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Abilities Arts Festival Toronto, ON October 25-26, 2007
On October 25th and 26th, 2007, Matt and his Boston Trio (John Funkhouser and Steve Silverstein) performed in Toronto, Ontario. This was Matt’s second performance in Canada in a two week period. This time, Matt was there to perform as part of the Abilities Arts Festival: A Celebration of Disability Arts and Culture. The band performed first at the official opening of the Festival at Columbus Centre on Thursday, October 25th. The opening ceremonies were impressive. Persons of import in attendance were Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Kuwait, who provided an international flair and perspective on the importance of a diverse and inclusive arts and cultural sector, Flavio Belli, Curator of the CONNECTIONS 3 Exposed Exhibit, and Kyla Harris, subject and collaborator in "Access Sex", an important part of the "Body Language" exhibit. Also in attendance were exhibiting artists from across Canada and the United States, and as far away as Australia.
Her Royal Highness, Princess of Kuwait There were 3 special photography exhibitions being shown from artists around the world. When I say that the photographs on display were amazing, I am making the biggest understatement possible. Phenomenal is a better word. Matt and I (and the band members) took time to walk around to admire each and every photograph on display and read about the artist. The photographs were simply jaw-dropping in their beauty and visual complexity. Then we read the story behind each photographer…some photographers were legally blind, others were wheelchair-bound, others had equally compelling challenges. That this art was so amazing was not a surprise to us, but certainly it showed the world that an artist is an artist no matter what the challenges faced by that individual! The festival was VERY appropriately named! The photography exhibit was on multiple levels. While people milled around looking at photos, the band performed on the first floor. A large number of people just sat and listened to the band. It was a wonderful combination of music and art. The band loved the experience. The “Access Sex” exhibit on the upper level was tasteful and just beautifully done and thought provoking. The children’s exhibit on the lower level was emotional and uplifting. Friday was the “big” event being held by the Abilities Arts Festival at the esteemed Glenn Gould Studio, one of Toronto’s finest concert halls. Overall, the festival spanned a full 10 days; however, the 8 days following this performance were devoted to multidisciplinary visual, film, workshops and special events. This was the Abilities Arts’ big “Performing Arts” event. The Trio was one of several performers participating in this “Gala Evening of Performances,” albeit the headliner.
Performances were given also by Corpuscule Danse, Martin Deschamps, Geoff McMurchy and an acting duo premiering Wendy Lill's short play "Brothers." The entire evening was simply fantastic! Matt and his Trio were thrilled to watch the other performers both before and after their own show. And Matt and musician Martin Deschamps REALLY hit it off. Martin is Quebec’s big music sensation. He is multi-talented, plays multiple instruments and sings! He’s an incredible showman with a great sense of humor (even speaking in English, not French). Matt and Martin swapped CDs at the end of the evening. They had a kind of mutual admiration thing going. Matt VERY much hopes to see and perform with Martin again! On a side note, the CD that Martin gave Matt is really, really great and Matt loves it. If you have the chance to buy it, DO. It’s called Le Désert.
We would very much like to thank everyone at the Abilities Arts Festival who made it possible for Matt and his Trio to be a part of this wonderful event. Sharon Wolfe and Deborah Cohen and all the people working behind the scenes, …thank you for EVERYTHING!!! You did a simply amazing job of putting together a spectacular arts festival while making us and ALL of your artists feel welcomed and appreciated!!!! We most definitely hope to see you and work with you again! Actually, maybe we should say PLAY with you again, we had such fun! On a side note, Ryerson University School of Journalism aired a television piece about Matt on their Friday night “In Focus” Artist Spotlight. Matt enjoyed working with the students during the filming as they honed their journalism skills.
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