MORE INFORMATION:
SERVICES – BOARD OF DIRECTORS -
FESTIVAL WORKING GROUP - ARTIST ADVISORY COMMITTEE

SERVICES

BENEFITS FOR MEMBERS.
We are developing national level benefits for FMC members. Our first benefit will be travel insurance discounts through the Blue Cross. Please stay tuned as this and other member benefits grow.

INFORMATION.
FMC is developing a database of folk festivals, venues, radio programs, conferences and opportunities and will regularly update you with pertinent information. Our goal is to sketch the folk music community in Canada – from its large folk festivals to its smallest house concerts, painting a picture of the scope and diversity of our field. We have started with folk festivals, through a partnership with Penguin Eggs.FMC is also producing a national festival impact study. We are working with our Festival Working Group to produce a set of statistics that map the economic impact of the folk/roots music community in Canada. Stay tuned for this data!

NETWORKING.
FMC wants to enable you to communicate more effectively with your peers. We can establish listservs and communication channels for you. We are also dedicated to communicate news to you regularly through the website and our newsletter.

ADVOCACY.
By being a member of FMC, you are helping to strengthen the voice of folk music both nationally and abroad. FMC aims to advocate on behalf of its members, and ensure that folk music artists, presenters and supporters are heard at the government, funding and industry levels. FMC will partner with other national arts service organizations and coalitions that are actively advocating for arts and culture to collectively strengthen our efforts.

PARTNERSHIPS.
FMC is developing strategic partnerships that will enhance services for our community and benefits to members. We are currently working with the OCFF, for example, to build the domestic and international Presenters Program for the 20^th annual OCFF Conference. We want to work with other organizations to enhance what we both do.

CONNECTION.
FMC is passionate about maintaining a grassroots connection to the community that we serve. We have started with a national Artist Advisory Committee and Festival Focus Group .

VISIBILITY.
FMC participates in various industry conferences and events throughout the year to engage with the community, promote the art form and support our members. We will continue to strengthen the Pan-Canadian Initiative, which currently takes place at the Folk Alliance International conference, in order to deliver this unified, strong support for Canadian artists at showcase events.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

At our Annual General Meeting on December 3, 2011, we elected 6 new members to our board, while 5 were renewed for a second term.  We’ll update photos and bios soon, but in the meantime, here is the list of the 2011-12 Folk Music Canada Board of Directors:

2010-11 Board of Directors

Bruce Morel – President Cole Harbour, NS Music has always been at the forefront of Bruce’s life. His British grandfather sang and played instruments, his father sang on the radio in Montreal during the 40’s – He plays guitar, is a broadcaster, radio plugger, promoter, publicist, festival creator, ECMA founder, artist manager, agent and the President of Folk Music Canada.
Rob Oakie – Treasurer Charlottetown, PE Rob Oakie is the current Executive Director of Music PEI, the provincial Music Industry Association and also serves on the boards of Folk Music Canada and Culture PEI as Treasurer for both. He has had extensive experience in export development and sales in various capacities in both private and public sector.		Bob Wilson – Secretary Aylmer, QC Bob Wilson is a musicians manager and agent working with a variety of artists across North America. Bob started his career in music as a manager. He then moved into the agency business working with Live Tour Artists. He works with artists to find bookings and in long-term career planning, as well as the day-to- day and month-to-month development of touring and their careers.
Paul Mills Toronto, ON Paul Mills has been part of the Canadian folk music scene for over thirty-five years.  In the seventies he conceived and produced a national folk music program “Touch The Earth” hosted by Sylvia Tyson.  He has produced well over one hundred and fifty albums working with artists such as the late Stan Rogers, Sharon, Lois and Bram and Ron Hynes.  He is one of the founding partners of Borealis Records and operates his own recording studio. For the last four years he has served on the Board of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals, and the last two years as its President.		Gilles Garand Montreal, QC Gilles Garand is the President of the Société pour la promotion de la danse traditionnelle québécoise (SPDTQ), a Montréal-based organization dedicated to preserving and propagating traditional Québécois dance and music. He has organized a festival, La Grande Rencontre, for 19e years, as well as concerts, dances and other events throughout the year. A singer, accordionist and harmonica player, he teaches in the SPDTQ’s “École des arts de la veillée” (traditional music school). He is also President of Folquébec. A man of action, Gilles believes that working together is the key to making great changes in the world.
Mike Hill Orillia, ON Mike Hill is the Artistic Director of the Mariposa Folk Festival. He is a retired (music) teacher. He has written for numerous magazines and newspapers and has a weekly column in the Toronto Star. He is currently President of the Stephen Leacock Association as well. Mike brings a life-long love of folk music to his work with FMC.		Brent Mason Saint John, NB Brent Mason is a writer and performer based in Saint John, NB. Currently recording his 8th album, Brent also has CBC-TV shows to his credit (Land and Sea, Grave Concerns). A winner of the Stompin’ Tom Award at the ECMA’s, Brent hosts the world’s longest running open stage, is music director for the Saltyjam and is married with 3 children.
Chris Luedecke Nova Scotia Old Man Luedecke is a banjo playing singer/songwriter who writes of contemporary concerns but is wholly lost in the sounds of the folk revival and folk music’s early masters. His last two albums, Proof of Love and My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs, have both won Junos for the Roots and Traditional Solo album of the year category.		Caroline Brooks Toronto, ON Caroline Brooks is a musician from Toronto Ontario. She is best known in her role as 1/3rd of the Juno award-winning band Good Lovelies. That band has had her busy touring across North America and recently to Australia and the UK. She’s delighted to be a member of the FMC Board of Directors, and looks forward to sharing her unique perspective as an actively touring and independent Canadian Roots music artist.
Mitch Podolak Winnipeg, MB Mitch Podolak is the Executive Producer of Home Routes, the founder of the Winnipeg and Vancouver Folk Festivals, and Winnipeg’s West End Cultural Centre. Home Routes originated as a concept in his brain and he pursued the involvement of everybody else.		Tom Power St. John’s, NL Tom Power is an award-winning broadcaster and musician from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and the host of Deep Roots, The National Folk Music Show on CBC Radio 1, 2 and 3.  Tom concieved Deep Roots in 2007, while still a student at Memorial University. The show has gone on to receive numerous accolades for its wit, integrity and dedication to respecting the old while pursuing the new in folk music.
Linda Tanaka Vancouver, BC Linda Tanaka has been working in festivals and concert promotion in British Columbia for the past twenty-five years. She is a member of the Western Roots Artistic Directors and is the Artistic Managing Director of the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.		STAFF Tamara Kater Executive Director Toronto, ON Email Tamara Tamara Kater is the current Executive Director of Folk Music Canada. As the daughter of an instrument-builder father and a community activist mother, Tamara grew up in a bi-lingual cultural environment surrounded by musicians and people building community organizations. A passionate music enthusiast, Tamara has worked in arts management and community outreach for nearly twenty years. Within the folk music circle, Tamara has worn the hat of agent, artist manager, board member and festival executive director.