NEWS RELEASE
ARTS ORILLIA
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Arts Orillia presents the 2024 Orillia Jazz Festival, Oct. 19, 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Orillia Opera House.
Don’t miss this incredible day of amazing sound, award-winning musicians, world-class dance — and community talent.
The day kicks off at 1 p.m. at the Orillia Opera House with a matinee performance featuring Autorickshaw. This show lies on the cultural cutting edge, as contemporary jazz, funk and folk easily rub shoulders with the classical and popular music of India. The group boasts 2004 and 2007 Juno nominations for World Music Album of the Year and in 2025 they won the Canadian Independent Music Award.
These fabulous musicians are sharing the stage with Orillia’s beloved Brassworks, who are reinvigorating the big band tradition to critical and popular acclaim. These professional musicians will invite Orillia’s youth musicians to the stage, as part of this eclectic afternoon of music. Come and see our local talent.
Stick around for the 7:30 p.m. concert with Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George) — a two-time Juno Award-winning Canadian vocalist famed for her bebop and swing stylings. She has performed at venues and festivals across North America and Asia.
But wait — there’s more. Arts Orillia welcomes back critically acclaimed composer and pianist Thompson Egbo-Egbo. This artist’s innate aptitude and affection for the piano is riveting. You won’t want to miss his soulful new works or the innovative covers that the Egbo-Egbo trios play with such flare. Five stunning dance artists — Molly Tiernan, Olivia Okonkwo, Jeffrey Lapira, Shona Kiyama and Nadia Dardano — will light up the stage grooving to the choreography of Canada’s celebrated jazz dance expert, Vicki St. Denys.
It’s all coming up soon. Don’t miss the chance to reserve your tickets for these spectacular performances, at www.artsorillia.ca/orillia-jazz-festival-2024.
Quotes
“Canadian jazz singer Caity Gyorgy, in addition to having a warm voice and swinging phrasing, is a skilled songwriter whose originals sound as if they are from the 1950s with more modern lyrics.” — Scott Yanow, DownBeat
“Thompson is a mystifying talent that has never been afraid to step outside of his comfort zone, experiment with new sounds, and take you on the musical journey you were not expecting. He expands his musical horizons in ways that only he can do, which guarantees that you are in for a unique and unforgettable concert experience each and every time he sits at the piano.” — Canadian Music Centre
“Thompson has a gift for memorable and harmonically complex compositions that have at their core a deep, abiding groove.” — Canadian Music Centre
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