The Kingston Curator

On this week’s final episode of The Kingston Curator, I’m joined by international band Fir & Bergamot! Lead singer and guitarist Kyle and Nusa are here with me to talk about bringing together their Canadian and Slovenian backgrounds, their songwriting process, and what it’s really like being a musician today, from finding your sound and building an audience to the role social media now plays in it all.

Today on The Kingston Curator, we’re highlighting a summer tradition that’s been bringing a little taste of Greece to downtown Kingston for the past few years: Kingston GreekFest. It’s a celebration of Greek culture, traditions, community, and, of course, some amazing food. Today, I’m joined by one of the festival coordinators to take us inside GreekFest, the planning behind it, what people can expect, and of course, what’s on the menu.

This week on the Kingston Curator, get a taste of what the TK Fringe Festival has to offer with a performance brought to Kingston by them called Speaking Vibrations. On this episode I sit down with one of the co-producers of the show, Jordan Samonas. She talks about the origins of the production, and how it blends ASL poetry, percussive dance, and live music in one show. In addition, why accessibility is important to this team by allowing audiences to experience sound tactically through vibrating vests, seats, and floor pads.

This week on the Kingston Curator, we have a returning guest to the show Sierra Saikaley from Downtown Kingston. She gives us a taste of the behind the scenes of the princess street promenade and what to expect from this year’s event, and the history behind it all.

In this final episode of The Kingston Curator with Host Ellie Stirton, you can hear this summer’s arts highlights! There have been so many incredible artists and professionals on The Kingston Curator over the past few months, and as August comes to an end… it’s time for a recap! Plus, you can hear all about the upcoming concerts and events taking place this weekend, August 29th – August 31st.

This week on The Kingston Curator, get a taste of the Kingston literary scene with local authors Merilyn Simonds and Sadiqa De Meijer. Simonds discusses her lifelong love for writing, her upcoming publication “Walking with Beth”, and her commencement of the Kingston Writers Fest! Then Sadiqa De Meijer, Kingston’s Poet Laureate, discusses her upcoming publication “In The Field”, her relationship to writing, as well as her own involvement with the 2025 Kingston Writers Fest!

This week on The Kingston Curator, get a taste of the Kingston-based rapper Dupel, as he and host Ellie Stirton talk about his Amplify Hope Charity Concert, happening this Sunday August 17th at Tommy’s. Then learn about the TETT Centres new Collage Club! It’s a free arts program run by Ro Grant, the TETT’s current Artist in Residence. And as always we share some local concerts and events which folks can check out this coming weekend, August 15th – August 17th.

This week on The Kingston Curator, host Ellie Stirton sits down with Yuriy Popov and Yana Menov, who will be performing their show The Turing Test at the 2025 TK Fringe Festival. Also featured, is an interview with B.C. Gorrie, the writer and director of another 2025 TK Fringe Festival show, Love in the First Degree. Then there’s a brief overview of the Women’s Arts Festival running on Saturday August 9th in Kingston Ontario. And as always we share some local concerts and events which folks can check out this coming weekend, August 8th – August 10th.

This week on The Kingston Curator, host Ellie Stirton sits down with Emma MacGregor-Mitchell who is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the local Kingston arts hub, The Tett Centre. It turns 10 years old this fall, and they discuss all the anniversary details. Also featured, is a special recap of the Kingston Canadian Film Festival’s ‘Best of the Fest’ event. The night included a screening of the best short films from the past festival year, along with a special Q&A with the director of Single Woman Seeking Child, Blain Watters. And as always we share some local concerts and events which folks can check out this coming weekend, July 18th – July 20th.

This week on The Kingston Curator, host Ellie Stirton sits down with Sandi Griffiths, the Events Manager of Downtown Kingston as they discuss the 35th Annual Kingston Buskers Rendezvous! Also interviewed is Lindsay Schindler, a fiddle player and vocalist from the Celtic folk band Maggie’s Wake. They discuss the musical style of Maggie’s Wake, their experience at the 2025 Canadian Folk Music Awards, and upcoming projects! And as always we share some local concerts and events which folks can check out this coming weekend, July 11th – July 13th.

This week on The Kingston Curator, host Ellie Stirton sits down with Savannah Shea, a Kingston based singer, songwriter, visual artist, and performer. They discuss her involvement in the Ground UP Dance Festival as a creator and performer of the original production After/Always . Also interviewed is B.C. Gorrie, the Programs and Communications Coordinator of the Kingston Arts Council, discussing his ongoing Artist Prosperity Project which seeks to improve our understanding of Kingston’s artist economics. And as always we share some local concerts and events which folks can check out this coming weekend, July 4th – July 6th.

This episode features in-depth interviews with local Kingston artists Tiny Horse, and Almond Milk! With host Ellie Stirton, they chat all about their recent performances at Skeleton Park Arts Festival, their upcoming projects, and the process of artistic development. Also featured: an update from the Kingston Arts Council about artist prosperity, and local concerts and events happening in Kingston and the area during the weekend of June 27th – June 29th.

