John & Waleed
Public Energy presents a Theatre Passe Muraille Digital Production
Written & Performed by John Millard and Waleed Abdulhamid
Streaming from Toronto’s Theatre Passe Muraille One Night Only
Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 7:30pm
This is a free event. No prior registration is required. On January 31 just come to this website and click on the link we will provide to view the show. Join us for a Q&A with the artists immediately following the show.
Download the show program
Download the text only program
Download the lyrics in English and arabic
Music Lessons For Newcomers Fund Instead of an admission charge, Public Energy is using this event to raise funds toward the cost of music lessons for newcomers in need. Music lessons can be prohibitively costly for low income individuals. Therefore, in the spirit of the John & Waleed show we have created a fund to gather donations that will be made available to newcomers to Canada who are seeking music (including voice) lessons with professional teachers.
How To Donate and How To Apply
Click on the button ↓below↓ to either donate to the fund or apply for a subsidy.
DONATE NOW
to subsidize music lessons
for newcomers.
APPLY NOW
to support your music lessons.
Apply for a subsidy by February 15th.
This remount of the hit 2017 show John & Waleed had been scheduled to tour Ontario in 2020-21. Due to the pandemic, plans were made instead to perform live for one night only, streamed to a number of presenters across Ontario to bring the show to local audiences.
However, in the wake of the latest lockdown measures, Theatre Passe Muraille can not accommodate the crew needed to perform the entire show live online. Instead the show will be pre-taped and streamed once only at 7:30pm on January 31.
One consolation is that the post-show Q&A does not require the sort of crew that the full show does, so we will be able to interact with John and Waleed live following the taped streaming. Please join us if you can!
Photo of John & Waleed courtesy of Dahlia Katz Photography & Cahoots Theatre
John is a Toronto based composer, singer and songwriter from Kitchener, Ontario. Waleed is a multi-instrumentalist and composer from Khartoum in the Sudan. With open conversations and through friendship, the two musicians weave traditional Canadian and Sudanese folk songs and their own compositions, through a performance that explores their lives, traditions and journeys. John & Waleed offers a unique and personal experience on storytelling and cultural intersection. It is, from Sudan to Southern Ontario, a journey told through music.
Artist Bios:
John Millard is a Toronto based composer, singer and songwriter. Mainly he works composing for theatre. Born in Hamilton, John spent 10 years, from age five to fifteen, living in and around Waterloo, Ontario. John’s family was musical. His mother was a singer in Scotland and his grandmother used to play organ for both the local Presbyterian and Anglican churches. This mixture of the sacred and secular finds a home in John’s music. His work has graced stages from the Shaw Festival to Armstrong, B.C.’s Caravan Theatre. John founded the folk-based bands John Millard and Happy Day as well as The Polka Dogs which have toured throughout Canada and Europe.
Waleed Abdulhamid is a Canadian Multi-instrumentalist; Composer; Vocalist; Music and Film Producer, and is known for his striking vocals, innovative bass technique, and his speed and precision on percussion.
He has been an active member of the Toronto music scene since his arrival from Sudan in 1992, and is the recipient of the Canadian New Pioneer Award; African Tama Award; Reel World Film Festival Award; Canadian Film Board of Excellence Award; Two times DORA Award; other international awards. He demonstrates his versatility playing 20 instruments: guitar; bass; drums; flute; harmonica; kirin; bass kirin; darabhuka; marimba; balimbo; congas; bongos; djembe; dumbek; aghera; tambour; cajun; denger; ekaa; tama.
Waleed has played and recorded with a large number of well-known artists including David Clayton Thomas of the Grammy Award winning band Blood, Sweat & Tears, and with the Motown legend, The Drifters. However, Waleed is most proud of his role as a mentor to many acclaimed artists such as D’bi Young, Ngozi Paul, and Zaki Ibrahim to name a few. Waleed has also been the subject of study for many researchers and PhD candidates seeking to understand the workings of the virtuoso mind. Waleed is also a Professor and faculty member of the Music Degree Program at Humber College.
For more information, please visit: www.passemuraille.ca/JohnandWaleed
Show sponsors:
