SINGERS’ BOOTCAMP at Alcorn Music Studios

SINGERS' BOOTCAMP
Hello singers! I am very excited to announce that I will be taking part in Alcorn Music Studios’ Singers’ Bootcamp as an instructor! Hooray! Under the direction of Elise Letourneau and alongside my fellow instructor Nicole Ratté we will lead singers (ages high school through adult) through the most fundamental and universal aspects of singing including technique, theory and musicianship. The bootcamp runs from July  7 – 12. Here is a typical day at Singers’ Bootcamp:

9a – warm-ups and voice-building/technique
9:30a – sight reading
10a – repertoire
11a – break
11:15a-12:15p – harmony singing
12:15-12:45p – genre discussion – (topics change daily)
12:45-1:45p – lunch
1:45-2:30p – theory & ear training
2:30-3:15p – elective
3:15-4p – break
4-4:30p – voice-building/technique
4:30-5:30p – repertoire
5:30-7p – dinner/break
7-9p – performances, working with a rhythm section

Sounds exciting, right? If you are in the Ottawa area and you are interested in enrolling please click here for more details. The bootcamp has limited enrolment and admission is on a first come, first served basis, so act fast! Registration deadline is Friday, June 21, 2013.

If you know some who may be interested in this camp you can send them a link to this post or invite them to our facebook event here.

Tomorrow night: Renée Yoxon / Mark Ferguson / Joel Kerr at GIGSPACE

gigspacedposterJoin me, Mark Ferguson and Joel Kerr at GIGSPACE in Ottawa tomorrow night for an evening of jazz standards and original songs. Mark and I will be debuting new compositions as well as playing material from our album, Here We Go Again.

Tickets are still available so reserve yours now!

When: Friday, May 10, 2013, 7:30 pm
Where: GIGSPACE, 953 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa, ON
Tickets: $20, cash at the door or for advance purchase by credit card call 613-729-0693
Accessibility: There are 4 concrete steps up to two doors that open out. Once in the space, venue and washrooms are accessibility. Contact GIGSPACE for more info.

Click here to RSVP on facebook and let me know you’re coming!

Renée Yoxon & Mark Ferguson at GIGSPACE, May 10 // Ottawa

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Join me, Mark Ferguson and Joel Kerr at GIGSPACE in Ottawa for an evening of jazz standards and original songs. Mark and I will be debuting new compositions as well as playing material from their album, Here We Go Again.

When: Friday, May 10, 2013, 7:30 pm
Where: GIGSPACE, 953 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa, ON
Tickets: $20, cash at the door or for advance purchase by credit card call 613-729-0693
Accessibility: There are 4 concrete steps up to two doors that open out. Once in the space, venue and washrooms are accessibility. Contact GIGSPACE for more info.

Click here to RSVP on facebook and let me know you’re coming!

Jazz + Poetry, March 30 in Ottawa

jazz+poetry, March 30, Ottawa

Poets and jazz musicians have been collaborating and drawing inspirations from each other for many years. That’s why I’m so exciting to be putting on a show with Brandon Wint, a nationally recognized spoken word artist.

Brandon and I have been friends for many years. In a lot of ways our development as artists has shared a similar track. This is the first time we are sharing a bill together and I’m really happy it’s finally happening. Click the video below to check out one of his poems:

Both Brandon, and Mark Ferguson and I will be unveiling new work, so this is definitely not a show to be missed.

What: Jazz + Poetry: Renée Yoxon, Mark Ferguson, and Brandon Wint
When: March 30, 2013, 7pm
Where: Pressed, 750 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa, ON
Cover: $10

See you on Saturday!

CBC Searchlight ladies with whom I’d like to be friends // part 3

Motel Raphael, Ambre McLean, Three Little BirdsSadly, I have been eliminated from the CBC Searchlight Competition. Thank you so much to everyone who came in out support of my entry. It really means the world to know I can count on you. That said! Just because I have been eliminated does not mean you should stop voting for Canada’s Best New Artist. In fact, three of the women from part 1 and part 2 of this series have made it on the regional finals. Please continue to support Erin Propp, Amy Wood, and Molly Thomason!

Here are some more amazing women you should vote for:

1. Motel Raphaël (top left)

Motel Raphael is a seven-piece Indie Pop Folk band from Montreal fronted by Clara Legault (vocals and electric guitar), Emily Skahan (vocals and acoustic guitar), Maya Malkin (vocals and electric guitar). Their competition entry, Ghosts, is catchy and memorable with tight vocal harmonies. These women definitely deserve your vote. You’ll find them in the Homerun lineup here.

2. Ambre McLean (top right)

Ambre Mclean’s bluesy voice got my attention right away. I love the simple instrumentation in her competition entry, So Over. The single guitar showcases her rich voice and strong songwriting. Ambre is located in Guelph and you can vote for her in the Kitchener-Waterloo lineup here.

