Don Ross

Don Ross has just released a new solo album, WATER. It is his 18th solo album, and his 21st including collaborations. For this new recording, Don decided to launch a Kickstarter fundraising campaign and do the release 100% independently. The album features collaborations with legendary guitarist/songwriter Bruce Cockburn, fretless bass wizard Michael Manring, Washington State-based guitarist/composer Sean Hall, singer/guitarist Brooke Miller, Prince Edward Island-based quintet The Atlantic String Machine, and even one piece with the 70-piece City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Don Ross was born and raised in Montreal and has lived in various parts of Canada over the course of his life. The son of a Mi’kmaw Indigenous mother and a Scottish immigrant father, he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music) degree from Toronto’s York University and started working full-time as a musician in 1988. That year he won the US National Fingerpick Guitar Championship for the first time.

Don has released solo CDs with a multitude of labels, including Duke Street Records, Sony Music/Columbia Records, Narada Records and CandyRat Records.

In addition, Don has released three other albums independently, Live in Your Head (2006), Any Colour (2009) and Don Ross Louder Than Usual (2019). Over the course of that time, Don’s touring base has gone on to include trips to Australia, India, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, and a dozen European countries.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Don went back to university, completing a Master of Arts degree in Orchestration through the University of Chichester (UK) and graduating in early 2021. He immediately started working extensively in the world of scoring orchestral and electronic music for video games, films and television.

In addition to his solo performances and recordings, Don also heads his quartet Don Ross Louder Than Usual, which focuses on his more jazz-leaning repertoire.

In 2021, Don won the prestigious Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts, administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Don currently lives in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Julie Malia

Julie Malia (AKA Jule Malischke) is a highly talented guitarist, singer and songwriter who has made a name for herself in recent years with great compositions and impressive festival appearances. Originally from Swabia in southern Germany, she also works as a lecturer at the Carl Maria von Weber Music University in Dresden, Germany.

Julie is one of the most sought-after soloists on the European acoustic scene. Her repertoire covers an impressively broad musical spectrum – from self-penned heartfelt songs, very original song-cover arrangements, and diverse virtuoso styles on the classical guitar through to modern fingerstyle arrangements. There are few musicians who can boast such mastery of all these related but very different genres.

Julie is known for her vibrant personality, great sense of humour, her wonderful voice and the virtuosity of her guitar playing. She has captivated audiences across Europe in her appearances at many of the most important festivals.

Julie recently released her new CD, Seagull, featuring her original songs and her stunning guitar playing. The recording was nominated for the prestigious German Record Critics’ Prize (Preis der deutchen Schallplattenkritik) in July 2024.