Concert Information

Looking forward to playing old friends and new at various house concerts and venues in Canada – summer and fall 2018.

June 30, 2019 – private house concert Harrington Quebec.

July 6, 2019 – public house concert Ottawa Ontario.
HERE IS THE INVITATION FOR THE OTTAWA CONCERT – PLEASE PHONE FOR RESERVATIONS.

(From hosts John Royale and Huguette Voyer – en français plus bas)
Hello again, music fans,
We are pleased to invite you to a special summer concert at our home on Friday, July 6, 2018, at 7:30pm.  Reserve and get the address from John at:

john.royle.1@gmail.com

The evening will feature Ray Sealey, singer, songwriter, guitarist and poet.  

The concert is entitled “Americana and Songs of Love and Life”.  Ray will play traditional and original songs about travels in America, as well as ballads and stories of life and love. Besides his originals, you will hear songs by Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Merle Travis, Leonard Cohen and some traditional blues.

Ray is a long-time friend of ours, and has played at our house several times in past years.
He now lives in the Laurentians in summer and in the United States in winter. He has performed in music festivals, state and county parks along with house concerts in Florida, Georgia, and Canada. He has won prizes for song writing at the prestigious Will McLean Festival in Florida.

Ray taught classical guitar at the University of Western Ontario and then at the University of Ottawa for seven years. This background adds unique stylings to his accompaniments. He lived in Aylmer for a time and was artistic director of Les Concerts Ponticello held at the Salle Jean Despréz in Gatineau. Later, a major part of his life was dedicated to being director of CAMMAC in the Laurentians – a wonderful musical organization that many of you know.

Ray’s website with links to some recordings, videos, background as well as some lyrics:  www.raysealey.com

If you are interested in attending, please let us know by replying to this email. Also, if you would like to bring guests, please let us know how many and who you are bringing.

There is no admission charge to this concert, but there will be a donation box. A minimum donation of $20 is requested. All donations go to guest musicians.

Here’s to a pleasant summer evening !
John Royle and Huguette Voyer

— version française —

Bonjour,

Nous sommes heureux de vous inviter à un concert spécial « Americana and Songs of Love and Life »  le vendredi 6 juillet 2018 à 19h30 chez-nous.

Pour réservation et adresse: john.royle.1@gmail.com

Cette soirée mettra en vedette notre vieil ami Ray Sealey, chanteur, auteur-compositeur, guitariste et poète.
Il interprétera des chants traditionnels et ses compositions sur les voyages en Amérique en première partie et continuera avec des ballades et contes sur la vie et l’amour dans la seconde.
À part ses compositions, vous pourrez entendre des chansons de Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Merle Travis, Leonard Cohen ainsi que quelques blues traditionnels.

Ray vit maintenant dans les Laurentides en été et aux États-Unis durant l’hiver. Il a chanté et joué dans des festivals de musique dans des parcs nationaux ainsi que des maisons privées en Floride, Géorgie et au Canada. Il a remporté deux prix d’écriture en chanson au prestigieux Will McLean Festival en Floride.

Ray a enseigné la guitare à l’Université Western Ontario et à l’Université d’Ottawa pendant sept ans. Cette expérience ajoute une touche unique à ses accompagnements. Ayant vécu à Aylmer pendant quelque temps, il fut le directeur artistique de « Les Concerts Ponticello » tenus à la salle Jean-Despréz à Gatineau. Une très grande partie de sa vie fut plus tard dédiée à la direction de CAMMAC dans les Laurentides  – une merveilleuse organisation que plusieurs d’entre vous connaissez.

Voici son site internet : www.raysealey.com

Si vous êtes intéressés à assister à ce concert, s’il vous plaît réservez vos sièges par courriel ou par téléphone.
Si vous prévoyez amener des invités, dites-nous combien, et qui sont les personnes.
Les sièges sont disponibles sur la base du premier-arrivé premier-servi.

Nous ne vendons pas de billets d’entrée, mais il y aura une boîte pour les dons : nous suggérons un don minimum de $20 par personne. Ces dons vont directement au musicien.

Nous acceptons avec plaisir les contributions pour le léger goûter qui suivra.

Au plaisir de vous revoir,
John Royle et Huguette Voyer

 Testamonials

Your performance at Gamble Rogers State Park was great – informative, heartfelt, and pleasing to the ear and soul!” Barbara Roberts, Park Manager (cited with permission).

“Great concert! Come back and play for us anytime. Yes, you can use my name as a reference.” Assistant Park Manager Sam Cox, Stephen C. Foster State Park, Georgia.

Please write for info! I’ll be happy to play for you.

A sampling of past concert venues
Many house concerts in Quebec and Ontario
Plus
Stephen C. Foster State Park, Georgia.
Faver-Dykes  State Park, Florida
Gamble Rogers State Park, Florida
CAMMAC MUSIC CENTRE, Harrington, Quebec
Kaffee Gallery and coffee shop, Montreal, Quebec
E.G. Simmons County Park, Florida
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, Florida
Ripple Room, Kings Point, Sun City, Florida
Scrubjay Festival, Oscar Scherer State Park, Florida
Highlands Hammock State Park, Florida
Sertoma Park, Will McLean,  Brookdale, Florida
Topsail State Park, Florida
St Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida
Artist Holly Friesen open Studio in Complexe Lachine Canal, Montreal
Acoustic Spotlight, London, Ontario,
Arundel Public Library
Various house concerts

Venues
I’m especially interested in intimate acoustic venues, house concerts and spaces dedicated to listening. Past concerts have also included folk festivals, songwriter events, State Parks and similar natural settings. Workshops on songwriting, guitar accompaniment and a little helpful basic music theory are also available.

Concert content
I try to keep the shows interesting! The styles are wide, ranging from delicate ballads to blues, from lovesongs to protest. It’s all there –  lots of variety, short background introductions  and good pacing. The songs are often stories and observations on life. I hope that the words reflect a respect for language that is poetic and a respect for melody and accompaniment that strives to avoid the predictable.

And then there’s the guitar! With all that background as a classical guitarist I think it makes for some interesting guitar accompaniments. In addition, I always include a few guitar solos in the Spanish or South American style and these have actually become a favourite part of the shows!