Voices Three will perform Jan. 7 at the Mex Pub to benefit the Comox Valley Hospice Society. The popular trio is Helen Austin, Sue Pyper and Judy Wing.
Since their original formation and concert in 2007, Voices Three has raised $18,000 for the Comox Valley Hospice Society.
Between concerts, they pursue individual creative endeavours and bring new material to the group.
With numerous albums released and publishing contracts, Helen Austin has had notable success in licensing music for film and television. She received a Juno nomination and a Canadian Folk Music Award for her children’s album Always Be a Unicorn. Her most recent release, Colour It, was released this fall.
Sue Pyper is also an award-winning songwriter who has been exploring clawhammer banjo techniques and expanding her creative energy into wonderfully detailed paintings and pet portraiture.
Judy Wing and her husband Bruce released a new CD in 2013 called Wishing For Someday. They host a weekly open mic and are the organizers of the monthly 1st Tuesday Fundraiser concert series now in its sixth year. They have two songs nominated in the 2014 Vancouver Island Music Awards.
The group will perform new material for the concert as well as some songs that have become Voices Three standards.
“It has become a bit of a tradition to start off the new year with a concert for CVHS and we’re very pleased to have Trent Freeman joining us,” says Austin.
“The response to our very first Voices Three concert in 2007 was very encouraging and Trent was a great part of that. Although we each have very different writing styles, he was able to support and contribute accompaniment that tastefully suited everything that happened on stage. Any time that Trent can join us is an opportunity we look forward to.”
Originally from the Comox Valley, Freeman’s accomplishments, versatility and musical creativity have made him a highly sought after performer, backup musician, recording artist, composer, and band leader.
A graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, he received the 2010 String Department’s award for Outstanding Musical Achievement. His instrumental album Rock Paper Scissors won a Canadian Folk Music Award in 2012, and he has worked with bands from every genre from jazz, bluegrass, country and folk to hip-hop, funk, gospel and R&B.
Trent has also toured with well-known groups such as Wailin’ Jennys, John Reischman, Jessie Farrell, the Griffins, Wyclef Jean, and The Fretless, who performed at Vancouver Island MusicFest in 2013 and won the Western Canadian Music Award for best instrumental album of 2012.
The evening will start at 7:30 with an opening set by John Enns, also known as White Hat John, who will be accompanied by Blaine Dunaway on violin, who frequently contributes his talent to these events.
John’s rich baritone vocals and skills as a guitarist will be an enjoyable start to the evening. His repertoire includes renditions of songs by Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Ken Hamm, Stan Rogers, Leonard Cohen and other Canadian folk artists. John adds his own distinct style to his music while still maintaining the original feel to many favourite Canadian folk standards.
Seating is limited and admission is by donation so the trio invites you to come early, and give generously to the Comox Valley Hospice Society. The concert is on Jan. 7 at the Mex Pub and starts at 7:30 sharp.
For more information about 1st Tuesday events, visit www.judyandbruce.com or on Facebook/1stTuesdayFundraisers.
— 1st Tuesday Fundraisers
