Singer, dancer, composer, recording artist and performer, Dee Hernandez began performing in her homeland of Cuba at the age of 4. She sang in various events for high ranking government officials including for President Fidel Castro himself.
 
She left Cuba in 2000 at the age of 16 and moved to Saint John, New Brunswick. She subsequently spent two years living in Toronto before returning to Saint John. She now lives in beautiful Dalhousie in Northern New Brunswick. She is one of the most exciting jazz signers working today. Indeed, Sass Jordan called Dee “a world class jazz singer.” Listen to her new single and you will be in utmost agreement.
 
Prior to her move to Canada, Dee joined the conservatory in Havana Cuba and was placed as the lead singer of Los Soneritos at the age of 13 and toured extensively in Cuba, and Mexico where she performed at the famous Quimera International Art Festival, The Gardens UNEAC, The National Theatre of Havana, The Capitolio and Art School Ciudad Libertad.
 
“I grew up in a house of singing and we listened to Ella, Billie, Nat King Cole and Whitney Houston, all of whom inspired me greatly,” Dee tells [EDIT]ION.
 
On 29 June 1998 Dee arrived in Canada for her first tour with the big band Los Primos and she performed across the country in big theatres and huge festivals. In 2003 Dee auditioned for season 3 of Canadian Idol making the top 11! Co-writing with members of Canadian pop/Rock band the Moffatt Brothers, she recorded her debut album to wide acclaim. [EDIT]ION’s James Mullinger met with Dee to learn about her life and career.
 
JAMES MULLINGER: When did you know you wanted to be a musician?
 
DEE HERNANDEZ: I always knew. I grew up surrounded by singers my whole life, my grandparents, aunts, uncle and mother always came together in a song. Was the way of my family. A way to share and show our love to each other.  
 
My mother tells me that at the age of two I had already memorized the songs on a tape from the Spanish singer Rocio Durcal who was very successful singer in Mexico and called the Queen of Rancheras, although my first memories of singing was about 5 years old at a talent show singing and dancing.
 
What I felt when I sang and the reaction I received was a stamp to what became my identity, the singer, and even at such young age I knew this was a feeling I wanted to experience over and over again. So, without any training I jumped right in and never looked back. I started singing at local schools, mainly acapella and competing on local talent shows. Music became my healer and my obsession. Eventually at the age of 13 I was in a music school in Havana, I was travelling overseas and sharing my passion internationally. That led me to Canada where I could create and grow and become this me. Using all my experiences musically and personally I found myself composing, influenced by the sounds and traditional rhythms of the island blended with Jazz, Latin Soul, R&B, Funk, and other genres of music creating a unique sound in the Latin Jazz world. 
 
JAMES: Who are your influences?
 
DEE: This question always gets me because I listen to many musicians and singers like Celia Cruz the Queen of Salsa Music, Ella Fitzgerald, Erykah Badu, Amy Winehouse and Spanish flamenco singer Buika, Lauryn Hill and Marc Anthony. Just to name a few. But If I had to answer this question the most honest answer would be that I am influenced by life and all music from the past and now.
 
JAMES: What is the best thing about being an artist on the East Coast of Canada?
 
DEE: The best part has been the relationships that have flourished here, the love and support I have received not only in my professional journey but also in personal life. I am working with people that always believed in my vision and respect me as an artist and that to me is priceless. I find the East Coast has a unique feel and atmosphere. It took me a while to submerge myself and give in to the peace and opportunities that has brought me, but once I did, I was able to embrace its nature and this way I am able to let my creativity flow. I’m very thankful to be able to receive that energy.
 
JAMES: We are very excited about your new single and video. What can you tell us about them please?
 
DEE: My new single is called "Breath" and it's all in Spanish. This song is very special to me because it was written during a time of change in my life. I was very young, just became a mother, less than three years in Canada and just moved to Saint John, New Brunswick after working full time as a musician in Toronto. On this single I was able to express myself lyrically and musically without any reservations. A girl from Cuba, in Canada pursuing her dreams.
 
I recorded this with Dave Bartlett on drums, Jonathan Goud on bass, Huey Lord on piano, Greg Marks on the horns and Marc Gosselin who captured it, mixed and mastered. I've sat on this for a while but I believe that when music is honest it has no time, it becomes limitless. Now with the help of 428 Entertainment Group and Marc Gosselin, "Breath" finally found its time to shine. The single will be released on April 8 and will be available on every digital platform.
 
What can I tell you about the video? I don't want to give too much away because I want my listeners to have the experience without me influencing their taste, but the video will have the same energy as the song. Something intimate and honest, with a creative freedom, by celebrating where I am born and where I have grown. In other words, unique!
 

Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures 
 
Reopening Fredericton’s Beaverbrook Art Gallery following two-years of lockdown and renovations has been met with an impressive roster of carefully selected exhibitions. Their feature exhibition, Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures, promises a satisfying experience for gallery visitors. 
 
