GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2004 |
Maria Dunn's Bio:
A storyteller through song, Maria Dunn combines her Celtic heritage with the influences of North American folk and country music. Born in Scotland and raised in Ontario and Alberta, she writes songs inspired by historical and contemporary characters, and beautifully captures their struggles and triumphs in her lyrics. In 2002, Maria received a Juno nomination (Roots/Traditional Solo) for her second independent recording For a Song (produced by Shannon Johnson).
Her new project, We Were Good People (2004), explores the stories of working people in Western Canada--tales of resilience and hope through experiences of immigration, internment, exploitation and The Depression. Producer: Shannon Johnson (For A Song, From Where I Stand with Maria, For Reel with The McDades, and the 1996 Juno-nominated Victory Train with Bill Bourne).
- An arrestingly powerful singer-songwriter from Canada who writes great historical and social commentary. - Rich Warren, The Midnight Special, WFMT Chicago
- She combines the storytelling of James Keelaghan with David Francey's ear for melodies that fit seamlessly into the tradition. - Dugg Simpson, Vancouver Folk Festival
- ...Dunn's For A Song is a sparkling and precious rarity. - Folk Roots
- For A Song definitely establishes Maria Dunn as a major figure among singer-songwriters. - Sing Out!
| 1999: | Alberta Recording Industry Award for Best Folk/Roots Recording (From Where I Stand); Nominated for a Prairie Music Award for Outstanding Songwriter Folk Festivals: North Country Fair; Edmonton (AB); Victoria; Comox; Island Festival; Powell River (BC) |
| 2000: | CBC National TV, First Night Festival Finale, Edmonton, New Year's Eve Official showcase at Folk Alliance 2000, Cleveland Festivals: Frostbite, Whitehorse (YK); Stanfest, Canso (NS); Calgary & Canmore (AB), Visagino (Lithuania) |
| 2001: | Artist-in-Residence, Edmonton May Week Festival Folk Festivals: Winnipeg (MB); Mission (BC); Jasper, Edmonton (AB) |
| 2002: | Nominated for JUNO and Prairie Music Awards in the Roots/Traditional Solo category (For A Song) Folk Festivals: Edmonton (AB) - Main Stage performance Great Lakes Tour: Ontario/Michigan/Chicago (Nov 2002) Huron Carole, Jubilee Auditorium, Calgary (Broadcast on CMT) |
| 2003: | BBC Live Recording at Celtic Connections Festival, Glasgow, Scotland Folk Alliance Canada Showcase, Nashville, TN Festivals: May Week (AB, SK, MN), North Country Fair (AB); Lunenberg (NS), Vancouver (BC); Ottawa (ON) |
2004: | Ontario/Maritimes Tour, Okanagan Tour (Spring 2004) Festivals: JunoFest; South Country Fair (AB) |
Maria performs her original material solo (guitar, accordion), accompanied by violinist Shannon Johnson or Fiona Coll; she performs as a side musician (accordion, whistles) with Laura Vinson's band Free Spirit. She has performed on stage with Bill Bourne, Craig Korth (Jerusalem Ridge), The McDades, and Ron Hynes.
Radio feature interviews and performances: CBC This Morning (Canada); BBC Travelling Folk (Scotland); CBC Basic Black (Canada); CBC Definitely Not the Opera (Canada); CBC RadioActive (Edmonton); CBC Key of A (Alberta); CKUA The Celtic Show with Andy Donnelly (Alberta); CJRT Absolutely Folk w/ Cate Friesen (Toronto); CiTR The Saturday Edge with Steve Edge (Vancouver).
Visit Maria's website: www.mariadunn.com.
