Cindy McLeod Interview
Cindy McLeod is a jazz vocalist, writer, broadcaster, publicist, producer, and artistic director based in Calgary, Alberta. After a 20-year career as a ballet dancer, the multi-talented McLeod began working as a jazz singer; performing at the Banff Springs hotel for over 10 years, touring jazz venues across Canada and internationally, and appearing with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. She is a founder of the Calgary Blues Music Association (CBMA) and has served as the Producer and Artistic Director of the Calgary International Blues Festival, and the Calgary Midwinter Bluesfest since 2005. As a community builder, McLeod has been instrumental in creating what has become one of the largest blues music festivals in Western Canada. With a strong commitment to the arts and future of the industry, McLeod invests in emerging and established artists through artist development, website and promotional packaging design, publicity, and is a respected voice clinician.
Career Highlights
McLeod has released three recordings: Easy Living (1996), Ask Me Now (2002), and Conversation With Love (2005). She has performed and recorded with Canadian jazz notables Tommy Banks, Miles Black, Rick Kilburn, Bob Erlendson, Linton Garner, Brian Buchanan, Sandro Dominelli, and P.J. Perry
As a writer, McLeod contributes to several internet-based jazz sources. including her Canadian jazz & blues news website jazzelements.com. In 2006, she published an article on Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson through the Canadian Music Institute of the University of Toronto.
She regularly produces jazz concerts in Calgary, and works as a stage manager for events around the city, including Wordfest, Calgary’s international literary festival.
McLeod is the host of The Blues Witness, a weekly program on Calgary’s community radio station, CJSW, and regularly does voice-over work for local advertisements for the CBMA, Heritage Park, and Canada Day celebrations.
She has sat on multiple juries for the Western Canadian Music Awards (WCMA), Eastern Canadian Music Awards, PEI Awards, JUNO Awards, FACTOR: the International Blues Challenge/Edmonton, and the Mayor’s Arts Awards. She has sat on various Boards including the Calgary Blues Music Association, Jazz Is Society of Alberta, JazzYYC, the Alberta Music Industry Association, and the Alberta Touring Arts Alliance.
Source: http://www.cindymcleod.com/biography.php