Newsletter

Yes, another year is almost completed and I am pleased to announce that we have set the date for the AGM which is to be held on Thursday, September 13th, 2012 at 42 Lingarde Drive in Scarborough, Ontario.  Yes as members you need to come out and vote or assign your proxy.  The CMA Ontario will be seeing some changes to the Board this year and there is room for new people to get involved as Directors. I wish to take this opportunity to thank Jeff Sheppard and Sandy Graham for the work they did on the Board this past year.  They are not standing for election this year.  As well, I will not be either.  However, there is an exciting number of new people […]

What do the Kinks, David Bowie, T. Rex, Gypsies, Jack the Ripper and Scrabble all have in common? In two words,… Anya Wilson. Born on the northeast coast if England in Grimsby (a town populated by sailors and gypsies), Anya grew up at a time when music was really influencing England. The Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks were all the rage and one young girl had had enough of parochial school, secondary school and private school. She dreamt of being a dancer on ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ or ‘Top of the Pops’, but instead she worked in Grimsby for a timber importer, a secretary at an aerosol company and a sniffer for a fragrance manufacturer. To make ends meet, she also worked 3 nights a week […]

Gord Bamford is not only a chart topping country singer and songwriter. Him and his team are also nominated for 16 CCMA Awards this fall. Impressive….? Yes. But this country boy gives as good as he gets. On July 31 and August 1 he hosted his 5th Annual Golf Classic in Lacombe Alberta. The event raised over $270,000 for the Bamford Foundation. That brings the grand total from 5 years to over $1,000,000! The foundation distributes the monies to various children’s charities including, the Make a Wish Foundation, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and other children based charities There were 16 country artists performing on the show including many of our members. Beverly Mahood, Jason Blaine, Kira Isabella, Jake Matthews and Wendell Ferguson performed and hosted. […]

Attend the Country Music Association of Ontario’s upcoming Seminar and Demorama. Learn how to record, fund and promote your music project. Have your songs/recordings listened to by leaders of the industry. Saturday September 15th 10:00AM at Trebas Institute, 2340 Dundas Street West in Toronto. http://www.trebas.com/ If you sing, play music or write songs, do not miss this great opportunity to talk to industry experts. There’s limited seating so get your tickets today. Only $15 each, available online at cmaontario.ca

ArtsCan Circle is a charity that sends artists and musicians to work with at-risk indigenous youth in Canada’s North. ArtsCan’s programs depend on funding for art supplies and instruments, as well as transportation to the remote communities they visit.  Friends and supporters make this happen by direct donations and by organizing fund-raising concerts and activities. This summer and fall, they are organizing raffle and hope to count on your help. And you could win some great prizes. The raffle prizes include: • $1000 Gift Certificate for the 12th Fret Music Store in Toronto • A Paul Reed Smith Electric Guitar – value $700 • A Gibson Dobro – Hound Dog Model – value $500 • A solid mahogany soprano ukulele – value $300 • A […]

We at CMA Ontario are starting a new program featuring CMA Ontario members on our  website. If you’re a member in good standing, please send us a picture and brief Bio at: info@cmaontario.ca

LARGE FORMAT STUDIOS (over 250 sq. ft. live floor) BLUE BEAR SOUND www.bluebearsound.com Contact: Bruce Valeriani / studio@bluebearsound.com / 613.822.0726 CEDARTREE RECORDINGS STUDIO Contact: J Richard (Rick) Hutt / jrhutt@bellnet.ca / 519.748.5810 EMAC RECORDING STUDIOS www.emacstudios.com Contact: Rob Nation / info@emacstudios.com / 519.667.3622 HOWL STUDIO www.howlstudio.com Contact: David Falco / info@howlstudio.com / 905.257.2424 / 905.891.0336 VELVET SOUND STUDIOS www.velvetsoundstudios.com Contact: Mark McLay / worldrockschool@gmail.com / K.G. RECORDS HYPERLINK “http://www.kgrecords.com Contact: Kevin Gorman / HYPERLINK =mailto:Kevin@kgrecords.com”Kevin@kgrecords.com / 519.709.5384 SMALL FORMAT STUDIOS (under 250 sq. ft. live floor) STUDIO NOWHERE www.makeahitsong.com Contact: Glenn Talsky / glenn@makeahitsong.com / 416.266.3079

And The Award Goes To…….. Yes, the Board of Directors has been working diligently toward putting your inaugural awards show together for you.  It has been a long and difficult process to determine which awards we should give out in the first year.  We recognize that there are many additional awards to be considered for future years, but for our first show, we want the focus to be on providing as many performance opportunities as possible. I am pleased to announce that the following awards will be given out at the inaugural CMAO Awards (yet to be given an official name) at The Markham Theatre on May 28, 2013 are: Female Vocalist Male Vocalist Group or Duo Rising Star Single of the Year Songwriter of […]

  Sam Arraj came to the board of the CMA Ontario at precisely the right time. He’s a chartered accountant and we definitely needed someone to put  our finances in order and steer us toward financial stability. Originally from Lebanon, Sam and his family emigrated to Canada back in 1988 and he appreciates everything about being a Canadian and the opportunities it affords. As Sam says, “I believe I’m very lucky to be living in the best country in the world. My siblings and I have grown  up to love and appreciate this country, its history, and the sacrifices that were endured to give us our freedoms and rights.” He  wasn’t always an accountant. He was a baker, a factory worker, a door-to-door salesman and […]