A fundraising concert is taking place in Maple Ridge to help people impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic living in sub-Saharan African countries.
The Golden Ears Gogos is hosting the concert featuring the Diane Lines Trio with Sam Ellington.
Money raised will go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation for the Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign – a campaigned started in 2006 to aid grandmothers in affected African countries who had to raise their grandchildren left orphaned by the autoimmune disease.
“Now, 20 years later, they are still advocating for improved healthcare, education, pensions, and living conditions,” explained Christine Duamel, with the Golden Ears Gogos.
The afternoon will feature uplifting music at Golden Ears United Church on Sunday Feb. 8.
Pianist and vocalist Diane Lines, who was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2018, was also nominated for an Ovation Award as Musical Director of the Year.
She has performed with a variety of artists including Grammy Award winner Michael Buble, Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, Marian McPartland, Beverley Elliott, Dee Daniels, Jim Byrnes, Blues Boss Kenny Wayne, Gospel great John Boutte, Alfie Zappacosta, Bria Skonberg, Linda Tillery, Amanda Wood and Shari Ulrich.
And, she was the principal pianist and vocalist with the Dal Richards Orchestra from 2002 until his passing in 2015.
Lines has also performed throughout the United States as keyboardist and vocalist with Mac Frampton’s Hollywood Hills Orchestra, and recorded and toured in Canada with Juno Award winning singer/songwriter Gary Fjellgaard.
It was her work with Fjellgaard that earned her consecutive nominations for BC Country Music Association’s Keyboardist of the Year.
Ellington has performed on stages across North America and Europe for the past decade. He is a founding member of The Gentlemen Quartet and performs everywhere from intimate jazz clubs to grand corporate galas.
There are many Gogos groups across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The Maple Ridge group has a 20 strong membership and are part of the Greater Vancouver Gogos, an umbrella group of many sub-groups, who all work to raise money to be sent to various community-led organisations in Africa.
The fundraiser takes place at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8, at Golden Ears United Church at, 22165 Dewdney Trunk Rd., Maple Ridge.
Tickets are $25 each. There will be complimentary light refreshments, and crafts and other goodies for sale.
To purchase tickets contact Christine at 604-467-1081 or by email at: ceduamel47@gmail.com.