Like many prairie girls growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, Connie Kaldor grew up singing in the church choir and listening to Patsy Cline and The Beatles on her record player. She was born in Regina in 1953 during a May blizzard, and her mother swears baby Connie started singing in the cradle. Music was part of Connie’s life from the beginning, her father a choir director at the local Lutheran church, her Mom and siblings playing various instruments. But music was not her first choice of career.

Following what has been described as a “brief and unfulfilling career as a high school cheerleader”, Connie initially chose theatre as her vocation. She packed her bags for the big smoke of Toronto, but after four years of plying her craft there and in Newfoundland she had an epiphany: she loved theatre, but could live without it. She couldn’t imagine living without music.

Another suitcase was packed, and Connie set off to blaze a trail in folk music. This was in the 1970s, a time when a female singer and songwriter was a rare bird indeed. Connie sang solo, played guitar and piano and talked to her audiences. She sang powerful songs in her rich alto voice, beautiful songs about the prairies, songs that championed the cowgirl and poked fun at jerks - and between songs had folks in stitches or drawn into her stories. In the process, Connie blazed a trail that other women followed.

A lot has changed since Connie first started out. In the two decades or more since then, she has gone on to headline scores of music festivals and perform concerts around the world. She’s lives in Montreal now with her husband and two boys. She’s been running her own record company since the early 1980s, has released nine albums and won a Juno Award.

But she’s still a prairie girl at heart, one who is a fearless and often funny chronicler of the human experience. Her music blurs musical boundaries, embracing elements of folk, gospel, rock, country and pop. Her live performances are legendary. What she says between songs is as intriguing as her lyrics, the whole experience one of pure enjoyment for any audience lucky enough to be sharing space and time with her.

Connie Kaldor performs at the Mission Folk Music Festival, July 24-26 at Fraser River Heritage Park in Mission. You can catch her over the weekend and on Main Stage Sunday night. For tickets and information on the full festival lineup of over 20 artists and groups, go to www.missionfolkmusicfestival.ca or call 604-826-5937.

FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ADDITIONS TO 2009 LINE UP

The Mission Folk Music Festival has announced additional artists to round out the lineup for the 22nd Annual event.

From Viking ballads of the North Atlantic to Sardinian canto a tenore, Swiss alpenhorn to homespun bluegrass, hot Afro-Cuban rhythms to songs of the Canadian experience the Mission Folk Music Festival brings you world-wide music with small-town heart!

Added to the roster, from Switzerland, is an amazing alpenhorn-playing, yodeling and overtone singing duo known as STIMMHORN. Christian Zehnder and Balthasar Streiff combine a theatrical sensibility to take Swiss musical traditions on a wild and adventurous ride. Their instrumentation, in addition to the alpenhorn, includes double alpenhorn, wippcordion, bandoneon, goat horn and a range of other eclectic and rare instruments – adding a little reverb into the mix. From Mexico, festival favourites RASTRILLOS also join the lineup, delivering a latino-reggae vibe that always has audiences jumping. BC world music multi-instrumentalists BORIS SICHON and ADHAM SHAIKH add their virtuoso talents as well.

Please note: the group Desandann, previously announced, has had to cancel their Mission festival appearance.

Now 22 artists and groups on its 22nd Festival, these groups join already announced artists TOM PAXTON, one of folk music’s most iconic and enduring voices, the amazing harmonic vocals of Sardinia’s TENORES DI NEONELI, the rich voice and mystical ballads of the Faroe Islands’ EIVØR, the high-energy jigs and reels of Quebec’s LES TIREUX D’ROCHES, Canada’s folk sweetheart CONNIE KALDOR and the remarkable Afro-Cuban jazz of JANE BUNNETT & THE SPIRITS OF HAVANA.

For the full roster of 2009 festival artists to date, with brief descriptions, see below.

Artistic Director Francis Xavier Edwards says of this year’s festival:

"After more than two decades of programming the festival, I still find that each year is more surprising than the last. This year's festival in particular is remarkable to me because it is full of both new and old faces in a very rich roster of diversity. The artists and the music that is out there in the world never ceases to astonish. That is what this festival is all about for me - musical amazement. We invite people from both near and far to share in this wonder."

World-wide music comes to a festival with small town heart in a gorgeous tree-studded setting overlooking the Fraser River. What better way could there be to spend a summer weekend?

