Outstanding Success!
The 2009 Showcase took place on Sunday, April 19, and proved to be one of the most successful Showcase events ever. There was a standing room only crowd present at the Best Western Mariposa Inn & Conference Centre to enjoy the nine featured acts. Those in attendance were treated to a variety of outstanding individual and group performances.
The presence of so many excellent acts made it very difficult for the judges to make the final Showcase selections. Congratulations to the 2009 winners, and now Mariposa Folk Festival invitees:
Ariana Gillis
Samantha Martin & The Haggard
Patrick Brealey
See all of the 2009 Showcase photos in our Photo & Video Gallery.
The other performers to be selected and participate in the Showcase included:
Mike Celia
Three Penny Opus
Sean Pinchin
The Saltcoats
Curtain Alley
The Doug Trucker Band
Patrick Brealey
Ariana Gillis
Mariposa Showcase Notes
Mariposa Folk Festival is renowned for recognizing and supporting emerging talent. Each year a limited number of artists are chosen through juried artistic submissions to audition for a spot on one of Mariposa’s stages. A lucky 3 are chosen each year to perform at the Mariposa Folk Festival based on their live performances. The general public is invited to participate in the selection. In 2009 nearly 200 submissions were received from as far away as Los Angeles.
A panel of judges assesses and ranks each performance, and in 2009 members of the audience were asked to serve collectively as an additional judge, and were issued one ballot each. Mariposa Folk Foundation Members were issued two ballots each. Memberships are always available for purchase at the door.
In recent years, several Mariposa Showcase performers have gone on to successful careers and popular acclaim including Dala, The Undesirables and Juno award winners, Serena Ryder and Old Man Ludecke.
Samantha Martin
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That’s practically the only cliché that can be bandied about regarding our neighbor to the north, and it also exemplifies the all-round good vibe that the Canadians exude, both amongst one another and to visitors as well. And it certainly personifies the genuinely good vibes that accompany an event like the mariposa Folk Festival, which just concluded its 51st year of operation this past July 8 – 10. Be assured, there was nothing clichéd about this line-up. Held in Tudhope Park in Orilla, Ontario – approximately two hours north of Toronto and on the shores of beautiful Lake Couchiching — the festival belies its branding by giving equal credence to both traditional folkies – with tireless troubadours Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary), Murray McLauchlan, John McDermott, Stan Rogers and Ron Hynes representing the old guard – and dynamic young rockers – Josh Ritter, Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans, the Beauties, and Yukon Blonde, among them – performing on behalf of the new guard. In between, there were those who bridged the divide – Saturday night headliner Emmylou Harris and mystery guest Ron Sexsmith in particular. And there were plenty of newbies as well – Amelia Curran, Brett Caswell and the Marquee Rose, Katherine Wheatley, David Myles, Del Barber and Reid Jamieson being among the best.
That’s practically the only cliché that can be bandied about regarding our neighbor to the north, and it also exemplifies the all-round good vibe that the Canadians exude, both amongst one another and to visitors as well. And it certainly personifies the genuinely good vibes that accompany an event like the mariposa Folk Festival, which just concluded its 51st year of operation this past July 8 – 10. Be assured, there was nothing clichéd about this line-up. Held in Tudhope Park in Orilla, Ontario – approximately two hours north of Toronto and on the shores of beautiful Lake Couchiching — the festival belies its branding by giving equal credence to both traditional folkies – with tireless troubadours Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary), Murray McLauchlan, John McDermott, Stan Rogers and Ron Hynes representing the old guard – and dynamic young rockers – Josh Ritter, Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans, the Beauties, and Yukon Blonde, among them – performing on behalf of the new guard. In between, there were those who bridged the divide – Saturday night headliner Emmylou Harris and mystery guest Ron Sexsmith in particular. And there were plenty of newbies as well – Amelia Curran, Brett Caswell and the Marquee Rose, Katherine Wheatley, David Myles, Del Barber and Reid Jamieson being among the best.
