Saturday, December 7th
at Friends House (60 Lowther Ave, Toronto, ON)
Workshop: 2 to 4 pm
Potluck: 4 to 5:30 pm
Concert: 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Workshop or Concert: $30 each | Both: $50
Registration is now open!
The Invitation
Join Kate for a playful and soulful song circle! Let Kate guide you through fun warm-ups and improvisational group exercises. Enjoy singing some new and familiar seasonal songs, and bringing to life some of Kate's original material. All voices are welcome, and no experience is necessary. Material will be taught in the oral tradition and built in the moment ~ feel the wonder of ephemeral song co-creation! Let the spirit of living music move through you as your voice joins with others' to create beautiful cathartic resonance.
A potluck meal will follow the song circle. After dinner, Kate will share material from her new album, with interactive invitations for the audience throughout. She'll also perform some favourite cover songs on piano, guitar, and live-looper.
About Kate Sutherland
Kate is a prolific songwriter whose multi-layered songs are often described as uplifting mantras, prayerful chants, or anthems for empowering love, celebrating nature connection and making room for our emotions. Kate's songs remind us that through experiencing our full range of emotions, from the bliss of joy to the messiness of grief, we can explore stepping into full aliveness, and move towards personal and global healing. Most of her songs are best experienced singing in community.
Kate is also a creative homesteader, homeschooling mom, multi-disciplinary martial artist and visual artist specialising in botanical and wildlife illustration. Her work is inspired by the sacred elements, the principles of yin & yang, and love for all life.
Songs by Kate Sutherland frequently sung at Fiercely OK song circles include:
Look forward to singing some of these, as well as songs from Kate’s new album on December 7th!
Kate’s New Release! Roses & Ravens
Roses and Ravens brings together the wild-angelic voices of eleven women, singing to life fifteen new original songs by Kate Sutherland. Themes include gratitude, bringing love on new journeys, honouring the rising moon (inside and out), grief-tending, letting go, and giving voice to our witchy ancestors, to name a few. As always, Kate uses natural-world imagery to bring out the deeper meaning of her songs.
"Kate's songs feel as soothing as birdsong, as rooted as trees, as uplifting as wind, as soulful as fire. They weave like rivers; they are balms for the heart."
~ Olivia Mater, Member of Hope Starling's Recording Choir
Add-on: Afterglow Song Circle with Steph & Paul
Sunday, December 8th
at Runnymede United Church
(432 Runnymede Rd, Toronto, ON)
3:30 to 5 pm
Sustaining Contribution:
$20 when you register for A Day of Song with Kate Sutherland or $25 regular.
Join us in the afterglow of a Day of Song with Kate Sutherland for a cosy bonus song circle with Steph & Paul. As a community, we will digest the sweet time with Kate, and prepare to reenter our daily lives…
All songs will be community favourites. As nights become longer and we approach the Winter Solstice, come fill your pockets with songs to stoke your inner fire and light your way home!
Registration is now open!
Since ancient times, people have gathered to sing as a way of caring for themselves, each other, and the more-than-human world. Let's reclaim our collective wellness through the practice of community singing. Come find joy, strength, and solace in song with us.
FAQs
Who Is This For?
All voices and levels are welcome. No musical experience is necessary. In fact, people who only sing in the shower or car are especially welcome. We are all capable of making beautiful sound, and we would love to help you experience this birthright.
While we deeply value the presence of children in our community, this event is geared toward teens and adults. Young people who can remain engaged in the singing or be quietly present throughout the event are most welcome. If bringing a young, active child would support you to show up, please be in touch with us and we will navigate the way forward together.
While at the Friends House, children must be accompanied by an adult.
How can I support this offering?
For this particular offering, the suggested or "sustaining" contributions are $30 for the workshop, $30 for the concert, or $50 for the full day. We use the term "sustaining" to let you know that this is the amount we need to receive per person on average to sustain ourselves and our work. The beauty of community is that where some can give less, others can give more, and it all works out.
Gift options:
Afternoon Workshop: $30
Evening Concert: $30
Full Day: $50
If the suggested contributions are a barrier to your participation, please don't hesitate to reach out to steph@fiercelyok.ca. We would be happy to discuss options to support your participation, like payment plans, energy exchanges, and COME RECEIVE spots.
To avoid payment processing fees, you may send an e-transfer to gifts@fiercelyok.ca (no password required). Select "Pay by invoice" at the checkout and send your e-transfer before completing your registration or immediately after. Your registration will be confirmed upon receipt of your contribution. Thank you!
How do you support people of all abilities, identities and singing experiences to participate?
While we acknowledge that we have work to do, we are endeavouring to create spaces in which folks of all abilities, identities and singing experiences are able to participate in ways that are satisfying to them. All songs will be taught in the repeat-after-me style and will be simple enough to learn in one sitting.
If you feel concerned about being able to pick up the lyrics, rest assured that we will teach the songs in bite-size chunks and check in with you often. If a chunk is too long, we will teach a shorter chunk. We will move at a human pace and leave no one behind. If visual aids are helpful for you, please bring along a little notebook to jot down the lyrics and let us know if you would like any assistance catching the words. We're here to support you!
Friends House is accessible to wheelchairs via the e-door at the back, northeast entrance off of the parking lot. The meeting room, dining room, sun room, library and kitchen are all on the ground floor and are wheelchair accessible. The Day of Song will be taking place in the meeting room.
On the ground floor, one of the three available washrooms is accessible to non-motorized wheelchairs, with a 32-inch wide entrance, clearance for turning, and sink, tap, soap and towels that can be reached from a wheelchair.
All bathrooms on the ground floor at Friends House are single-occupancy and gender-neutral.
While we are working to anticipate your needs, we warmly invite you, if and when you feel safe enough, to let us know how we can best support you to show up. Together, as a community, we will grow.
What is your wellness/COVID policy?
We are currently asking that participants complete their own wellness self-assessment prior to attending Fiercely OK events. Please attend only if you are feeling well and have not recently been sick or been in contact with someone who was sick. If you are unsure of whether you should attend, please complete this self-assessment: https://www.ontario.ca/self-assessment/ and reach out to Steph. If any symptoms of COVID-19, flu or other contagious illness become apparent during the event or in the 5 days after the event, please notify Steph right away.
Decisions regarding if and how to practice physical distancing at Fiercely OK events are left to the discretion of individuals in attendance. Masks are optional and most likely *will not* be worn by most participants. We ask that all participants exercise caution and sensitivity with regard to masking, maintaining physical distance, and practising hand hygiene in the presence of other participants. In case the circumstances require masking, we recommend that you bring a well-fitting N95 mask with you to the event. Please note that these guidelines and protocols are subject to change at any time without notice.
What is your refund policy?
We consider requests for refunds on a case-by-case basis. While we do not guarantee refunds for cancellations, unplanned absences or no-shows, we are committed to our relationship with you! Please be in touch with any concerns; we will work together to find an agreeable solution.
If you must cancel your attendance due to illness, you will be offered a credit which can be applied towards a future event hosted by Steph & Paul.
If we need to cancel/postpone our workshop, then we will refund participants 100% of their fees. Please note that we are not able to cover any costs incurred by participants for transportation or accommodations, so please organise your travel and travel insurance with this in mind.
Any other questions?
Please do not hesitate to reach out to steph@fiercelyok.ca.