FVAGF
ARTIST BIOS
2012
Don Alder
"Alder can make a single instrument sound like a 4 piece band. The Guy's like the acoustic Hendrix."
- Picque News Magazine
Don Alder plays acoustic fingerstyle guitar with a passion that has quickly earned him a reputation as Vancouver's "best kept little secret". Don is a world-class fingerstyle guitarist with a "wow factor" that has let to multiple endorsement deals with major manufacturers and a collaboration with Greenfield guitars to produce a signature acoustic guitar—the "Don Alder G4" model.
Don currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. His unique style of playing incorporates fingerpicking with simultaneous percussion on the soundboard to create a wall of sound. He is often referred to as sounding like a four piece band. Don's music is his own unique weave of deeply textured melody and story. Lyrical and compelling, his original songs are notes of exploration—some passionate and haunting, some hard-driven, others light and teasing. In quiet pieces or pushing right to the edge, Don's phenomenal fingerstyle playing and rich voice captivate.
In 1985, he put his music career on hold to assist his lifelong friend, Rick Hansen, with his quest to create awareness for the potential of people with disabilities and to generate funds for spinal cord research. The World Tour (www.RickHansen.com), inspired millions of people throughout the 34 countries visited and raised 26 million dollars. Today, Don still works with Rick in a vital role at the Rick Hansen Man in Motion Foundation, which has had an impact of over 200 million dollars in the field of spinal cord injury. Don says he got involved with the Foundation to “help make a difference” in improving the quality of life of others and now continues to do so with his music.
In the early 90's, Don was mostly playing guitar as a hobby and was heavily involved in Wheelchair Sports. The World Tour developed Don's wheelchair tech skills which he continued to hone post Tour. This evolved to the point where Don was chosen to represent Canada as the Equipment Manager/ Wheelchair Tech for the Canadian Paralympic Team in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney Australia, 2000. During that time Don met Sam Sullivan and Dave Symington, both quadriplegics from accidents. Sam and Dave both musicians, founded the Vancouver Adapted Music Society. Don became the guitarist for the society's, performance band "Spinal Chord". They released a CD title "Why Be Normal" which received national airplay. They also released the video "Mary."
He continues to play to Canadian, American, European, and Asian audiences, sharing stages with Grand Master Acousticians such as Peter Finger, Jacques Stotzem, Bob Evans, Andy Mckee, and Masa Sumide, John Parr (st elmos fire), Ellen McElwaine, Cassius Khan. He has also performed at festivals as a headliner which included artists such as Don Ross, Pierre Bensusan, Del Vazeau, Ric Emmet, Dave Martone.
For more information about Don, please visit: http://www.donalder.com
Daniel Bolshoy
“Bolshoy is a mega hit &…[he] made a remarkable picture as he sat in the spotlight and coaxed utter magic from his guitar”
– Port Hope Evening Guide
Daniel Bolshoy has performed in every major centre in Canada, establishing him as the country's most visible concert guitarist. He is regularly praised for his friendly and informative spoken introductions, and progressive programming of solo and chamber music. He is committed to bringing the guitar to the attention of audiences everywhere, from prestigious international concert stages to remote villages and house-concerts.
Mr. Bolshoy has performed for many prestigious festivals including the International Music Festival in Macao, The Abbey Bach Festival in Oregon, the Ottawa and the Vancouver International Chamber Music Festivals, the Guitar-Gems International Guitar Festival in Israel, the Halifax Guitar Festival, the Indian River Music Festival, the Elora Festival, the Guelph Spring Festival, the Westben Arts Festival, the Festival des Arts Bore-Art, and more. He has toured under the auspices of Prairie Debut, Debut Atlantic, Jeunesses Musicales du Canada and Musique Royale; and has performed for the Debut Series in Montreal, Vancouver and the CBC/NAC Debut series in Ottawa. Concerts in the United States include a tour for Live on Stageand numerous appearances at music festivals and universities.
Mr. Bolshoy's recitals are frequently broadcast on CBC Radio, and he has also appeared in two documentary films for the Bravo! (TV) series: The Classical Now.
Among recent orchestral appearances are concertos by Rodrigo, Ponce, Kernis, and Castelnuovo-Tedesco with international orchestras: The Mexico City Philharmonic, the Toronto Philharmonia, the Edmonton Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic, The Kamloops Symphony, the New Mexico Symphony, the Vancouver Philharmonic, the Peterborough Symphony, the Huntsville festival, the Red Deer Symphony, the Symphony of the Kootenays, the Oakville Symphony the Etobicoke Philharmonic, the Beer Sheva Symphoniette (Israel), the Manitoba and Ottawa Chamber Orchestras. He has been invited to the jury of the Tabula Rasa Guitar Competition as well as concerto soloist in Ponce's Concierto del Sur in an upcoming tour of Russia.
Daniel Bolshoy appears on four commercial CD recordings: Resonance, España (Boldan Music), McGillicuddy's Rant(Centaur Classics), and as guest artist on Isabel Bayrakdarian's latest album Tango Notturno (CBC Records).
Mr. Bolshoy has recently been appointed to the position of Guitar Instructor at the University of British Columbia School of Music. He is also head of the Guitar Department at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music.
For more information about Daniel, please visit: http://www.danielbolshoy.com
Celso Machado
"Amazing skills, skills that combine elements that…are rarely found in the same band, let alone the same musician."
-Tim Brooks, Review of New York Guitar Festivals Brazilian Guitar Marathon
Virtuoso Brazilian guitarist, percussionist, multi-instrumentalist and composer, Celso Machado, transports his audiences through the richness and diversity of Brazilian music and beyond. For forty years Celso Machado has been performing on concert stages throughout Brazil, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Canada, and the United States. Considered one of the most versatile and exciting musician/composers of Brazilian music today; his guitar technique is but one of his passions; his gift for making music out of anything and everything around us is his mission in life.
