Meet some of Folklorama’s newest members
It’s always a pleasure to welcome new faces to our talented members group. Read on to learn about a few of them.
The Burtons – (Performing Member – Group)
Adelle and Robert Burton are a musical duo who play a wide variety of music, based steeply in the jazz tradition, but also popular songs, holiday favorites and special requests.
They appear frequently as a duo, with Adelle singing and Robert on Guitar, but that group can be augmented into a trio or a quartet depending on your needs.
Robert himself is a very accomplished musician and the province’s only 7 string jazz guitar player. The 7th string offers a fuller texture to all his performances but particularly his solo shows.
Robert performs throughout the city and has been a mainstay on the jazz scene for 20 plus years! He is available to play solo guitar arrangements of a variety of jazz and popular tunes as well as the classics for the holiday season.
He too can be augmented to be a duo, a trio or a quartet.
Robert is also a very busy teacher, owner of River Heights Music School, and has been a musical clinician in various schools in the city.
Marie Laure Mbazoa (Performing Member – Solo)
MLS TOUCH is a french storyteller and cultural educator who bridges tradition and creativity. With a gift for transforming words into living performances, they blend rhythm, song, and narrative to captivate audiences while fostering learning and community. Their work celebrates culture, sparks curiosity, and carries voices across generations.
Gary Senft (Individual Member)
Gary received his arts and law degrees from the University of Manitoba. He served as in-house counsel for Investors Group Inc. and later The Great-West Life Assurance Company (now Canada Life) from which he retired as Vice-President and Associate General Counsel, Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs.
During his law career he was active in industry affairs and served for many years nationally as Chair of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s Legal and Legislative Committee.
Gary enjoys community service in the areas of international development and peace and conflict resolution. He is on the Board of the Manitoba Council for International Co-operation and is its current President. He is also an advisor to the Conflict and Resilience Research Institute Canada, an academic think tank working on peace and conflict resolution.
He is Co-Chair of a movement he co-founded as Peace Days. Peace Days was inspired and facilitated by Rotarians and friends and has evolved into the Rotary Winnipeg Peace Builders Committee. Gary served as a Chairman of the Board for Manitoba Film and Music and currently serves on the international Board of Trustees for the Charter for Compassion.
His interests include enjoying family, music and playing polo. Gary is a past Vice Chair of the Winnipeg Folk Festival and a past Chair of the Manitoba Horse Council Inc. Gary is also a lead organizer of the Cooks Creek Medieval Festival.