Calendar

SATURDAY
Main Event
August 12th

VIP General Admission - First Come, First Serve

Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts

Brantford, ON • Doors 4:30 PM Curtain 5:00 PM

*Note: No flash, or any photography and no video of any kind. By purchasing a ticket you agree to be filmed and/or recorded for marketing purposes and for Video-On-Demand and Broadcast usage.

Listen to Mark Holmes interview with Rock 'n' Ray Michaels

00:00 / 03:29

Mark Holmes

Mark Holmes, a British born singer made his debut in north America in 1984 with the release of the double platinum selling record “Standing In the Dark”. Homes and his band Platinum Blonde, achieved international success selling a total of 10 times platinum and playing arenas and stadiums throughout the 80’s, 90’s until today.

On the back of over 12 top ten hits, Holmes sound and style has influenced many groups and artists of yesterday and today. In 2010 Robert Smith from The Cure covered one of Mark Holmes iconic hits “Not in Love” to yet another top ten international hit. As well as playing music, Holmes became a well known DJ remixing many current artists to dance floor fame. In the early 2000’s he launched what became a worldwide landmark concert venue called The Mod Club. He named the theatre after his DJ club nights that eventually became a live-to-air radio show with a listenership of millions.

His latest club adventure Jean Darlene in Toronto, is a critical success which hosts “Mod Jazz” style interior and a gold plated piano.

Holmes has been nominated for numerous awards and was inducted into the broadcast hall of fame in 2008. He will have his star on the Walk of Fame this September 2023 with a show to follow at Massey Hall.

Holmes is releasing new material and is gearing up for an extensive tour in 2024.

Mark Kelso & the Jazz Exiles

The Jazz Exiles are a 5-piece, JUNO nominated, Jazz-Fusion unit out of Toronto, ON Canada. This exciting Canadian group of all-stars is helmed by drummer/composer/leader, Mark Kelso who is originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland. This group also features some of Canada’s finest in-demand musicians as well. On alto sax, from Camaguey, Cuba is the incredible Luis Gonzalez Deniz. On guitar from Santi Spiritus, Cuba is the amazing Elmer Ferrer. On keyboards we have the spectacular talents of Jeremy Ledbetter (Toronto) and on bass, the virtuosic voice of Rich Brown. Together these 5 musicians create a uniquely exciting and melodic sound that has been thrilling audiences across North America since 2015. With 3 recordings under their belt (Stealing From My Youth [2016 JUNO nominee], Elementals [2017] and their most recent one, The Dragon’s Tail [2023 JUNO nominee] they are well on their way to becoming one of Canada’s best exports!

Charu Suri

The first Indian born jazz composer to premier work at Carnegie Hall, Charu Suri was born in Madurai in South India and has been playing the piano since the age of five and performing since the age of nine. She won an international piano competition at the age of 15.

Her recently released “Book of Ragas” is a completely original sound in jazz, using a jazz trio with a Sufi singer, which six-time Grammy award winner, Arturo O’Farrill, has described as “singular.” The “New American Songbook” that is a nod to the more classic sound in jazz was released in a double bill at Weill Recital Hall on Dec. 20th, 2019.

Her piece for chamber orchestra, The Shield of Achilles, was performed by the Princeton University Chamber Ensemble. As part of an atelier workshop with Toni Morrison at Princeton, two of her original pieces were performed by a chamber ensemble, along with cellist Yo Yo Ma and double bass player, Edgar Meyer.

The band consists of Charu Suri on the piano, Justin Lee on the double bass, Jay O’Brien on the drums and the vocal talents of Sufi singer Umer Piracha and Songbook vocalist Danielle Erin Rhodes. Formed in the spring of 2018, the ensemble has received praise from jazz critics and audience members for renditions of standards and original music. Suri’s debut album, Lollipops for Breakfast, launched in November 2018 and won a Global Music Award. The Book of Ragas recently snagged two Global Music Awards. Suri was invited to join the Recording Academy (Grammys) as a voting member. The Book of Ragas was on the ballot for the 63rd GRAMMY awards and drew praise from many voting members.

She and her band return to Carnegie Hall on July 3, 2021 and will release three new albums in 2021 including a New Age album scored for Indian santoor, piano and Sufi vocals.