A-E F-J K-O P-T U-Z
Ian Franklin, oboe

Ian Franklin�s career as a professional musician began at the age of 16 when he was appointed Principal Oboe with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. That same year, he inherited 14 students when a former teacher, Robert Bergason, left Victoria. Franklin was still in Grade 12. One year later, Franklin made the finals in a CBC competition and joined the National Youth Orchestra.

Franklin remained with the Victoria Symphony for six years, before joining the Regina Symphony Orchestra in 1972. Throughout the years, he has performed with orchestras throughout Canada, both as a soloist and as a free lance musician.

Franklin joined Orchestra London in 1986 and has performed many concertos with the ensemble, including the Strauss Oboe Concerto, which he has played twice. In 1987, he recorded a disc on the ebs label as a soloist with the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra.

Franklin also performs regularly with The Aeolian Winds, a highly acclaimed wind quintet that was founded in 1989. In 1998 the ensemble was chosen to perform at the True North Festival, a celebration of Canadian art and music, in Taiwan.

 

Alan Frew, vocalist

Alan Frew is a five time Juno award winner and a Grammy nominee. A twenty-year veteran of the Canadian Music Industry, this charismatic vocalist, with a truly captivating style is the voice of the internationally renowned recording group Glass Tiger and has sold over 3,000,000 albums worldwide. As a songwriter, Frew has written numerous top ten hits with several reaching the chart topping #1 position. Someday, So Blind, I'm Still Searching and Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) have all reached this plateau.

Still one of the most recognized Canadian celebrities, he has toured and performed with Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Julian Lennon, Journey, Roxette, Cheap Trick, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Huey Lewis and Fleetwood Mac. Alan's two solo projects Hold On and Wonderland have been released to rave reviews.

Alan has traveled extensively performing in Bosnia, the North Pole and the Middle East for the Canadian Armed Forces and their allies. Alan wrote the anthem for CBC's World Cup 2002 telecast and the anthem for the 2001 World Hockey Championships in Germany where he performed the song live at the opening ceremonies.

Currently, his love of people and art has him mentoring young bands, producing young artists, painting, launching a cartoon and a clothing line, writing a book and a screenplay.
 

Lawrence Gowan, piano and songwriter

For the past fifteen years, Gowan has witnessed many changes in the music business. The Canadian pianist/songwriter has evolved from an 80�s arena rocker to a 90�s intimate one-on-one performer and now into the new millennium with a variety of large and small-scale projects.

Larry�s symphony concerts have provided his audience with sophisticated growth in the tried and true tunes they love. Gowan says, �Too often, artists want to hold onto something that�s been successful for them and I find that stifling. I always have to have the sense that it�s evolving.�

The "Best Of Gowan" CD on Columbia/SONY was released late in 1997 with the leadoff single "Healing Waters" -- a tribute to the late Princess Diana of Wales. The song was commissioned by the BBC during a promotional tour Gowan did in the UK during the time of her death. The push of Gowan's popularity led to a similar 'best of' package in the UK in 1998 called 'Home Field'.

1999 saw Gowan return to the recording studio with producer Terry Brown to record 11 songs for the follow-up to his last studio effort, 'The Good Catches Up', only to be interrupted in May, 1999 by a phone call asking him to fill in for Dennis DeYoung on Styx's 1999 comeback tour. The band came back, and then some, and Larry is still touring with Styx. Gowan had met the band in 1998 when he opened for them at Montreal's Molson Centre and Quebec's Colisee.
 

Paul Grambo, baritone

Originally from Brandon, Manitoba, Paul Grambo has greatly enjoyed his first two years in London. His performances over the last year have included Orchestra London�s production of Puccini�s Tosca (Sciarone) at the Grand Theatre and Mozart's Cosi fan tutte (Guglielmo) and Barab's Little Red Riding Hood (The Wolf) with UWOpera. Previously, as a member of the Edmonton Opera, he performed in Puccini's Turandot (Chorus) and in Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (Radio Operator Bob McCaffrey & Chorus).

Mr. Grambo has a Bachelor of Music degree from Brandon University and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Western Ontario under the tutelage of Mr. Theodore Baerg.
 

Roger Hodgson, guitar and songwriter

Roger Hodgson was born in England in the year 1950. He started playing the guitar when he was 12 when he inherited his dad�s guitar and was taught to play by one of his teachers at boarding school. He started writing songs almost immediately and gave his first concert at the school playing all his own songs. He was 13. Roger also taught himself to play the piano and he feels that his love of music got him through his school years which were not easy for him.

After he left school in 1969, he met another musician, Rick Davies, and formed the band Supertramp. After five years of struggling to make it, the band�s third album Crime of the Century went to number one in England, with Roger�s song �Dreamer� hitting number one on the pop charts.
When he was 25, Roger came to America on tour with Supertramp and fell in love with California where he ended up making his home. A year later, Roger�s song �Give a Little Bit� � a song he had written when he was a teenager � became a big hit in America and around the world. In 1979, Supertramp�s next album Breakfast in America went to number one in every country of the world, staying there for most of the year and eventually becoming one of the biggest selling albums of all time.

In 1983, at the height of Supertramp�s success, Roger announced that he was leaving the band. The following year he released his first solo album In the Eye of the Storm which achieved great international success. But by this time, Roger had a family with two young children, and he made the decision not to tour but to stay at home and enjoy his kids growing up.

Ever since he was very young Roger felt there was a deeper meaning to life than what he was being taught and he expressed a lot of this soul-searching through his music. His songs brought a whole new exciting dimension to rock music. His timeless melodies, with words that express a yearning for inner peace and a longing to come home, have become a voice for many who feel the same way. Songs like �Give a Little Bit�, �The Logical Song�, �Dreamer� and �Take the Long Way Home� continue to send messages of love and hope that touch a special place in people�s hearts; Roger has become one of the most loved and gifted songwriters of all time.

With his children now grown and his son Andrew pursuing his own musical career, Roger is once again performing world-wide, both solo and with orchestras, as well as composing new music. He is happier than he has ever been and the music that he is writing reflects his re-awakened creativity and passion for life.

Roger feels his life has been very blessed and realizes the fulfillment and joy that comes from giving back to life. He has always supported many charities and environmental organizations and is now deeply involved in fundraising for the Tsunami Relief efforts, offering his song �Give a Little Bit� in the hope it will inspire people to reach out and get involved.

He believes the simple message of this song is one that is universal:
Give a little bit of your love to me
I�ll give a little bit of my love to you
Now�s the time that we need to share,
Send a smile and show you care.
... and that a loving and caring heart is what makes us feel good inside and is truly what makes the world a better place.
 

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