Discover Women in Jazz

Madeleine Ertel (she/her) is a trumpeter, composer, and arranger known for her honest and melodic approach to music making. After completing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Trumpet Performance at the University of Toronto (2020), she became an active voice in the Toronto music scene, playing in ensembles such as Brodie West’s Eucalyptus, the soul/R&B band Moodset, and the free-improvisation ensemble Never Was. In 2022 and 2023, Madeleine was selected as a finalist for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Jazz Artist Award. She has studied composition with David Braid as part of the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in 2018 and was selected to attend the Engelsholm Jazz Workshop in Denmark in 2020. In November 2021, she attended the Banff Musicians in Residence program for Jazz & Creative Music to explore her innovative ideas about contemporary contrapuntal writing. She is currently completing a Masters in Jazz Composition at the Jazz-Institut Berlin in Germany.

Photo credit: Lyon Smith

Performance: Thursday, July 31 • 8PM EST

Racha Moukalled, is a Lebanese Vibraphonist and Pianist based in Toronto. She discovered the vibraphone while studying jazz piano at York University and was instantly drawn to the instrument. Some of her wide range of inspirations are Bobby Hutcherson, Joel Ross, Marquis Hill, Ziad El Rahbani and Cleo Sol.
She’s captivated by all forms of improvised music. While studying free improvisation with Casey Sokol, she re-connected with the importance of ‘Play’ and embraced the imperfections and playfulness in art. Her approach to music is drawn from the Human experience; connecting emotion to sounds. Her project for the Women from Space Festival (2022), was inspired by Hilma Af Klint’s paintings (Ten Largest), and is a testimony to the connection of visual arts and sounds.
As a self-taught musician for most of her upbringing, Racha values the importance of music lessons, and is currently teaching privately. She also performs with many groups locally, like The Shop, Orbital Ensemble, Never Was and Triio.

Micaela Rae is a Toronto-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Growing up with a fascination for writing and storytelling, she took to playing guitar at the age of ten and began transitioning her stories into songs. She attended Humber Polytechnics Jazz Performance Program as a voice major, where she fell in love with the genre, and began to take stylistic inspiration from great vocalists such as Sarah Vaughan, Shirley Horn, and Cecile McLorin Salvant. Micaela performs regularly around the city of Toronto both as a solo act, and with her band. This past May, Rae released her debut EP entitled Saccharine, consisting of 4 original compositions, and one intimately arranged jazz standard featuring her unique guitar playing. Rae’s compositions are intricate, and lyrically focused – and call on the inspiration of voices like Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Feist. Micaela is thrilled to be a part of the 2025 Discover Women in Jazz series, after seeing many of her mentors & friends take part in previous years.

Performance: Thursday, August 14 • 8PM EST

Grace ‘Jiji’ Gayle’s powerhouse voice and musical roots trace back to the West Toronto Church of God, where she began her journey as a young vocalist. She sharpened her craft in the Vocal Jazz Music Program at Humber College and has since become a sought-after collaborator, sharing the stage and studio with artists like Kim Burrell, Daniel Caesar, Jully Black, Coleman Hell, Shan Vincent De Paul, the West Toronto Gospel Choir, Londa Larmond, and more. Grace has also shared stages with icons like Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Marianas Trench, Hezekiah Walker, Tye Tribbett, and The Clark Sisters. Her voice has been featured in film, television, and commercial projects, bringing heart and soul to every performance. In 2021, she released her debut album Living, Loving, Learning and continues to inspire audiences as a member of the JUNO Award-winning group Sharon Riley and Faith Chorale.

