Time: 8 p.m.
Tickets: $32
Juno Award winning musician and
actor well known to Canadians for his humanitarian work with special
performances by Pear and One More Girl. The Empress performances are
part of Tom's "Singing for Supper" cross-Canada tour. The tour's goal
is to raise needed financial support and food for food banks, ministries
and other organizations feeding Canada's needy. Non-perishable food
items and cash donations will be accepted at the Empress Theatre
performances to benefit the hungry in Canada.
* Opening Night Series: December 11, 2010
* Second Night Series: December 12, 2010
* Showtime: 8:00 pm
* Single tickets: $32.00 each
Tom Jackson: http://www.tomali.com/
Appointed
an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 for his music and
humanitarian work, Tom is well known to Canadians as an accomplished
musician and actor dedicated to helping the less fortunate. At the
2007 Junos, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS)
bestowed Tom with the Humanitarian Award in recognition for his positive
contributions to the social landscape of Canada. That same year, the
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television also presented Tom with
their prestigious Humanitarian Award at the annual Gemini events. Tom
received the Queen’s Jubilee medal in 2002 and Centennial Medals from
Alberta and Saskatchewan in 2005. Time Magazine named him one of
Canada’s best activists and Honorary Degrees have been conferred upon
him from the University of Regina, Alberta, Laurentian, Winnipeg,
Victoria, Trent, Lakehead, Calgary and Lethbridge. Tom begins a 3-year
appointment as Chancellor of Trent University in September 2009.
Born on the One Arrow reserve in Saskatchewan and raised in Winnipeg,
Tom left school at the age of 15 and spent seven years living on the
back streets of Winnipeg. This experience built the foundation of his
character - tenacity, leadership, determination to succeed and an
altruistic capacity to care for others.
As a singer and songwriter, Tom has recorded 14 albums, two of which
have received Juno nominations. His rich bass baritone is recognizable
to music fans and concertgoers across the country. Tom is also an
award-winning actor. Fans of the CBC hit television series North of 60
will know him as Chief Peter Kenidi, a role he portrayed for six
seasons. From Shining Time Station to Star Trek to Law & Order, Tom
is no stranger to film and notes his favourites - three North of 60
movies, The Diviners, Grizzly Falls, Meeshee The Water Giant and
Skinwalkers. Tom’s distinctive voice can also be heard narrating
television projects such as Life & Times, The Snow Eater and Great
Canadian Rivers.
When Tom was working on North of 60, fellow cast member Mervin Good
Eagle committed suicide. His tragic and untimely death exposed Tom to
the devastating effects of suicide in Aboriginal communities. His
response was to create and initiate the Dreamcatcher Tour. After a
dozen years, 170 urban and reserve locations across Canada have
benefited from Tom’s workshops, music, and overall messages of
empowerment.
One of Tom's prime motivators is his drive to end hunger. He has applied
his musical and entrepreneurial gifts to his Huron Carole Benefit
Concert Series (retired after 17 years) and his more recent Singing for
Supper and Swinging for Supper Tours. Singing for Supper carries on his
annual Christmas tradition, with over 20 concerts performed in churches
and community halls from coast to coast. Swinging for Supper matches
Tom’s love of golf and live music – events raising money and awareness
for food banks and agencies meeting the needs of at-risk youth. Tom’s
passion for travel across Canada forged his commitment to tour with
Canadian Pacific Railway’s fundraiser The Holiday Train from 1999 to
2003. From that experience he produced 2 compilation CDs, which, along
with The Huron Carole, Singing for Supper and Swinging for Supper, have
helped raise over $5.6M dollars for food banks and family agencies
across the country.
Tom has a unique way of uniting people to create change and this
instinct prevails despite all odds. The Vigil, a post-9/11 concert
fundraiser held September 12, 2001, engaged Canadian Country Music
industry professionals, raising money for the Red Cross and marking the
first of many similar events around the globe. Tom spearheaded and
hosted the CBC Newsworld coverage of Say Hay, an Alberta event that
raised $1.8M for drought-stricken prairie farmers. In 2003, Tom
collaborated with Calgary-based industries to create Beef Relief in aid
of cattle ranchers devastated by border closures. Combined cash and
beef contributions for the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank topped the
$600,000 mark. And in May 2009, Tom enlisted the help of many musical
friends to stage Rise Again a nationally broadcast concert to aid
victims of recent flooding in Manitoba. Moved by increasing issues
surrounding global food insecurity and homelessness, Tom’s next foray in
elevating the quality of life for Canadians is the manufacture of
affordable housing.
One More Girl