Laura Power
Northern News Services
Published Friday, September 28, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - The Folk on the Rocks Festival Society is ready to rock for another year after electing new board members and a new president.

Paul Andrew is the new president of Folk on the Rocks. A broadcast journalist and former politician, Andrew is also a musician. - Laura Power/NNSL photo -

Outgoing president Glen Abernethy gave up his seat for Paul Andrew, a well-known television newscaster originally from Tulita who has worn many hats over the years.

"He's actually been chief at one time, and he's had a long career at CBC in radio and music," said festival director Tracy Breitbach as she listed off his credentials. "He's also a musician himself -- he performed this summer with the group the Tulita drummers."

Though his experience speaks for itself, Andrew said he feels he can contribute to the society with his many contacts. He has been involved in many different ways with Folk on the Rocks in the past.

"I've sang a couple of songs, I've emceed it and I've been an audience member, so I've participated in every way, shape and form and I think it's time to give back," he said.

He already has a vague idea of what direction he would like to take the festival in, focusing much on the cultural area and on increasing aboriginal involvement.

"I would be interested in trying to get more aboriginal people to attend the festival, so that's probably one of the ways we'll look at it," he said.

He said funding, as always, is another issue that the board will have to look at.

"I think the funding is always an issue," he said. "Everybody knows that it's really expensive to travel in the North and to bring people in the North."

He said he feels that by getting acts from within the North, the society will be able to work within its budget without having to raise ticket prices.

Along with a new president, the festival society has elected two more new board members to work out such issues. Ruth Heijne will act as treasurer and Nico Todd-Cullen will act as secretary.

Todd-Cullen, 20, also has a long history with Folk on the Rocks, having attended ever since she was a baby.

Her mother, Linda Todd, was president for a time in the late 1990s. Todd-Cullen followed in her footsteps as a volunteer for the past five years and served on the selection committee last year.

"I like to put in a young person's perspective," she said.

Todd-Cullen, who says she loves music, knows a lot of young musicians in town and has worked at CD Plus for several years. She is enthusiastic about the new position.

"I want to give my energy to the board and my love for music," she said.

More turnover with the society is expected early in the year as Breitbach will be going on maternity leave. A replacement for the position of festival director is being organized.

After a record-breaking year, the new board of the expanding festival has already begun discussing solutions to some challenges ahead.

"Because of the rapid growth of the organization, we've gotten so big we need to take a step back and look at where we're going," said Breitbach.