Aretha Tillotson is a Canadian bassist, band leader and composer. Aretha has played across North America with Kris Davis, Walter Smith III, Francesca Remigi, Allan Chase, and Josh Rosen. In 2023, she toured as a member of the Ingrid and Christine Jensen quintet. She released her debut album Introducing Aretha Tillotson (Bent River Records), and in 2024, won a Western Canadian Music Award for Jazz Artist of the Year. The record was composed by interviewing intersectional women across arts disciplines about their experiences in arts institutions as part of Aretha’s masters thesis, and features Allison Au.
Her second album as a band leader, Kinda Out West will feature Ingrid and Christine Jensen and Dave Laing, will be released on November 1, 2025. As a session musician, Aretha has toured with Universal artist Mick Flannery and worked as a touring/resident bassist on the Broadway rendition of SIX. She continued her work with SIX in 2024 as the bassist for Mirvish Theatre’s residency in Toronto. Aretha was honoured to receive a presidential scholarship in 2020 to attend Berklee’s Global Jazz Masters program, receiving an individual mentorship with John Patitucci, and studying with Linda May Han Oh, Joe Lovano, and Danilo Perez. She earned a Masters of Music in 2022. Aretha is a faculty member at MacEwan University, teaching bass and theory.

Cathy Mitro brings impressive credentials to her role as panel member for our Discover Women in Music program. Recently retired as a full-time professor in Humber College’s renowned music department, Ms. Mitro has been active in education for more than 40 years. She founded Humber’s Community Music School in 1980, working closely with leading musicians and educators to build the school’s current national and international reputation for innovative jazz education. The recipient of several national and international awards, she has been inducted into the MusicFest Canada Hall of Fame and was recently nominated for the prestigious Premier’s Awards for Outstanding College Graduates.

Ewen Farncombe is a JUNO-nominated pianist and composer based out of Toronto and has been a professional on the music scene for a decade. While attending Humber College where he earned his degree in Music Performance, Ewen is a alumnus of our Jazzology program, supported by the RBC Foundation. He was recently featured in jazz.fm91’s alumni conversations series Where Are They Now?

Shirantha Beddage is a baritone saxophonist, composer and educator. A two-time Juno-nominated musician, Shirantha currently serves as professor of theory and harmony in the Humber College Bachelor of Music program. He was previously director of jazz studies at the Columbus State University Schwob School of Music (Columbus, Ga.). He also adjudicates regularly at festivals throughout the country including MusicFest Canada, where he serves as vice-chairman of instrumental jazz. He holds a doctor of musical arts degree (D.M.A.) in jazz studies from the Eastman School of Music (New York), a master of music degree in jazz studies from William Paterson University (New Jersey), and a bachelor of music degree from Humber College.

Known for her lyrical and soulful clarinet playing, Virginia MacDonald has been described as a “powerful new voice in the Canadian scene” by Juno Award-winning bassist Mike Downes. Born and raised in Toronto, Virginia began playing clarinet at the age of seven. She has since established herself as a highly in-demand bandleader, sidewoman, and composer, and regularly performs across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Virginia has performed at jazz festivals globally including performances at the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Rochester Jazz Festival, the Jaipur Jazz & Blues Festival, the Toronto Jazz Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival, to name a few. Virginia has had the pleasure of performing abroad extensively in India, Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Italy, and the UK, and has performed at historic and prestigious venues including Koerner Hall, Ronnie Scott’s, Birdland, Smalls, and Le Duc Des Lombards. In addition to her busy performance schedule, Virginia is an in-demand educator and has given workshops at universities and post-secondary music programs internationally. She has led masterclasses at McGill University, University of Manitoba, St. FX University, University of Toronto, the Global Music Institute, and the True School of Music.

Pat and Tony Adams shared a deep love for each other, and for the arts. They were devoted fans of jazz music, theatre, improvisation and comedy, and had great respect and affection for those who dedicated their lives to pursuing these passions professionally. It’s not surprising then that all three of their children also went on to pursue careers in the arts.

The Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts is a legacy fund that continues Pat and Tony’s tradition of encouraging such artists, giving them the opportunity to develop their skills and share their talents with audiences everywhere.

“I was absolutely delighted to be able to work with jazz.fm91 to create a unique opportunity to highlight the incredible talents of women in jazz, who we have yet to discover, and I am thrilled by this year’s recipients,” said Shari Hollett, administrator of the the Pat and Tony Adams Freedom Fund for the Arts.