Biographies

Barbra Lica

Juno-nominated artist Barbra Lica is a fast rising Canadian vocalist and songwriter and has been receiving accolades for a unique approach that stresses subtlety, grace and storytelling. Based in Toronto, Barbra’s live show captivates audiences all over North America with her genuine warmth and confident stage presence. A seasoned act on the Canadian and American club and festival circuits, Barbra Lica has performed everywhere from New York City’s legendary Birdland to Toronto’s prestigious Koerner Hall . She has also headlined at festivals across the continent including Festival International de Jazz de Montréal , Vancouver International Jazz Festival and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival , and opened for the likes of Christian McBride , Pat Metheny , Bob Dorough, and Terence Blanchard.

Charles Richard-Hamelin

Silver medalist and laureate of the Krystian Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Canadian pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin is standing out today as one of the most important musicians of his generation. In 2014, he also won the second prize at the Montreal International Musical Competition and the third prize at the Seoul International Music Competition in South Korea. Charles is the recipient of the Order of Arts and Letters of Quebec and the prestigious Career Development Award offered by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.

Charles Richard-Hamelin has recorded eight albums to this day, all published on the Analekta label. His most recent collaboration with Les Violons du Roy led to the release of a Mozart album (Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 24) conducted by Jonathan Cohen. These albums received awards and enthusiastic reviews from the leading music critics.

Salman Khattak

Salman Khattak is the creative talent behind Toronto Pen Company. Salman is an avid Calligrapher and as well as a fountain pen enthusiast. A tinkerer by nature, he set out to modify fountain pens to match the performance of dip pens so he could practice Calligraphy on the go. One thing led to another and he has come to a point where he is designing his own line of fountain pens. Toronto Pen Company is established with this goal in mind. Salman teaches Calligraphy through his workshops and private lessons when he is not tinkering with fountain pens or carving Calligraphy holders.

He has taught both virtually and in-person with the Aurora Cultural Centre.

Jane Taylor

Jane Taylor is the current Communications & Events Manager at the Aurora Cultural Centre. In this role she is the programmer for the professional music and theatre series and is the lead position on all marketing and communications for the company. She has worked in the arts sector for thirty years, with diverse experience in Canadian book publishing sales and marketing, independent music school programming, and most recently nine years of experience in the establishment of live music programming and presentations at the Aurora Cultural Centre. Jane is the founding president of the Aurora Film Circuit and is the recipient of the Johnson’s Cultural Achievement Award from the Town of Aurora. She has a degree in French Language & Literature from Queen’s University and completed an M.A. in Professional Communications with a research focus on the effects of music appreciation on the development of family communication dynamics.