31 March. 2005 - TORONTO - The third annual Global Divas Gala Concert, an international celebration of women and song, took place at the Kool Haus on Thursday March 31, 2005 with the proceeds going to St. Stephen's Community House.
St. Stephens is a multi-service social agency that has been serving the needs of west downtown Toronto since 1962 with programs for newcomers to Canada, homeless men and women, youth-at-risk, families with young children, people and organizations in conflict, isolated and frail seniors, job seekers and expectant mothers.
Executive Director, Liane Regendanz, explained how the Global Divas Gala Concert came into fruition. About four years ago, two galas and fundraising events that took place at St. Stephens were merged. One was Global Village Feast, which focused on multicultural food and music. The other, Leading Ladies, focused on singing and broadway stars. The result was one big event with multicultural foods, a silent auction and female musicians of diverse cultural backgrounds and various genres.
The night started off with a gala patron dinner which was very elegant. Food stations were set up by various caterers and restaurants. The tastes were as diverse as the eateries themselves. Food available ranged from Vegetable Tajine with Moroccan Couscous, Coq au Vin, Cream-Based Butternut Squash Pasta and Brazilian Cheese Puffs.
Jasmine's Favorite - Dufflet's Chocolate Hazelnut & Chocolate Truffle Squares
As I am a chocoholic, my personal favorite was Dufflet Pastries, which served Chocolate Hazelnut and Chocolate Truffle Squares. There was also a silent auction with excellent merchandise from various businesses and individuals. Some examples are a purse and belt from Jeannie Lottie, various spa packages and home furnishings, a MAC cosmetics gift basket, yoga related merchandise (yoga mat and book), jewellery, photographic art and a gift package from OMNI Television. The Kool Haus, although a large venue, filled up very quickly, especially as it neared showtime.
Hosted by Claudia Garcia de la Huerta of CBC Radio's Big City, Small World, the show started off with a performance by Jane Bunnett on the soprano saxophone. Jane Bunnett and the band, The Spirits of Havana, opened with soft jazz music. They provided backup to the Divas that night and adapted fluidly to all styles of music ranging from salsa, cha cha, instrumental, blues and R & B.
What! No Room to Dance?
Shortly after Jane finished, Nidia Moya, a singer from Cuba, came onstage and delighted the audience with her energetic performance. It was an excellent and eclectic fusion of jazz, salsa and cha cha as the beat of the clave melded with the soprano sax, flute, piano and drums. Nidia encouraged the crowd to sing and dance with her. Unfortunately, there was not enough room for dancing.
After Nidia finished, Ndidi Onukwulu, a singer and songwriter from BC born to Nigerian parents, took the stage and with her strong, powerful voice and presence, showed us that the blues is still alive and timeless. It was a perfect way of ending the first set and heading into intermission.
After the intermission, the remaining Divas, Laura Ocampo, Jorane and Dione Taylor performed. Laura Ocampo, a folk singer from Argentina, took a slower tempo to her performance than the prior two divas. It was a subdued performance at first, but got lively towards the end as she danced around onstage barefoot. Laura's performance paved the way for Jorane, a cellist from Montreal.
Jorane sang and played cello quite effectively with neither mode overpowering the other. Again, Jane Bunnett and the Spirits of Havana proved adaptable as they fused their respective trumpet and soprano saxophone to blend in with Jorane's cello. However, Jorane's voice and cello resonated so passionately that they could have easily taken a life of their own without backup from the band.
The night went by really quickly and all too soon, it was time for the last Diva, Dione Taylor, a singer from Saskatchewan and "a fresh new face to jazz", according to Claudia Garcia de le Huerta, to perform. Dione started off with her own version of the Eurythmics tune, 'Sweet Dreams' and, like Nidia Moya, encouraged the audience to sing and dance with her. Personally, I enjoyed Dione's rendition a lot better than the original version as it had an R & B flair. She also integrated the blues into her act once again demonstrating the timelessness of this genre. Dione's performance transitioned into the finale which was very lively and colorful. All five divas came onstage wearing dresses in various colors and sang along with her. There was a cameraderie between them not only as singers, but as women. This shows that music is truly a universal language and transcends all boundaries.
Jasmine - Personal with Dione, Laura & Nidia
After the performances, I had the opportunity to speak with three of the Divas; Dione Taylor, Laura Ocampo and Nidia Moya. Dione Taylor indicated that when Jane Bunnett, "the ambassador of jazz in Canada", approached her to do this event, she could not refuse. She got to see the different community houses at St. Stephens and said that it was a wonderful place for people who are homeless and have no sense of community "to get together and have a sense of community just like we do in music".
Laura Ocampo said that she was connected to Jane through her uncle who passed on a copy of her CD. Laura also said that it was her first time singing in Canada and "it was nice sharing music with different kinds of musicians."
Nidia Moya said that it was a "big opportunity to play with Jane and her band and to play for a wonderful event" which she's known about before. She also felt it was a great opportunity for her as a new artist and a great way of promoting both herself and her music. All three Divas said they had a great time and would do it again.
Jasmine's Take - Women Empowered
It was empowering to attend an all women's gala, as it gave female singers a chance to shine on their own merit and independently of their male counterparts.
This sends the message that women, regardless of their circumstances, are capable of succeeding on their own terms and do not need to rely on men to get ahead in life. As a Women's Counsellor and Advocate seeking further employment in the field of social services, particularly women's services, this event also had a personal meaning for me. Global Divas gave me the opportunity to network with various staff members, volunteers and the Executive Director. Upon introducing myself, Eileen Shannon, Director of Community Programs, spoke to me about the Wellness Promotion Program which focusses on Women's Issues. Currently, they are providing education to the Chinese and Portuguese communities on the issues of breast cancer and AIDS prevention. They also have a perinatal program and have opened up a second perinatal site at their Newcomer Family Centre.