Early Bird Weekend Passes on sale now. Ticket details are below:

ADVANCE DISCOUNTS (July 1 - July 23):

Weekend Passes: Adult $85 / Seniors (60+) $55 / Youth (13-19) $50 / Children (5-12) $10

One Day & Evening-only tickets also available at all age/price levels.

Go to: www.missionfolkmusicfestival.ca for more details.

AT THE GATE (July 24-26):

Weekend Passes: Adult $95 / Seniors (60+) $60 / Youth (13-19) $55 / Children (5-12) $10

One Day & Evening-only tickets also available at all age/price levels.

Go to: www.missionfolkmusicfestival.ca for details.

On-site camping by reservation is available at a nominal charge.

Passes, Tickets & Info at: www.missionfolkmusicfestival.ca 604-826-5937 / 1-866-494-FOLK (3655)

Weekend Passes (only) available at: Shoppers Drug Mart in Mission, Tom Lee Music & House of James in Abbotsford.

The festival recognizes and thanks the support of Regione Autonoma dela Sardegna, the Italian Cultural Institute of Vancouver for the appearance of Tenores di Neoneli; the Kanton Basel-Landscheft Bildungs, Kultur-und Sportdirektion, the Swiss Arts Council pr Helvetia, and Kultur Basel-Stadt for the appearance of Stimmhorn; CBC Radio 88.1, Premiere Chaine 97.7, the Mission Record, KVOS Television, the Province of British Columbia, BC Arts Council and Canadian Heritage.

MISSION FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL: 2009 Background and Artist Roster

The festival offers three evenings of showcase main-stage concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Three daytime stages run concurrently Saturday and Sunday beginning at noon. Other on-site features include the Folk Art & Import Market, a CD tent, the Festival Store selling festival souvenirs, a variety of great food purveyors and a shaded licensed area, the Festival Bistro, with a main-stage view.

The Breakmen (BC)

With a potent blend of bluegrass, old-timey folk with vintage country influences, this four-member Vancouver-based outfit is known for its tight harmonies, creative instrumental work and contagious stage energy. www.thebreakmen.com

Michael Jerome Browne (Quebec)

MJB is a true renaissance musician, equally adept on guitar, banjo, fiddle, harmonica and an array of other instruments, as well as a vocalist of incomparable and wide-ranging talent. Whether performing a wailing blues tune, an unbridled soul song or a country ballad, this Canadian Folk Award-winning ‘Solo Artist of the Year (2008)’ packs the acoustic punch of a multi-member band. www.michaeljeromebrowne.com

Jane Bunnett & the Spirits of Havana (Canada / Cuba)

The boundary-breaking Toronto soprano saxophonist, flutist and bandleader visits with her formidable, handpicked seven-piece collective known as the Spirits Of Havana. Bunnett has forged a riveting amalgam of Afro-Cuban and Western Jazz forms, winning a 2009 Juno for ‘Best Contemporary Jazz Album’ for her “Embracing Voices” recording. www.janebunnett.com

Canefire (Canada, Cuba, Trinidad)

Combining Trinidadian calypso with Latin rhythms, jazz, and blues, Canefire is a Toronto-based 7-piece band that takes the steel pan sound to new places. The group plays original music created by leader and pianist Jeremy Ledbetter. www.canefire.ca

Eivør (Faroe Islands)

Born on the mystical Faroes, which lie halfway between Iceland and Norway, we welcome the Islands’ leading female music artist. Eivør Palsdottir is a woman with an extraordinary voice, deeply rooted in her homeland’s strong tradition of epic ballads, chain dance and quarter-note a cappella church music - as well as a virtuoso of rock, jazz, folk and even opera. www.eivor.com

Kevin Fox (Ontario)

His voice has been described as an “amazing instrument”. Halifax-born Fox combines his prowess on the cello, which he skillfully bows, plucks, taps and loops, with great songwriting chops to create a lush and captivating musical tapestry of cello-driven folk/pop. www.kevinfox.ca

The Gallus Brothers (USA)

These Bellingham-based musical brothers play great guitar and percussive suitcase goodtime ragtime blues with a flair for fun and the spirit of an old timey minstrel show. www.myspace.com/gallusbrothers

Headwater (BC)

Vancouver-based Headwater’s blend of elements of country, bluegrass, old time and rock has made them one of the busiest acoustic roots bands on the West Coast. With can’t-beat instrumentation comprised of guitar, banjo, mandolin, steel guitar and upright bass, this young four-member band also delivers with harmonies and classic songwriting. www.headwater.ca

Connie Kaldor (Quebec)

Connie is a Juno-award winning singer who has flourished on the folk music scene since she was a young Prairie gal, in large part due to her immense gifts as a live performer. More than a great musical experience, a Connie Kaldor performance is an opportunity to hear what this gifted chronicler of the human experience has both to sing and to say. www.conniekaldor.com

Colin Linden (Canada)

Of how many artists can it be said that keep getting better over three decades into their career? Colin Linden can certainly be considered a member of that select club, and a singer, songwriter and slide guitar virtuoso of stunning skill and originality. www.colinlinden.com

T. Nile (BC)

Tamara Nile turned heads on the folk scene from the minute she first stepped off the ferry from Galiano and onto the stage - not all that long ago. With a unique sound merging folk, rock, roots and country, the songwriting skills of a veteran word-smith and a banjo on her knee, this singer’s star continues to rise. www.tamaranile.com

The Outside Track (Ireland, Scotland, Canada)

The Outside Track brings together five young musicians from Scotland, Ireland and Canada to create a cutting-edge modern traditional music that ranges from classic ballads to self-penned originals. www.theoutsidetrack.com

Tom Paxton (USA)

Tom is a folk music legend, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winner (2009), author and inspiring singer and songwriter with a 40-year career that began in the famed Greenwich Village folk scene of the 1960s. His songs, as Judy Collins says, “are beautiful and timeless, and meant for every age”. www.tompaxton.com

Rastrillos (Mexico)

Latin-flavoured reggae powered by ten musicians and fuelled by trumpet, trombone and tenor sax – a multi-national band that ignites the stage and delivers the groove.

Adam Shaikh (BC)

Fusing together soundscapes of the ancient and the immediate, adding in a tribal dub groove, Shaikh brings a global village sensibility to his live performance.

Boris Sichon (BC)

An inspired and dynamic multi-instrumentalist with a global perspective on music-making, Boris’ powerful music is enriched by his collection of rare and unique world instruments. www.sichon.com

Stimmhorn (Switzerland)

Alpenhorn, wippcordion and goat horn; overtone singing and yodeling – this duo’s music invents new acoustic voyages between traditional and experimental worlds of sound. www.stimmhorn.ch

Tagaq (Nunavut)

Tanya Tagaq Gillis’ vocal musicality is ground-breaking in its’ the diversity and depth, her voice and music ranging from whispers and haunting melodies to full-force songs of passion and power. Inuit throat-singing is part of this Nunavut artist’s sound, but you can add in ‘hip-hop infused’, ‘primal’ and sometimes even ‘orchestral’. www.tanyatagaq.com

Tenores di Neoneli (Sardinia (Italy))

From the village of Neoneli in Sardinia, the four remarkable male vocalists of Tenores di Neoneli sing canto a tenore – a traditional complex harmonic style of singing so unique it has been included on Unesco’s World Heritage List. They are joined by two players of the launeddas, an ancient Sardinian woodwind instrument.

www.tenoresdineoneli.it/

Les Tireux d’Roches (Quebec)

The six talented singers, musicians and storytellers of Les Tireux d’Roches (“Rock Throwers”) deliver a unique repertoire that stays true to the Québécois tradition while incorporating fresh contemporary influences from around the world. www.tireuxderoches.com

Ken Whiteley (Ontario)

One of Canada’s finest musical statesmen, Ken Whiteley has been called a “playing encyclopedia” for his depth and range of musical styles, covering everything from blues and gospel to music for kids. Drawing from the deep wells of many traditions, Whiteley creates something fresh that communicates themes of freedom, love, spiritual aspiration and social comment. In addition to performing on his own, Ken will accompany Tom Paxton. www.kenwhiteley.com

Tim Williams (Alberta)

Songster, Musicianer, Music Physicianer – Tim Williams is a 40-year veteran of the North American roots music scene with a passion for traditional blues and a lifetime spent roaming across music’s abundant landscape . A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Tim is “a walking, talking history of the blues that struts soulfully down timeless avenues” (Calgary Herald). www.telusplanet.net/public/belzners/main.htm

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