3. Three Little Birds (bottom, photo credit: Henrieta Haniskova)

I have the great pleasure of already being friends with the lovely ladies of Three Little Birds. Hailing from Ottawa, these women are writing some incredibly important music. They fearlessly tackle issues like sexual abuse and apartheid and they do it with razor-sharp wit and tight harmonies. You can vote for Three Little Birds in the All In A Day lineup here.

Voting for round three of CBC Searchlight ends tomorrow so don’t wait! You only have two days to lend your vote to these amazing women. This will be the last part in the CBC Searchlight ladies with whom I’d like to be friends series. Here are the links to the previous two parts:

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this short series as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Let me know who you’re rooting for in the comments below.

My Week In Pictures: Candy, Cupcakes, Chocolates!

My Week In Pictures: 2013 Week 7This week was SWEET. I mean that literally, it was incredibly sweet! Last weekend Craig and I went to Wed By Hand and gorged ourselves on delicious cupcakes, jams, ganache, and other terribly wonderful sweets (more on that on Thursday).

On Tuesday I attended the Council for the Arts in Ottawa (CAO) Sweetheart Cocktail for the Arts, the theme this year was “A Chocoholic’s Paradise.” This event is a fundraising event for the CAO where they announce their annual arts award nominees. I had a really wonderful time hanging out with my dad, drinking wine, and eat delicious gourmet chocolates while listening to Ottawa’s funk sensation, The Hornettes. On top of all that I was nominated for the RBC Emerging Artist Award! Talk about a great night.

I spent the rest of the week teaching, practicing, and planning awesome blog posts for the upcoming month. I’m actually really excited about some of the features and things I have planned. It’s been a great learning experience developing the skills to plan and write regular contant for you readers. I love it!

Thursday, of course, was Valentine’s Day. Craig and I don’t usually celebrate Valentine’s Day since we usually have to work. This was one of the first time’s in a long time that neither of us had to go out, so we stayed in and watched Frank & Robot on the laptop. Also, one of my students brought me a giant Hershey’s kiss! yay!

So that’s it for this week’s update! Stay tuned this week for the 3rd instalment of Book Love, a photo recap from the wedding show weekends, and other goodies! My next performance is tonight! Join François Gravel and me for Live Jazz Monday at Mercury Lounge tonight at 9pm (and if you come early, you can get a manicure for only $10!)

Have a great week, you beauties!

Welcome a new house band to the Saturday Afternoon Jazz Jam at Pressed

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The Saturday Afternoon Jazz Jam at Pressed is starting into it’s 9th month of existence, and after 8 months of running it with Craig Pedersen and David Pontello as the house band, it’s time to pass the torch! Starting this Saturday, Karen Rauh and company will be hosting the jam. Karen has been a part of the house band a few times in the past but now she’s taking it over for the next little while. Hooray! Let’s all wish Karen, Adrian, Mark and Allyson a warm welcome.

If you are an Ottawa-based jazz musician (or are visiting from out of town) please check out the jam this Saturday from 2pm to 5pm. Pressed is at 750 Gladstone Avenue and the cover is a sliding scale of $5 to $15. It’s open to players at every level so don’t be shy if it’s your first time!

If you’re still in doubt, just look at how much fun we’ve had at past jams:

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Live Jazz Monday is back!!

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Hey folks! Guess what!? After a few weeks hiatus due to holidays and illness, Live Jazz Monday is back! Join me and François Gravel at Mercury Lounge on Monday, January 7th at 9pm for some great music (if I do say so myself), the jazz cocktail of the week, and the usual antics. I’m soooooo happy to be back! There’s no cover ever so come on down!

PS: This cute photo of me and François was taken by my sister at our third anniversary party in November. I have a mouthful of birthday doughnut. Thanks for the pic, Emma!

Photos by Claude Brazeau // CD release edition

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As I have mentioned before, photographer Claude Brazeau is one of the best in the Ottawa. He attended the Here We Go Again CD release on Friday, December 7th and took some amazing photos (of me – sorry Mark). He has graciously allowed me to share them here so please click through to view the whole set and leave a comment if you love Claude’s work!

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Jazzin’ the Holidays in support of SASC

Jazzin' the Holidays e-cardHappy holidays! On Sunday, December 23rd, I’m going to be teaming up with Elise Letourneau and Nicole Ratté to bring you an afternoon of seasonal classics, beautiful harmonies, and swinging grooves. We will be joined by trumpeter Craig Pedersen, guitarist Tim Bedner, bassist Mark Alcorn, and drummer Marilee Townsend.

100% of the proceeds from this concert will be donated to the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa, so come on out and support a worthy cause! Here are the deets:

What: Jazzin’ the Holidays – a holiday charity concert in support of SASC
When: Sunday, December 23rd, 2012, 2pm
Where: GigSpace, 953 Gladstone Avenue, Ottawa, ON
Tickets: $20, available at the door or by phone at 613-729-0693