Saturday beckoned with the first full day of entertainment possibilities, and the choice to begin with some upbeat bluegrass seemed the logical way to go. David Myles, a tall, lanky, good-natured singer/songwriter, hosted the genteel Katherine Wheatley and the instrumental ensemble Hard Ryde on the shady Estelle Klein Stage and got the festivities off to a boisterous start. Bryson and the Weakerthans followed, repeating their previous night’s set, but adding an intimacy that eludes most artists on the main stage. This being Canada, and the fact that the spotlight falls overwhelmingly on natives sons and daughters, the next showcase set was devoted entirely to interpretations of Gordon Lightfoot songs from the likes of Katherine Wheatley, Reid Jameson and John McDermott, a former member of the Canadian Tenors whose lusty vocals, and the fact he was originally discovered during an impromptu recital of “Danny Boy,” made him a somewhat obvious additive for a folk festival. The homage to Lightfoot was only natural, given the fact that he hails from Orillia and that one of his last major appearances was as last year’s festival headliner. Reid’s take on “Summer Side of Life” and Wheatley’s “Early Morning Rain” offered impressive reminders of why Lightfoot is not only a Canadian institution but a veritable singer/songwriter phenomenon as well.
That’s practically the only cliché that can be bandied about regarding our neighbor to the north, and it also exemplifies the all-round good vibe that the Canadians exude, both amongst one another and to visitors as well. And it certainly personifies the genuinely good vibes that accompany an event like the mariposa Folk Festival, which just concluded its 51st year of operation this past July 8 – 10. Be assured, there was nothing clichéd about this line-up. Held in Tudhope Park in Orilla, Ontario – approximately two hours north of Toronto and on the shores of beautiful Lake Couchiching — the festival belies its branding by giving equal credence to both traditional folkies – with tireless troubadours Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary), Murray McLauchlan, John McDermott, Stan Rogers and Ron Hynes representing the old guard – and dynamic young rockers – Josh Ritter, Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans, the Beauties, and Yukon Blonde, among them – performing on behalf of the new guard. In between, there were those who bridged the divide – Saturday night headliner Emmylou Harris and mystery guest Ron Sexsmith in particular. And there were plenty of newbies as well – Amelia Curran, Brett Caswell and the Marquee Rose, Katherine Wheatley, David Myles, Del Barber and Reid Jamieson being among the best.
That’s practically the only cliché that can be bandied about regarding our neighbor to the north, and it also exemplifies the all-round good vibe that the Canadians exude, both amongst one another and to visitors as well. And it certainly personifies the genuinely good vibes that accompany an event like the mariposa Folk Festival, which just concluded its 51st year of operation this past July 8 – 10. Be assured, there was nothing clichéd about this line-up. Held in Tudhope Park in Orilla, Ontario – approximately two hours north of Toronto and on the shores of beautiful Lake Couchiching — the festival belies its branding by giving equal credence to both traditional folkies – with tireless troubadours Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary), Murray McLauchlan, John McDermott, Stan Rogers and Ron Hynes representing the old guard – and dynamic young rockers – Josh Ritter, Jim Bryson and the Weakerthans, the Beauties, and Yukon Blonde, among them – performing on behalf of the new guard. In between, there were those who bridged the divide – Saturday night headliner Emmylou Harris and mystery guest Ron Sexsmith in particular. And there were plenty of newbies as well – Amelia Curran, Brett Caswell and the Marquee Rose, Katherine Wheatley, David Myles, Del Barber and Reid Jamieson being among the best.
After being held in various places in Ontario for a few decades, it returned to Orillia in 2000. Ruth Jones, her husband Dr. Crawford Jones, brother David Major and Pete McGarvey organized the first Mariposa Folk Festival in August 1961. The inaugural event, covered by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation , featured all Canadian performers. The first festival held in the Toronto area, in 1964, was at Maple Leaf Stadium. The subsequent three festivals were held at Innis Lake in Caledon northwest of the city.