Aengus Finnan
Encyclopedia
Aengus Finnan is a Canadian
folk
musician
, who grew up on an organic farm in Shelter Valley, Ontario (near Grafton), and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.
He attended St. Mary's elementary school in Grafton, St. Mary's Secondary School in Cobourg, and was awarded a two year scholarship to Lester B. Pearson United World College near Victoria, B.C. where he studied Fine Art (IB), before attending Concordia University
in Montreal to study Theatre (BFA). He later attended Nipissing University
in North Bay, Ontario to study Native and Northern Education, graduating as Valedictorian
for the 1994 Faculty of Education.
He taught elementary school in Moosonee, Ontario
and Inuvik, NWT.
He released two albums, Fool's Gold, produced by Paul Mills in 1999, and North Wind, which Finnan co-produced with Paul Mills in 2002, featuring his touring band-mates Trevor Mills and David Rogers along with backing vocals by Serena Ryder. For 6 years he toured the North America folk festival and club circuit with invitational performances at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, the Yukon International Storytelling Festival in Whitehorse, the Stan Rogers Festival in Nova Scotia, and international dates in Australia and Japan.
His song Lately was awarded the Songs From The Heart award, while O'Shaunessey's lament (later recorded by Irish-American artist Seamus Kennedy) was also awarded the prestigious New Folk Songwriting award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.
Finnan was featured on Beautiful, the first ever tribute album to Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot. He has also appeared as a guest musician on albums by Joy Norman, Michael Glover and Jed Marum, and has performed live with Serena Ryder, Stephen Fearing, Garnet Rogers, Rose Cousins, Lynn Miles, Valdy and John Renbourn. In 2003 he produced a compilation album entitled Valley Voices as a fundraising effort for a group of concerned citizens, and in 2005 he co-produced Coastline of our Dreams, an Ian Tamblyn
tribute album.
In 2002 he conceived of a tribute event called The Way We Feel, which he co-founded with Jory Nash as an annual event to celebrate the work of Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot.
In 2003 he returned to Grafton Ontario to found the Shelter Valley Folk Festival, for which he was the artistic/executive director up until 2010. During that time he served as the board President of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals.
In the winter of 2003 he traveled to the Yukon to record a collection of Robert Service
poetry as field recordings (as yet unreleased) in the locations of the subject matter of the poems, including The Shooting of Dan Mcgrew
, and The Cremation of Sam Magee. In 2004 he recorded a live album (as yet unreleased) at the Grafton Town Hall.
In 2005 he bought the Lawless and Sons general store (circa 1835) in Grafton and transformed it from an active butcher shop into the Lawless Gallery of Fine Art, where he was curator for 3 years. The gallery doubled as a performance venue for acoustic concerts.
In 2008 he began instructing a Self Employment course for the Northumberland Community Futures agency, and later served as their Program Manager. In May 2010 he was hired as the Touring and Audience Development Officer for the Ontario Arts Council
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, who grew up on an organic farm in Shelter Valley, Ontario (near Grafton), and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.
He attended St. Mary's elementary school in Grafton, St. Mary's Secondary School in Cobourg, and was awarded a two year scholarship to Lester B. Pearson United World College near Victoria, B.C. where he studied Fine Art (IB), before attending Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
in Montreal to study Theatre (BFA). He later attended Nipissing University
Nipissing University
Nipissing University is a public liberal arts university located in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, on a site overlooking Lake Nipissing. The university's unique character is defined by its location in Northern Ontario, and a large and highly respected faculty of education...
in North Bay, Ontario to study Native and Northern Education, graduating as Valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
for the 1994 Faculty of Education.
He taught elementary school in Moosonee, Ontario
Moosonee, Ontario
Moosonee is a town in northern Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately south of James Bay. It is considered as "the Gateway to the Arctic" and has Ontario's only saltwater port...
and Inuvik, NWT.
He released two albums, Fool's Gold, produced by Paul Mills in 1999, and North Wind, which Finnan co-produced with Paul Mills in 2002, featuring his touring band-mates Trevor Mills and David Rogers along with backing vocals by Serena Ryder. For 6 years he toured the North America folk festival and club circuit with invitational performances at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, the Yukon International Storytelling Festival in Whitehorse, the Stan Rogers Festival in Nova Scotia, and international dates in Australia and Japan.
His song Lately was awarded the Songs From The Heart award, while O'Shaunessey's lament (later recorded by Irish-American artist Seamus Kennedy) was also awarded the prestigious New Folk Songwriting award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.
Finnan was featured on Beautiful, the first ever tribute album to Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot. He has also appeared as a guest musician on albums by Joy Norman, Michael Glover and Jed Marum, and has performed live with Serena Ryder, Stephen Fearing, Garnet Rogers, Rose Cousins, Lynn Miles, Valdy and John Renbourn. In 2003 he produced a compilation album entitled Valley Voices as a fundraising effort for a group of concerned citizens, and in 2005 he co-produced Coastline of our Dreams, an Ian Tamblyn
Ian Tamblyn
Ian Tamblyn in is a Canadian folk music singer-songwriter and record producer, adventurer, and playwright.-Music career:...
tribute album.
In 2002 he conceived of a tribute event called The Way We Feel, which he co-founded with Jory Nash as an annual event to celebrate the work of Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot.
In 2003 he returned to Grafton Ontario to found the Shelter Valley Folk Festival, for which he was the artistic/executive director up until 2010. During that time he served as the board President of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals.
In the winter of 2003 he traveled to the Yukon to record a collection of Robert Service
Robert W. Service
Robert William Service was a poet and writer who has often been called "the Bard of the Yukon".Service is best known for his poems "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", from his first book, Songs of a Sourdough...
poetry as field recordings (as yet unreleased) in the locations of the subject matter of the poems, including The Shooting of Dan Mcgrew
The Shooting of Dan McGrew
"The Shooting of Dan McGrew" is a narrative poem by Robert W. Service, first published in The Songs of a Sourdough in 1907 in Canada.The tale takes place in a Yukon saloon during the Yukon Gold Rush of the late 1890s...
, and The Cremation of Sam Magee. In 2004 he recorded a live album (as yet unreleased) at the Grafton Town Hall.
In 2005 he bought the Lawless and Sons general store (circa 1835) in Grafton and transformed it from an active butcher shop into the Lawless Gallery of Fine Art, where he was curator for 3 years. The gallery doubled as a performance venue for acoustic concerts.
In 2008 he began instructing a Self Employment course for the Northumberland Community Futures agency, and later served as their Program Manager. In May 2010 he was hired as the Touring and Audience Development Officer for the Ontario Arts Council
Ontario Arts Council
The Ontario Arts Council is a publicly-funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to promote and assist the development of the arts for the enjoyment and benefit of all Ontarians...
.