On Monday, January 24 at 8 p.m., Canadian actress and longtime member of the Royal Canadian Air Farce Luba Goy will host Concert of Hope, a digital concert featuring Grammy- and Juno-awarded musicians and other exceptional artists who have been touched by mental illness and still create amazing art.
Featured on this performance are:
Luba Goy — Host
Stephen Sitarski — Concert master of Esprit Orchestra & Hamilton Philharmonic debuting a special composition by Frank Horvat entitled ‘To Cope and to Manage’.
Dr. David Goldbloom, Chief Medical Advisor, CAMH — reasons to be hopeful and how music helps us cope.
High Notes Voices — a choir made up of people touched by mental illness perform ‘Lean On Me’ with
Dan Hill, Grammy-awarded singer/songwriter
Ron Korb, Flute — Grammy nominee
Lily Frost, singer/songwriter
Marcia Chum-Gibbons, multiple Native American Music Award nominee
Giles Tomkins, Baritone
Erika Nielsen, Cello, Author — ‘Sound Mind’
Sebastian Hirtenstein, Dancer
priyana, Singer/Songwriter
Marshal Wang, Pianist
The concert will be streamed on the High Notes Avante Facebook page and the Richmond Hill Performing Arts Centre page.
Admission is free but donations via Canada Helps are greatly appreciated and will go toward High Notes Avante’s online programs for people touched by mental illness, including the High Notes Voices choir, High Notes Movie Club and High Notes Book club.
During the lockdown of 2021, High Notes Avante produced a very basic first Concert of Hope which earned them a Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now grant to produce this second concert.
About High Notes Avante
Music and words have the power to create social change, inspire, empower and give hope to those touched by mental illness. Our ‘image raising’ events feature world class performances and speakers, and showcase the lives and talents of artists and personalities who are living good lives despite having an existing or past mental health challenge. We aim to erase stigma, educate, create community and save lives by encouraging others to reach out and also share their stories.
Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. If 1 in 5 people are affected and we all know someone who suffers, we should show the same compassion and respect for those affected by mental illness as for those affected by physical illness. Our events are therapeutic for those affected and an eye opener for the community at large. We invite you to get involved because we all have a (mental health) story.
For more information on High Notes Avante, please visit https://highnotesavante.ca/
Main photo: Musician Dan Hill
Bottom photos, from left: Luba Goy, Lily Frost, Ron Korb and Erika Nielsen.