Jul 18, 2023 / by Folk Harbour / No Comments
VOLUME 21 #6
This edition of Folk Lines looks ahead to a summer’s worth of music with the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival and our Saturdays in the Park series. We also introduce our summer staff and invite you to be involved with putting on the Festival this August.

Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival 2023: August 10 to 13

Full Festival schedule

The full schedule for the Folk Harbour Festival weekend is available here.

As usual, there will be concerts, song circles, talks, participatory workshops in singing and dancing, and of course, the Sunday morning gospel concert.

Please note that schedules and lineups are subject to change.

Passes and individual tickets for the Folk Harbour Festival can be purchased at the Folk Harbour office, 125 Montague St., Lunenburg, (902) 634-3180. The office is open Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 4 pm. Purchases can also be made online through Ticketpro.

2023 Festival passes and tickets

Biographies of Folk Harbour Festival musicians

In this and upcoming editions of Folk Lines, we will shine the spotlight on some of our Folk Harbour Festival musicians. In the previous edition of Folk Lines, we looked at musicians making their first Festival appearance; here, we feature some returning favourites!

Catherine MacLellan

Catherine MacLellan is one of Canadian folk music’s true gems. A gifted singer-songwriter, she has seven recordings to her name, from her debut, Dark Dream Midnight (2004) to her most recent release, Coyote (2019); her 2014 album, The Raven’s Sun, earned her a JUNO for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year.
Catherine says she feels most at home on stage, which is evident in her remarkable ability to form connections with her audience. Going to a Catherine MacLellan show feels much like catching up with an old friend, having those long-heartfelt conversations that mean so much.

David Myles

David Myles is a singer-songwriter, host, interviewer, podcaster, author, collaborator, and a superb entertainer. With music that spans a range of genres including folk, pop, rap, soul, and Latin, and includes Francophone and holiday recordings, it’s no wonder that David has amassed a huge audience of devoted fans. David’s discography consists of 15 recordings, including his JUNO-award winning instrumental album, That Tall Distance (2021). He also earned a JUNO for “Inner Ninja”, which was recorded with hip-hop star, Classified, and is the biggest-selling rap single in Canadian history.

Madison Violet

Madison Violet is a duo made up of Lisa MacIsaac and Brenley MacEachern. They grew up on rural Cape Breton Island and came together musically in the late 1990s, over many evenings in Brenley’s grandmother’s kitchen, which was always bursting with food, family, friends, and instruments. Influenced by their maritime heritage, they began creating music together that had roots firmly planted in their past, but with contemporary and modern elements evident throughout. Lisa and Brenley are exceptional story tellers, skilled multi-instrumentalists, and engaging performers. Their voices soar, perfectly complementing each other, as they sing lyrics that will both break and mend your heart.

David Francey

David Francey is a Scottish-born Canadian carpenter-turned-songwriter, who has become known as “one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers” (Toronto Star). Born in Ayrshire, Scotland to parents who were factory workers, he moved to Canada when he was twelve. For decades, he worked across Canada in rail yards, construction sites, and in the Yukon bush, all the while writing poetry, setting it to melodies in his head, and singing it to himself as he worked. His first album, Torn Screen Door , came out in 1999. Since then, he has released eleven albums, won three Juno Awards, the prestigious SOCAN Folk Music Award, and the John Lennon Songwriting Award.

Folk Harbour’s summer staff

We are thrilled to have two amazing students working in the Folk Harbour office this summer!

Molly MacLellan

Lunenburg welcomes back Molly MacLellan, who has returned to her hometown after spending five years abroad. During this time, she obtained both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in visual art from two different capital cities in Europe. Molly’s passion for cultural expression, along with her prior experience as a dedicated Festival volunteer during her youth, led her to join the vibrant Folk Harbour Society. Currently pursuing studies in business administration, Molly can be found this summer at the Folk Harbour office, where she’ll be printing tickets, assisting with performer services, and contributing to the overall success of the Festival.

Olivia Chaput

Olivia has been going to the Folk Harbour Festival since she was a kid, and has spent the last few years volunteering at it. She has just graduated from high school at Park View, and she plans to study English and communications at King’s College next year, with the goal of ultimately becoming a writer and owner of a café and bookstore and supporting her community.
If you ever need Olivia for anything you can find her at the main office working on planning, organization, and logistical support.

Volunteer opportunities

Volunteers at the Opera House, Kerry Jarvis photo

As a Festival that is largely powered through volunteer efforts, we are always looking for people who have the time, interest, and energy to help. There are available roles in almost every area: billeting, box office, hospitality, site, and more!

Contact the Folk Harbour office at (902) 634-3180 or logistics@folkharbour.com for more information.

As you can see in the photo, being a Folk Harbour volunteer is fun AND fashionable! (It was by coincidence that these four volunteers showed up wearing the same hoodie…uniforms are not required to volunteer for Folk Harbour…but the hoodies are amazing!)

Saturdays in the Park, 2023

Casual Cries for Help, Garry Woodcock photo

Our free, open-air concert series launched on June 24, and will continue with more great music every Saturday until September 2. Concerts take place at the Bandstand in Lunenburg from 2 to 3 pm, and will move to the Lunenburg Opera House in case of inclement weather.

The schedule is as follows:

June 24 — Casual Cries for Help
July 1 — Carolina East
July 8 — Rosemary Lawton
July 15 — Geoff Arsenault
July 22 — Ced, Marty, and Dave
July 29 — HuDost
August 5 — Brigid
August 19 — Ol Billy Bob Boy
August 26 — Kim Dunn
September 2 — Moira & Claire

Excitement is mounting as we gear up for the 38th annual Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival! And while we wait for that, don’t forget about the great music ahead in our Saturdays in the Park series.

©2023 Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society | 125 Montague Street, PO Box 655, Lunenburg, NS B0J 2C0