A beloved element of Gil’s Hootenanny is the opening procession. The performers promenade into the hall singing and playing, inviting the audience to join in the music, as they weave through the crowd. The beginning of this year’s hootenanny will feature two musicians who are storytellers, artists, song& writers and community builders. They are also brilliant at leading singalong songs and bringing musical energy and joy to the Hootenanny.
The opening procession for Gil’s Hootenanny 2026 will be led by Carmel Whittle and Patricia Reynolds, who are treasured members of the Gil’s Hootenanny community.
Patricia’s musical influences include classic country, Texas swing, rockabilly and traditional / contemporary folk music. Her playing roots are in Quebec at Roses’ Cantina, the Blue Angel Old Timey Mondays and The Yellow Door coffee house. Local musical projects have included the Elizabeth Riley Band, several musical theatre ventures in Kemptville / North Grenville, and Unmasked Connections, a project bringing music and company to residents in long-term care. From 2020 to 2022, she participated in Beverley and Melody McKiver’s Ottawa performance of Odaabaanag as organizer, accompanist and member of the No Borders Community Voices. Currently, she sings and plays with Carmel Whittle, Local Colour Band, and Just Voices: An Activist Choir. Patricia honours the years spent promoting music of protest and hope with the Gil’s Hootenanny community as part of the Hootenanny Band, committee member and volunteer.
Carmel is an Irish / Mik’maw activist, community organizer, visual artist, musician, songwriter, filmmaker and storyteller from Newfoundland. In 2022, she was part of the team that staged Beverley and Melody McKiver’s Odaabaanag in Ottawa, performing as both a soloist and a member of the No Borders Community Voices choir. She is the director of the annual No Borders Art Festival and the 2021 recipient of the Spirit of Tony Turner Award, recognizing her contributions to community music. Her creative projects include producing and directing the short film “There Is No Word…”, featuring Grandmother Louise Garrow, and sharing stories at the inaugural 2022 Come Home Queer Festival in Newfoundland and the 2024-2025 Queers in Your Ears storytelling show in Toronto and Qu’Art.Ottawa. Carmel currently curates Echoes from This Land art exhibition, created in partnership with artists-makers, grounded in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s National 94 Calls to Action. She also works with OPIRG-GRIPO Ottawa, supporting community-bridging and student-led initiatives. As Carmel says, “It has been an honour to participate in the Gil’s Hootenanny community over the years, as a member of the Hootenanny Band, drummer and volunteer. Gil’s Hootenanny brought together community with the richness of a history and importance of engagement, of singing out, the need for unity and hope.”
Gil’s Hootenanny will take place at 7:00 pm, Friday, May 1st at 30 Cleary Avenue, the campus of the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa. The venue is accessible, has ample parking and is serviced by OC Transpo.
Tickets for Gil’s Hootenanny are $20. Kids are welcome to attend free of charge.