‘SMALL DIFFERENCES WITH GREAT LOVE’ JOSEPH’S GOAL
Welsh singer-songwriter headlines Saskatoon refugee fundraiser
Renowned singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph is coming to Saskatoon to do a concert in support of the Refugee Fund- Outreach Committee of St. John’s Anglican Cathedral.
This is the third time the awardwinning Welsh artist has performed in Saskatoon. As he has on the two previous occasions, Joseph comes at the invitation of St. John’s Anglican Cathedral, and more specifically, Sarah Donnelly and her husband Rev. Scott Pittendrigh, the current dean of St. John’s.
The couple discovered Joseph when he did a concert in Victoria while they were serving a church there. The two were particularly drawn to the themes of Joseph’s music. Pittendrigh calls Martyn “a powerful singer and songwriter, gifted with the rare ability to speak to the soul with his expressive and poignant lyrics.”
Joseph’s musical career spans three decades. He has produced 32 albums, sold more than half a million recordings, and done thousands of live performances all over the world. His style is said to be reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen or Bruce Cockburn, but is uniquely his own.
When it comes to the spirit of Joseph’s music, reviewers remark that labels can’t define it, possibly because his musical versatility touches a variety of genres, including folk, rock, soul, folk funk and Americana.
“Martyn Joseph has a powerful voice and is an incredible guitar player,” says Klaus Gruber, a member of St. John’s and a dedicated fan. “His songs are filled with all kinds of meaning and social justice themes. He’s entertaining, plus he tells good stories in his music. He plays solo guitar with full, rich, amazing chords and a unique percussive edge.”
Joseph was named Best Male Artist a few years ago at the BBC Welsh Music Awards, and his song There’s Always Maybe won the best folksong category at the World Independent Music Awards three years ago. His most recent CD, Sanctuary, was released last fall and is receiving great critical acclaim.
Gruber says choosing Joseph to headline this fundraiser event for St. John’s makes complete sense since Joseph has his own not-forprofit organization, Let Yourself Trust, which aims to make “small differences with great love and commitment by challenging injustice wherever it is found.” This is accomplished by educating through advocacy, campaigning for human rights, and raising issues that have been forgotten or ignored. His initiatives include supporting agencies that deal with refugees.
“We always split the profits from the concerts between Martyn’s organization and ours,” Gruber says, “and will do that with this concert, as well.”
One of the agencies Joseph’s organization supports is a hospital on the West Bank in Palestine.
“In fact,” Gruber says, “a song Martyn sings that always blows me away is called I Don’t Have the Luxury Despair. It reflects on his encounter with a Palestinian doctor who lost his family in a bombing, yet continues to work to save his community.”
The Martyn Joseph concert will take place on Friday, April 22, in St. John’s Parish Hall behind the cathedral, which is located at 816 Spadina Cres., East. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. They may be purchased through the cathedral office at 306-242-5146; at McNally Robinson Booksellers, or online at www.picatic.com. Gruber suggests purchasing tickets as early as possible because the last Joseph concert at St. John’s sold out.
Refugee sponsorship is something St. John’s Anglican Cathedral has been involved in for many decades. Gruber is chair of the Cathedral Refugee Fund and refugee coordinator for the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon, as well.
“We regularly do sponsorships,” he says. “Since I became involved at St. John’s in 1989, we have sponsored Bosnians, Kosovars, South Sudanese and Iraqi refugees, and we currently have an application in for a Syrian family. We have also supported government-assisted refugees who needed extra help.”
Gruber says refugee work has become something of centrepiece of outreach for St. John’s. “The congregation is very committed and the refugee committee is larger than it’s ever been. Just last week, we hosted a refugee welcoming event in co-operation with The Open Door Society. We hosted about 70 Syrian refugees to the Saskatoon community, just to let them know they are welcome here. It was a very successful event.”