This week on The Kingston Curator, host Ellie Stirton sits down with Ilinca Stafie, a member of Toronto’s iconicly queer brass band, Trash Panda Brass. The conversation ranges from the bands conception to their plans for Skeleton Park Arts Festival, and the future! Also featured, are Ms. Tyffanie Morgan and Mariah (Mo) Horner, the hosts of Skeleton Park Arts Festival. And as always we share some local concerts and events which folks can check out this coming weekend, June 20th – June 22nd.

This week on The Kingston Curator, host Ellie Stirton sits down with local song-writer Gregory Van Eyken, local Drag Queen Ms. Tyffanie Morgan, and theatre artist/musician/educator Mariah (Mo) Horner. They discuss Gregory’s new EP which is raising funds for a local mens shelter, and the upcoming Skeleton Park Arts Festival being hosted by both Ms. Tyffanie and Mo. Also featured are some local concerts and events which folks can check out this coming weekend, June 13th – 15th.

This week on The Kingston Curator, host Ellie Stirton sits down with Marcel Stewart and Adrienne Wong, two talented artists and co-curators of the Festival Of Live Digital Art (FOLDA). They discuss artistic inspirations, the FOLDA curation process, and the collaborative nature of art. Also featured are some local concerts and events which folks can check out this coming weekend, May 30th – June 1st.

This week on The Kingston Curator, host Ellie Stirton spotlights a few different local arts initiatives! First, a collaborative story with local journalist Christena Lawrie and the Kingston School of Dance. Then a conversation with Haley Sarfeld, the Program Director at the Union Art Gallery. And finally, an interview with Kingston’s very own Poet Laurette, Sadiqa de Meijer, regarding an upcoming community poetry project. Also featured are some local concerts and events which folks can check out the weekend of June 6th – June 8th.

We’re concluding season 3 today with another special featuring (some of) the best of our 2024 season. We’ve been privileged to have a variety of wonderful and insightful artists local and visiting to Kingston stop by on the show, and we want to feature just some of the highlights to thank them for their time, and encourage you to go back and listen to their full interviews if something catches your ear. Throughout this episode, you’ll hear clips from our interviews with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, dancers Shanique Peart and Shanel Williams, local singer-songwriter Anthea Feaver, artist Kelby James, curator Jessica Turner, and theatre and tech artists Leslie Ting, Ramsey Nasser, and Matt Rideout. We have all that, plus your headlines and live music calendar for the week, only on CFRC 101.9fm and on our CFRC podcast feed. Thank you so much for tuning in to season three of the show! Our theme music is “Mathematics Monumen t and The Guide to Making Friends” by Julia Lynn Sepúlveda.

We’re winding down our summer season today with a special featuring (some of) the best of our 2024 season. We’ve been privileged to have a variety of wonderful and insightful artists local and visiting to Kingston stop by on the show, and we want to feature just some of the highlights to thank them for their time, and encourage you to go back and listen to their full interviews if something catches your ear. Throughout this episode, you’ll hear clips from our interviews with the Juvenis Festival, artists Carleigh Millburn, Stephen O’Connell and Lucy Simic, and musical acts Kaïa Kater, Lake Porter, Corey Gulkin, and Status/ Non-Status. We have all that, plus your headlines and live music calendar for the week, only on CFRC 101.9fm and on our CFRC podcast feed. Our Season 3 finale will air next week live at 2 pm. As always, thank you so much for listening. Our theme music is “Mathematics Monumen t and The Guide to Making Friends” by Julia Lynn Sepúlveda.

Today, we’re bringing you two feature interviews from the local theatre scene. First up is the team behind What Brings You In? , to chat about processes both creative and technical that contribute to this unique experience. This show is playing this weekend at the Baby Grand and online to round out this year’s Kick and Push Festival Next up is Catherine and Victor from Collected Novellas, with a retrospective on their show that just finished its Kingston Fringe run, A Sketchy Kind of Show . We talk remote collaboration, and quick-thinking fixes in the live medium. We have all that, plus your headlines and live music calendar for the week, only on CFRC 101.9fm and on our CFRC podcast feed. Be sure to tune in live on Thursdays at 2 pm all summer for the latest and greatest of Kingston’s arts scene. As always, thank you so much for listening. Our theme music is “Mathematics Monumen t and The Guide to Making Friends” by Julia Lynn Sepúlveda.

Today, we’re bringing you three feature interviews from Kingston Fringe and the Tett Gallery. First up is comedian and performer Freddy Proia, whose Fringe show Mickey Mouse Shot Me in the A** is playing now at the Davies Lounge as a part of Kingston Fringe. We chat about finding the humour in embarrassing moments, and the road from stand-up to Fringe. Secondly is Jessica Turner, the curator behind the current solo exhibition by artist Jan Kabatoff at the Tett Gallery, entitled Contemplating Glaciers, a Dialogue, running now until August 31st. We chat about the intersections between the past and present when informing artistic themes, and how art and research can fight back against climate change. We have all that, plus your headlines and live music calendar for the week, only on CFRC 101.9fm and on our CFRC podcast feed. Be sure to tune in live on Thursdays at 2 pm all summer for the latest and greatest of Kingston’s arts scene. As always, thank you so much for listening. Our theme music is “Mathematics Monumen t and The Guide to Making Friends” by Julia Lynn Sepúlveda.