Musical icons’ show billed as intimate evening

482 261 Ann Mortifee

Article in the Calgary Herald on the Upcoming events in Calgary.

Link to the article, or read it below.

Musical icons’ show billed as intimate evening.

Ann Mortifee has been on a spiritual journey for many years of her life.

She has travelled both inward and outward.

Next week, the Canadian arts and culture icon, together with her husband Paul Horn, a jazz legend, comes to Calgary, where Mortifee will share some of her experiences and insights on the spiritual life and what she has learned over the years.

On Friday, Horn and Mortifee will present In Love with the Mystery at 7: 30 p.m. at Woodcliff United Church, 5010 Spruce Dr. S.W.

It is billed as an intimate evening of stories, improvised music and readings from Mortifee’s new book of the same name and CD.

“It’s an evening of storytelling. There will be a little bit of music. And we’re going to talk about these strange serendipitous experiences that led up to the book beginning almost 35 years ago,” says Mortifee.

“All my life I’ve been interested in why are we here, what’s the purpose of life. What’s my destiny? All those questions that most of us ask at some point. I’ve been kind of blessed to go through a lot of different spiritual traditions. I’ve travelled a lot. I’ve believed things and let them go. And embraced more. In the end, can I really name what it is that most fascinates me? No, I really can’t. It’s a mystery. And I think if I ever say a prayer, it’s To Whom It May Concern.”

She says as the world gets smaller and different communities, traditions and realities become more evident to all people, “the mystery of life becomes more fascinating and the need to articulate it and say ‘this is the truth’ just seems to go away.”

“I got up every morning at five o’clock and they were thoughts that came to me after a lifetime of travelling inwardly and outwardly,” Mortifee says of her book.

Then on Saturday, there will be a full-day workshop from 10 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. at the church called Sacred Union. Horn and Mortifee will bring together their “unique and shared life experiences,” says a poster promoting the event.

“You will love this day and come away with: tools to integrate mind, body, emotion and spirit; the ability to use your physical body as an ally in staying grounded in the present moment. Through music, story, improvisation and meditation, you will find yourself expanded and joyous.”

For more general and ticket information for both events, visit www.annmortifee.com.

Mortifee says she’s been a singer all her life and many years ago she began teaching workshops on how to be more creative, opening yourself up and getting in touch with your own creativity.

“Through that whole process, I became conscious of how the body plays into your ability to be creative. When the body gets shut down, how hard it is to access your passion, and how creativity of course is so interconnected with passion,” she says.

“We do a little bit of singing. We do a little bit of visioning. And it’s just a day to reflect. Go inward. To feel where you’re stuck in your body. To open yourself up a bit. And to get in touch with your creative essence. So the Sacred Union is real ly about bringing the different aspects of yourself together.

“The day is really about how to unify the self in a way that gives you more power, more joy, more peace and more inner balance and harmony.”

mtoneguzzi@calgaryherald.com

Tix for Evening: http://annmortifeepaulhorncalgary-eorg.eventbrite.com/
Tix for Workshop (Includes Friday evening): http://sacredunioncalgary.eventbrite.com

Ann Mortifee

Singer Ann Mortifee is a genre unto herself. Blessed with a remarkable four-octave range and a gift for impacting hearts with her music and lyrics, her albums, concerts, full-length musicals, scores (ballet, film, opera, TV), and In Love with the Mystery book have generated national/international distinctions and awards. She is an Order of Canada Member, the country’s highest civilian honour. A world traveller, compelling storyteller, and sought-after keynote speaker for major conferences, Ann creates and facilitates inspiring arts and consciousness workshops and co-founded two foundations - for social innovation and for forestry conservation. Based in BC, Ann is the wife of the late jazz flutist, Paul Horn.

All stories by: Ann Mortifee