Artist credits

Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser

Principal Youth Conductor and Creative Partner

A passionate communicator, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser brings clarity and meaning to the concert hall, fostering deep connections between audiences and performers. He is concurrently the Principal Youth Conductor and Creative Partner of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Principal Education Conductor and Community Ambassador of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Artist in Residence and Community Ambassador of Symphony Nova Scotia, and Resident Conductor of Engagement and Education of the San... read more

Jah’Mila

Singer-songwriter

Wrapped in the roots of the Reggae family tree, Jah’Mila makes music that is creatively crafted and deeply inspiring. She has toured with towering Reggae bands like The Wailers, Groundation, Black Uhuru among many others. Equipped with over a decade of Reggae industry experience, and also with the amazing support of her musical team, she is poised and prepared to stand in the center of every stage. She has been carrying the torch for roots Reggae music in the Maritimes, and she channels... read more

NAC Orchestra

Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative... read more

rr-kristine-kovacevic-crop

Kristine Kovacevic

supporting vocals

Kristine has been working with Jah’Mila for over four years, and has been singing her heart out for the past 30. Growing up in a family of lead singers, Kristine had always enjoyed finding the elusive harmonies, unintentionally preparing her for an exciting career as a backing vocalist. Being quite new to the world of professional singing and performing, Kristine has managed to be featured on several albums, has performed with two orchestras and even toured in Jamaica. 

Owen O’Sound Lee

lead and supporting vocals

Owen ‘O’Sound’ Lee is a musician, songwriter, vocal arranger, and producer from Toronto, Ontario. Owen grew up singing in church, and after studying Vocal Performance Jazz at York University he began pursuing music as a full-time career, and has been making strides ever since. In 2014, Owen extended his musical reach to the East Coast of Canada when he relocated to Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is currently the Minister of Music at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Upper Hammonds Plains,... read more

alec-frith-crop

Alec Frith

bass guitar

The youngest of a generation of musical Friths from Bermuda, Alec was inspired to play bass at a young age by the music of Bob Marley, as well as the South African sounds of the Paul Simon album, Graceland. A long trip to the Caribbean on a boat as a kid, and the influence of his cousin and Reggae singer, Mishka, solidified his love of roots music. Spending his high school years on a farm in St. Ann’s, Cape Breton, he taught himself to play many styles of music on guitar and bass, which... read more

teddy-skiffington-crop

Tedmund ‘Teddy’ Skiffington

drums

Teddy Skiffington has been performing and recording drums for over 15 years. His musical influences include Questlove, Carleton Barrett, and Brian Fraser-Moore among others. His interest in Reggae music and Jamaican culture led to two tours of Jamaica in 2017 and 2020 with Jah’Mila. Teddy now resides in Toronto, Ontario. 

rr-charlie-benoit-crop

Charlie Benoit

guitar

A third-generation musician, Nova Scotian guitarist Charlie Benoit turned to Reggae music from his family’s Celtic background throughout playing with the band Dub Kartel from 2013-2018. Since then, Charlie has gone on to support Jah’Mila as she has gone on to take center stage. In addition to playing in the band, Charlie also contributes to the team in video production, shooting music videos for recent singles ‘Chant Their Names’ and ‘Roots Girl.’

Keithy Antoine

French host

Keithy Antoine works across art, radio, television, and web as a socially-committed entrepreneur, visual artist, and animator. Since 2015, she has been the founder and co-owner of Espace Urbain Montreal, the largest Afro-Urban-Canadian boutique with a vital societal mission. And also the Director of the organization Union Urbaine, that coordonate the Festival Afro Urbain. She is an active member of Wecan Collective, to promote afro-canadian artists. In 2022, she co-host the new web series... read more

Creative and production teams

  • Artistic Director Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser
  • Associate Artistic Director Jhamiela Smith
  • Creative Producer Byron Kent Wong
  • Visual Design and Production ZERO11ZERO | Iron Bay Media
  • Associate Producer Kate Latimer
  • Video Director and Live Switcher Ian Cameron
  • Music-Recording Producer Carl Talbot
  • Sound Production Musicom Productions Inc.
  • Lighting Design Jean-François Couture
  • Executive Producer Genevieve Cimon
  • Producer Kelly Racicot
  • Technical Director Pasquale Cornacchia
  • Technical Director Peter Lyne
  • Stage Director Laurie Champagne
  • Marketing Lead Sibylle Berger


Video capture (Orchestra)

  • Video Director and Live Switcher Ian Cameron
  • Video Musical Director Jonathan Patterson
  • Live Score Reader Sean Haid
  • Cameras Matthew Cameron, Mathieu Dumontier, Stacy Lee, Sharif Mirshak, Martin Reisch


Video and audio capture (Nova Scotia)

  • Video Capture Charlie Benoit
  • Audio Recording Richard McNeil


Audio production and engineering - Musicom Productions Inc.

  • Music-Recording Producer Carl Talbot
  • Recording Sound and Mix Engineer François Arbour
  • Recording Sound Engineer Charles Gagnon


Special thanks

  • Consultant Dr. Carolyn Cooper
  • Learning Materials Jhamiela Smith
  • Learning Materials Ryan Drew
  • Learning Materials Kathryn Cobbler
  • Learning Materials Sarah Howard
  • Board Chair & President, African Nova Scotian Music Association (ANSMA) Louis Gannon Jr.
  • Composer James Poyser
  • Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia
  • Illustrations Mikheal Deans