Michelle Richard to MC at Fearless

The Fearless Festival – Vancouver’s newest, wildest Canada Day party - is proud to welcome local Acadian vocalist, Michelle Richard as host for the main stage at Pigeon Park on July 1st.

Richard’s broad repertoire includes jazz, R&B, dance music and French songs. Her voice has been compared to Sade and Norah Jones, and strong influences include Billie Holiday, Edith Butler, and Sarah Vaughan. Michelle sings in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese, and composes in French and English. She has a Diploma in Contemporary Voice.

Since 1992, she has performed in many settings including the Yale Pub, Place Malardville, Vancouver City Hall, Cityfest, the Cellar Jazz Café, and the Black History Month Market and Festival. This May she was featured twice on CBC Radio-Canada for her performances and compositions in French. When Michelle isn’t singing she is a supporter and fundraiser for Canadian Students for Darfur (www.csfdarfur.net).

Ms. Richard says she is thrilled to MC the event. In fitting with the holiday, she will be kicking off the day’s festivities by singing Oh Canada and finish off the day playing with her dance band, Nightlife.

Courageous Words Stage Finds a Coordinator

Poet Leanne Sjodin has taken the driver's seat for the Fearless Fest's Courageous Words Stage which will be happening at the Radio Station Café from 4-7pm and will be broadcast live on CFRO 102.7fm. She welcomes your inquiries at lanicobb@telus.net.

Her biography follows.

A humanist with flare, Leanne Sjodin is an emerging poet and fiction writer who finds her inspiration through the beauty and heartbreak of our everyday lives. She spends her days as a high-school English teacher and reports that it is the young who keep our pulse on reality. In pursuit of a vibrant life, she has recently taken up hula hooping.