Tag: Ben Whiteley

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Light, love and music!

I feel privileged that once again I get to sing with lots of people and share light, love and music as we enter the darkest time of year and approach the winter solstice, Christmas, Hannukah and New Years.

First up, I’m extremely excited to sing with a symphony orchestra! Chris McKool and the Sultans of Strings Christmas Caravan is kicking off it’s winter shows with a performance Dec. 7, 3:00 p.m. at the George Weston Recital Hall – Meridian Arts Centre,  5040 Yonge St, North York, ON M2N 6R8 that will feature us playing with Orchestra Toronto! An acclaimed group of both amateur and professional musicians this will be my first time singing a song I wrote backed by a whole symphony orchestra.

Here is the link for tickets, etc.: https://www.tolive.com/Event-Details-Page/reference/Sultans-of-String-2025

The Sultans of String w. Rebecca Campbell, Drew Birston, Chris McKool and Kevin Laliberte

Check out this video from last year’s show at Hugh’s Room Live with my version of “Last Month of the Year”.

After that the Sultans of String Christmas Caravan will make stops at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre (Dec. 19, 7:30 PM) Burlington tickets here, Brookside Music in Midland, ON (Dec. 20, 7:00 PM) Midland tickets here, and on the solstice itself we’ll finish off at the beautiful McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg, ON. (Dec. 21, 2:00 PM) McMichael tickets here. I believe the McMichael show is free with admission to the gallery but tickets are recommended as the space is limited.

On Friday, Dec. 12 I will be singing and leading carols at the Sivananda Yoga Centre Christmas party, 77 Harbord St. near Spadina. Remember that I also teach an open 90 minute yoga asana class there most Friday mornings at 9:30. Check them out here: https://sivanandacanada.org/toronto/

On Wednesday, Dec. 17 I will be a special guest with the Good Lovelies at Massey Hall! The fantastic trio of women (Caroline, Kerri and Sue) and their band will be featuring families as guests. I’ll do a couple of songs with my niece Jenny Whiteley, her husband Joey Wright, their daughter Lila Wright and my son Ben Whiteley. Also on the bill will be Georgia Harmer with her mom and dad, Mary Harmer and Gord Tough (who is also Jenny’s first cousin!). It should be a great night and it’s always special to grace the stage of the venerable Massey Hall. Massey Hall tickets

Christmas Eve I will be singing at Roncesvalles United Church, 6:30 p.m. with Ciceal Levy, David Wall and Ben Whiteley on string bass. This Christmas Eve service is always wonderful.

Ken Whiteley performing “Bright Side” and “Another Day’s Journey” at the Sivananda Yoga Retreat

Right after Christmas I’ll be going to the Sivananda Yoga Retreat in Nassau, Bahamas to participate in their Christmas and New Years Unity in Diversity Symposium. It is a power packed event with 41 workshops, concerts, talks and special satsangs as well as the ashram regular daily schedule of asana classes, vegetarian meals and spectacular beach time. I will be performing/workshopping from Dec. 28 – 30. Info here: Unity in Diversity Symposium.

In January I’ll be heading to Belfast, Northern Ireland to showcase at Your Roots Are Showing folk music conference January 13 – 18, 2026. That should be a blast and hopefully will lead to more opportunities to share my music with people in the U.K and Ireland.

I hope that you get a chance to share light, love and music with whoever you can as the seasons keep turning.

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Return to Mariposa, Kitchener Blues

I’m very excited to be returning to the Mariposa Folk Festival, Tudhope Park, Orillia on July 6 and 7. My concert is 1 p.m. Saturday at the Estelle Klein Stage. I’ll have an all star band of Ben Whiteley (string bass), Bucky Berger (drums), Ciceal Levy (vocals and percussion) and Rob McLaren (guitars, banjo, mandolin, vocals).

It was 60 years ago that I went to my first Mariposa Folk Festival and my connection to the festival has changed my life.  In 1964 it was young, up and coming songwriters like Gord Lightfoot and Buffy St. Marie, traditional musicians like fiddler Jean Carignan and most importantly for me, blues musicians Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James and the Rev. Gary Davis.  My brother Chris and I first performed there in 1969 as “new songwriters” and wider audiences opened up for our group, The Original Sloth Band after we first played there in 1972.  I was on the board for 10 years and Estelle Klein, the longtime artistic director, was a great mentor to me.  Estelle had me as “program director” in 1976 and I was the artistic director of the festival in 1978 and 1980. In 2009 I was very honoured to be inducted into the Mariposa Hall of Fame.

My Saturday afternoon concert set at this years festival will, in part, look back at some of the performers who have touched me such as Bessie Jones, Jackie Washington, Bernice Reagon and Amos Garrett but will also include some of my newest songs that speak to our world today and the need for connection amidst the many challenges we face.  On Sunday 

On August 10, 11 I’ll be at the Kitchener Blues Festival in downtown Kitchener, ON. On Saturday my concert is at noon with Gord Mowat (string bass) and Ciceal Levy (vocals, percussion). On Sunday I’m doing a workshop on Blues & Gospel Harmony Singing with Ciceal Levy and David Wall.

Ciceal Levy, Ken Whiteley, Rosalyn Dennett, Gord Mowat