast Music Awards in 2022.

Finally, we are thrilled to be presenting “Les Mis in Concert” featuring all your favourite music from this smash hit musical, as performed by some of our favourite guest artists. If a story about finding redemption through a challenging time doesn’t resonate with the spirit of our own times, I don’t know what does!

We are so excited to invite you to join our circle this coming summer! This is music in nature, and we’re thrilled to welcome you here…

Land Acknowledgement

Westben is nestled amongst the gently rolling hills of the Gunshot Treaty lands and subsequent Williams Treaties of 1923, and the traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig (Mississauga) Anishinaabeg near what is now known as Campbellford, Ontario.

This area today includes neighbouring Alderville, Hiawatha, and Curve Lake First Nations—thriving communities with cultural roots of music-making spanning thousands of years! If you would like to learn more about the Indigenous history around where Westben resides, we recommend reading: Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg: The History by Doug Williams and edited by Leanne Betasamoke Simpson, Alderville First Nation… A History by Brian Beaver and the Village of Hiawatha: A History by Heather Y. Shpuniarsky and the Village of Hiawatha Book Committee. As we continue to learn about the living histories of this place, it’s also important to know about the ongoing harms of colonization in Canada that can be traced to forced assimilation practices like the 1923 Williams Treaty, the Indian Act, and residential schools which operated from 1894 to 1997, and many others.

Our music-making at Westben is therefore in grateful recognition and appreciation of our Michi Saagiig friends whose music has filled these lands for generations.

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Westben is committed to recognizing, upholding, and celebrating the human rights and dignity of Black and Indigenous members of our community as well as with all people of colour and those in other marginalized groups whose lives are impacted and wrongly constrained by racism and discrimination.

Brian Finley, C.M.

Artistic & Managing Director

Westben Centre for Connection & Creativity Through Music

To that end, all Westben’s work, and activities will be guided by the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. These principles will inform decision making, the development of strategic initiatives, community engagement activities and policy formulation. The Board fosters an approach of ongoing learning and improvement striving to continue incorporating these principles in its ongoing work and throughout the organization.

Midsummer Magic Gala 5