Biography

PERFORMER BIO:

 

Winnipeg-based Sol James is a force to be reckoned with, with a voice to match. A unique take on roots/blues with a soulful flair, her music is joyful and honest, leaving audiences smiling, dancing, and celebrating the great stuff of life. Sol’s stage presence calls out to even the meekest of souls, breaking down walls and bringing the light in. She does this with a dependable dose of hilarity; You can hear a Sol James audience laughing a mile away.

 

"Sol James has an honesty in her songwriting. She isn't afraid to say it like it is. It's refreshing to hear someone with a voice like hers tell us what it is we need to hear!"

- Murray Pulver

 

With a strong and agile voice that leaves audiences amazed and moved, Sol James puts on a powerful show.

 

“The first time I saw Sol James perform my jaw hit the floor. Her power and soul knocked me out!” - David Gilmore, Gilmore Guitars INC

 

“[Her] bold voice… was a hit. She is able to convey the joy in the blues”

– Winnipeg Free Press, Chris Smith

 

“There was a lot of delicacy to [her] singing, yet she knew when to go over the top.”– Winnipeg Jewish Review, Jane Enkin

 

Sol’s voice, musicality and creative vision is in demand in the Winnipeg scene. You might have seen her opening for Suzie Vinnick, Monkey Junk, The Brothers
Landreth, Red Moon Road, Jack Semple or Sweet Alibi. You might have heard her backing vocal tracks with The Weber Brothers, Billy Joe Green Band, Dusty Roads Band, The Small Glories or Red Moon Road.

 

Sol’s relatability, training, and demeanor make her an excellent teacher. A graduate of the University of Manitoba Jazz Program, she can be found teaching vocal and jazz lessons at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Art, and at University of Manitoba Jazz Camp. She can also be found sharing art, expression and joy in hospital environments as a performer with Artists in Health Care. She also has completed her Music Therapy degree and training in 2019, serving populations across Winnipeg.

 

Notable performances include: Live @The Folk Exchange, Songwriters in the City Workshop with Winnipeg Folk Fest, BBQ blues fest 2013/2014, Canada Day, New Years Eve and Barge Festival at The Forks, Fire and Water Festival, Jazz Winnipeg Festival, Dauphin Watson Arts Centre, The Music of Barbra Streisand (The Tarbut Festival), Juno Fest, Festival du Voyageur, Soul Night at The Cavern with The Solutions, ELLICE Street Fest, Manitoba Songwriters Retreat, Manitoba Country Music Association Artist Showcase, Lockport Family Dam Festival, Oak Point Festival, Rainbow Trout Festival, Brandon Folk Festival, and many more...

 

 

 

 

BIO for MUSIC THERAPY and Outreach Work:

HEITHA FORSYTH- B. MUS, B.M.T,  MT-BC MTA 

Aka “Sol James” is a force to be reckoned with, with a voice to match. She has completed two degrees: The University of Manitoba Jazz Studies program in 2008, and the Canadian Mennonite University Music Therapy Program in 2019.  She has used the past decade+ to perform, tour, and release 2 recordings, cementing her place as a sought after professional vocalist. Beyond her busy performing career, Heitha has been teaching the art of singing to students of all ages and stages through the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts, The University of Manitoba Preparatory Studies and privately. Heitha can also be found sharing art, expression and joy in hospital and long-term care environments as a performer, and more recently, as a Music Therapist.

Heitha has spent time working with various populations within facilities in Winnipeg including the Misericordia Health Centre, Deer Lodge Centre, Riverview Health Centre, The Movement Disorder Clinic and St. Amant Centre. As a student under the supervision of Gillian Barnes, M. A., S-LP(c) (MDC), she lead the first therapeutic choir in Winnipeg for people living with Parkinson’s Disease. Her success working in this capacity lead to her recruitment by U-Turn Parkinson’s to form and lead U-Tunes, which continues to provide therapeutic intervention for those living with PD. She is also the director of Vivace Voices, a therapeutic choir for people living with Alzheimer’s Disease through the Canadian Mennonite University Community School of Music.