Unmuted is a celebration of the powerful voices, words, and music of seven Ontario artists. It’s also a celebration of listening—with a full heart—at a time in our history when distancing and masking have quieted our sense of touch, quickened our other senses, and sent us to our screens and earbuds in search of meaning, clarity, enthrallment, and beauty. In a happy partnership that will span four months, Hillside and Silence present music and spoken word performances that will command your screen every other Friday starting October 16th, 2020 and culminating in Hillside Inside in February 2021.
First up next Friday is Joni NehRita. Jamaican-Canadian artist Joni NehRita writes songs about unity, hope and social justice. Her jazz-tinged brand of soul is infused with rhythms & sounds from her Afro-Caribbean background. A multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer, she has a gift for writing infectious, well-crafted songs that are deeply personal. This year NehRita releases her 4th full-length album, “Love & Protest” which is a marked step further toward global roots/world music. She has played festivals & concerts (both as a solo artist & backing other artists) in North America, Australia, England, France, Germany & Oman. She has also sung with the KW Symphony & Hamilton Philharmonic.
In addition to being a performer, NehRita has been a music educator for 20 years, teaching both privately as well as in workshop/masterclass format. She has been a guest teacher at Wilfrid Laurier University, Seneca College at York, has given jazz & improvisation workshops at high schools throughout Guelph and KW, and has been a workshop facilitator at the music conference Folk Alliance International. Last year, NehRita added being a TED KitchnerEDx speaker to her career highlights.
You can watch Unmuted performances on the Hillside Festival and Silence websites only for the duration of the series.
