Born in Madagascar, raised and educated in Moscow, Donné Roberts was already a musician fluent in Malagasy, Russian, French and English by the time he arrived in Canada in 1999. His performances and recordings with the JUNO-winning African Guitar Summit from 2004 to 2007 gained him wider exposure and appreciation. As part of the Okavango African Orchestra, Donné was again awarded a JUNO for World Music Album of the Year in 2017. All the while, he has been a busy musician, touring with his own band, and releasing multiple albums including JUNO-nominated OYA! in 2022. His growing success caught the attention of CBC Radio, who commissioned him to compose the theme music for their popular morning Sunday morning show Fresh Air.
On Sunday, May 24 at 2pm at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonald’s Corners, enjoy a lively afternoon with Donné and his band consisting of guitar, keyboard, bass, percussion and multiple vocals. Tickets are available from Tickets Please (TicketsPlease.ca, 485–6434).
As Darryl Sterdan wrote in Tinnitist: “Above everything else, Roberts aims for his musical concoctions to be a source of hope and joy.”