Jill Zmud, a Canadian Folk Music Award nominee in 2014, will be performing at the Ottawa Grassroots Festival in April. Her latest album “Small Matters of Life and Death” weaves together loss, hope, and a 40-year-old reel-to-reel tape belonging to an uncle Jill never met. The album’s soulful rootsy production illuminates both the darker grit and hopeful light in her voice. Featured are guest artists Jim Cuddy and Nashville’s The McRary Sisters. For Jill, highlights since the release of her album include opening for her musical hero Ruthie Foster, being the #1 album on CKCU in 2014, and touring with her baby daughter.
Megan Piercey Monafu is a playwright, director and facilitator, passionate about the intersection of community building, social activism, and theatre. Trained in Forum Theatre and clown as well as in social work, Megan has facilitated drama workshops, classes, and networking events at schools and community organizations in Ottawa, Montreal, and the Maritimes. Megan is the Artistic Director of the newly founded Community-Supported Art Ottawa that works to connect local artists with local audiences (http://csartottawa.ca).