A Message from the President (May 2018)

We are getting so close and all of us are looking forward to spending a really exciting and rewarding weekend with our members and new faces at the 6th annual CMAOntario Festival and Awards weekend and the 5th annual R2I TuneUp Conference in London, June 1-3, 2018.

Tickets for the June 3^rd Awards show are going quickly, so please visit the Centennial Hall box office https://centennialhall.london/london-event-listings.html It is going to be our best show yet and not to be missed. Every year, we on the Board receive calls asking if we can get someone tickets after they discover the event is sold out. (And of course, we can’t manufacture seats!)

Get on the road to independence! Saturday, June 2nd and Sunday, June 3^rd, will see CMAOntario’s Road to Independence (R2I) TuneUp Conference move into the Delta London Armouries Hotel for a two-day program of learning, networking and mentoring with trailblazers in the country music industry. Programming will cover artist development and discovery, management and business practices, songwriting, digital marketing, promotion, funding and more.

CMAOntario has lined up best-in-class panelists, representing management, producers, artists, songwriters, radio programmers, agents, labels, publishing, streaming services and entertainment law. This is truly the time to network and gain some invaluable knowledge for years to come. A 2-day Delegate Pass is just $95 (plus taxes) for non-Members and $85 for CMAOntario Members (until midnight May 26th). For panel details and to purchase passes, visit us at www.cmaontario.ca

Join us for the Annual CMAOntario Charity Softball Challenge, returning Friday June 1st at Labatt Memorial Park. Come and cheer on your favourite artists as they swing for the fences. There will be an artist meet and greet, autographs, merchandise and more. Help us support The Unison Benevolent Fund and Kidsport London.

Also on Friday, at Rum Runners (London Music Hall), following the Softball Challenge, don’t miss Songs & Stories, hosted by one of the funniest men we know: Wendell Ferguson! The event will feature Jason Blaine, Ryan Langdon, Dan Davidson and a very special surprise guest, playing the songs you know them for in an intimate setting. Tickets are just $15 and can be purchased online now at www.cmaontario.ca

The Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday, June 2nd at 12:30 PM at the Delta London Armouries Hotel and when you come to learn about our fiscal management, current and future initiatives, and exercise your right to elect Directors to the Board, we will feed you lunch. Good deal!

Quite frankly, this is a very important segment of the weekend. It is the people you elect to the Board who will work to provide you with performance opportunities, benefits and mentorships; and plan workshops, seminars and events like this, giving you essential tools that will help you develop as an artist or industry professional.

In the evening of Saturday, June 2nd, join us at The New Faces Showcase & Concert outdoors at Market Square, featuring Brad Battle, Johnson Crook, Kelsi Mayne, Joshua David and The Redhill Valleys. We’ll cap off the night with our feature headliners, The Reklaws and the award-winning Meghan Patrick!

The Legacy Revival Show, an afternoon of intimate acoustic performances, featuring Michelle Wright, Aaron Pritchett, The Good Brothers, Patricia Conroy, Bob Funk and hosted by Randy Owen, begins at 2 PM on June 3rd at the beautiful and heavenly-sounding Bishop Cronyn Memorial Place. Tickets are available at the Aeolian Hall Box Office www.aeolianhall.ca   $28 advance and $30 at the door.

To help us help you, we would invite you to offer up ideas for new initiatives, benefits for members and items for our monthly newsletter.

Thanks again for the continuing support of all our sponsors and members!

See you in London – and please, while you are there, introduce yourselves to us, if you haven’t already!!

Cheers,

Catherine Faint
President