Jean-Paul Riopelle was a towering figure in Canadian, Quebec and international modern art. Based on original research, the exhibition explores the artist’s interest in the Canadian North and Indigenous cultures, with nearly 175 works and more than 200 artifacts and archival documents. It sheds new light on the artist’s work during the 1950s and 1970s by retracing the travels and influences that nurtured his fascination with northern regions and North American Indigenous communities. The exhibition will include a number of his masterworks from international collections. Using an intercultural approach, the exhibition offers a parallel between Riopelle's works and some of the sources that inspired him, in particular a selection of Inuit masks and works of Pacific Northwest coast First Nations.
 
The thoughtful exhibition is laid out chronologically and by theme, taking visitors on a tour of nearly 110 works by Riopelle (paintings, sculptures and works on paper) from the MMFA's collection and some 50 institutional and private collections in Canada, the U.S. and France. Of notable interest is the unveiling of two recently restored major works: the monumental sculpture Fontaine (1964-1977), on public display for the first time, and the immense canvas Point de rencontre (1963), the artist's only commissioned work, previously exhibited at Paris's Opéra Bastille. 
 
John Leroux, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery's Manager of Collections and Exhibitions tells [EDIT]ION: “We are so fortunate to be able to share these monumental works of a Canadian cultural icon alongside the powerful Indigenous works that inspired and expanded his breadth of view. The pairing of items alongside one another is an inspiring instance of cross-cultural development and understanding in Canadian art.”
 
Riopelle died in 2002, aged 75. Today, he is renowned worldwide, and his work is found in the public collections in over 60 cities around the world.
 
Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscapes and Indigenous Cultures will be at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery until July 3^rd. The exhibition is organized and circulated by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
 

francesca ekwuyasi at Frye Festival
Photographs: Camille Perron-Cormier

Unquestionably one of the most exciting books published this year is the ultimate celebration of this great country and the buildings that used to be here. The legacies of theatres, hotels, fire stations, flour mills, and more — torn down, burned down, and otherwise lost — are uncovered in this joyfully written and designed tome.

305 Lost Buildings of Canada is a fascinating collection of Raymond Biesinger’s (an acclaimed Montréal artist whose work has been published in The New Yorker, The Guardian, and Time magazine) artworks of Canada's most famous lost buildings, reproduced in his signature minimalist style, using archival photographs, blueprints, and written reports. 

Accompanying his illustrations are intriguing breakdowns of the historical impact of each building, written by award-winning journalist Alex Bozikovic (an architecture critic for the Globe and Mail and co-author of Toronto Architecture: A City Guide. He has also written for Toronto Life, Azure, and Metropolis). Drawing on local histories, archived building permits, and his own extensive knowledge of the Canadian urban landscape and its history, Bozikovic captures each building's essence and influence, with captivating, often never-before-revealed stories about each structure and its significance. 

An impossible historical walking tour, 305 Lost Buildings of Canada spans the country, with city-by-city, province-by-province breakdowns of each region's most iconic lost buildings making this an essential purchase wherever you live in Canada.

It is important to note that not every building included is written about nostalgically. The authors include structures that were destroyed out of necessity, including a residential school. The book also includes culturally significant meeting places for immigrant, BIPOC, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

Published by Canada's oldest independent book publisher proudly based here in New Brunswick, it should be a source of immense pride for Atlantic Canadians that a book published here is currently in the Top 10 Bestseller charts nationally. A joy-filled package delivering an equally joy-filled outcome. 

Order at least two. As soon as you flick through it, you will think of someone you need to gift it to, and trust us, you won't want to share. 

Jennifer Wood on Nestuita’si Storytelling Presents Koqm
Photograph by Dan Froese
 

Written and performed by poet and oral storyteller shalan jourdy, Koqm is a journey through time and land to experience the voices of fictional L’nu (Mi’kmaw) women. Throughout the course of the show audience members hear and meet the women who might have spoken and walked through one area of forest over centuries. Guided by the strength of an ancient tree (“koqm”), the women’s voices share with us their personal stories of grief, humour and resiliency through a unique theatrical performance.

“The purpose of this show is to give voice to forgotten and silenced historical L’nu women,” said joudry. “Deeply listening, spending time with old Hemlocks as I walked through my community and other landscapes, was all part of my process of imagining what might have been. Real-life L’nu Elders have inspired me with their stories. I am in awe of their strength. I wanted to write about more women like that, but from a fictional historical perspective.”

One of Atlantic Canada's most beautiful theatres Neptune Theatre (pictured below) is pleased to announce that a 30-minute discussion period following every evening performance for audience members who would like to stay for further conversation. Writer and actor shalan joudry welcomes questions or reflections that the show may inspire.

 

Koqm runs from April 5^th - April 17^th
Neptune Theatre 1593 Argyle St. Halifax.
Tuesday to Friday - 7:30 pm
Saturday and Sunday - 2 pm & 7:30 pm

neptunetheatre.com