In addition to Celso’s solo career he has shared the stages with some of the world’s great guitarists: Sergio and Odair Assad, Badi Assad, Romero Lubambo, Yamandu Costa, Cristina Azuma, Peter Finger, and Solorazaf. He has opened for Gilberto Gil, Bebel Gilberto, Hermeto Pascaul, and Al di Meola; amongst other great musicians.
Brazilian music has arisen out of various blends of Classical European, African, Portuguese and Indigenous influences. There is less division in Brazilian music between classical and jazz, jazz and folk. While Celso's music is rooted in Brazilian rhythmic and melodic styles, it also reflects his incurable fascination with other world music traditions. He finds similarities between the music of southern Italy and northeast Brazil, the Egyptian Maqsoum and the Brazilian Baião rhythm, the Moroccan Gnawa rhythm and Afoxé and Samba. Celso incorporates these influences into his own sound; his own unique contribution to the ongoing evolution of Brazilian music.
Drawing on his thorough study of classical guitar, Celso composes for guitar and ensemble. His remarkably innovative compositions are infused with a rich knowledge of the traditional music of Brazil: samba, chôro, baião, frêvo etc. His compositions are published by Editions Henry Lemoine in Paris and are performed and recorded by both students and professionals around the World, from solo performances to guitar orchestras. Many of his scores have been adapted for other instruments: piano, violin, cello, clarinet, pan pipes, harp etc.
For more information about Celso, please visit: http://www.celsomachado.com
David Sinclair
David Sinclair toured with Sarah McLachlan from 1993–2003 as her guitarist on the Lillith Fair, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy and Surfacing tours. Prior to working with McLachlan, he toured with k.d. lang on her Ingenue tour. Before he landed these two opportunities, Sinclair had already accomplished a vast and varied musical background on his own.
Growing up in Vancouver, David was first was exposed to the world of professional music at the age of twelve. As a teenager, he was part of many bands and played locally regularly, moving from one playing situation to another, refining his guitar skills and performance. At the expense of his academic courses at the University of British Columbia's School of Music (Canada), he would often spend hours in the music library listening to a wide variety of guitar music from delta blues, to Django and to classical. During that period he was also introduced to the recording studio namely, Vancouver Recording (with legendary Vancouver engineer/producer Robin Spurgin), one of the very few professional studios in town at the time, which he frequented for days at a time, observing sessions and doing everything and anything he could to gain studio experience.
By the age of 18, he was already a professional musician performing 5 to 6 nights a week in some of Vancouver's notorious 'East-end' cabarets, and appeared regularly as a feature vocalist on CBC TV's 'Let's Go' and 'Where it's At' series. He also performed as a solo acoustic artist at coffeehouses and toured B.C. as opening act for 'The Poppy Family'. Over the next few years he released his first solo album, "Take My Hand", and helped form the successful Vancouver group Sunshyne, which included the late Bruce Fairbairn (producer for Aerosmith etc.), Jim Vallance (songwriter with Bryan Adams and Ozzy Osborne) and jazz flautist/saxophonist Tom Keenlyside. Sinclair left Sunshyne after a few years to tour with a succession of major Canadian artists. Meanwhile, Sunshyne was transformed into Prism, and David played some guitar on their first 3 albums.
As well as becoming a top-call studio player, doing a myriad of jingles, TV shows, films and records, he started working with arranger/composer/studio musician Bob Buckley, with whom he would form the bands Straight Lines and Body Electric. Straight Lines climbed the radio charts with Roanne, Heads are gonna roll, Letting Go (Juno nominee-best songwriters, top 10 across Canada, Billboard pick), to name a few, selling over 50,000 copies Nationwide. Body Electric's "Do You Think They Can Tell" was given an "Outstanding Airplay" award in 1984. As well as their own shows, these bands toured with top National and International artists including Corey Hart, Joan Armatrading, Loverboy, and Parachute Club.
From 1992 to 1995, David was asked to tour with k.d. lang as well as join Sarah McLachlan's ensemble from 1993 to 2003, touring extensively in North America, Europe, and Japan. During that period he appeared on television shows including Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Arsenio Hall, Saturday Night Live, Larry Sanders, Good Morning America, Rosie O'Donnell, MTV Unplugged, VH1 Storytellers, The Grammy Awards Show, and Juno Awards.
As a studio guitarist, he has worked with many Canadian artists including Sarah McLachlan, Michael Bublé, Daniel Powter, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Amy Sky, Rita MacNeil, Paul Janz, Valdy, Susan Jacks, Terry Jacks, Barry Greenfield, Prism, Irish Rovers, Matthew Lien, Gary Fjellgaard and many more. He has played on and composed music for many TV series and films, appeared on numerous occasions with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and a variety of musical theatre productions. Over the past few years, David has produced CDs for a number of artists, including Gary Fjellgaard, Shutterfly and BC folk/pop artist Kent Fiddy.
Sinclair continues touring, recording and producing. He is also focusing on his two instrumental solo CDs: Acoustic Christmas which he recorded while touring with McLachlan, and his most recent release, the 2007 body of work entitled No Words, which is already receiving rave reviews. No Words is a soulful roots/Celtic mix featuring mainly original acoustic guitar work inspired by a number of events at different points of his life. A third solo CD (of all original songs and compositions) should be out by the end of 2009, and it includes many vocal tracks as well as instrumental pieces.
For more information about David, please visit: http://www.davidsinclairmusic.com