TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – The Toronto Blues Society is proud to announce the recipient of the Blues Booster of the Year Award, a very special Maple Blues Award honoring outstanding contribution to the Canadian blues music industry. This year the Blues Booster of the Year Award goes to Orangeville, Ontario’s Larry Kurtz, the founder and artistic director of the popular Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival.
Voted one of the Top 100 Festival and Events in Ontario several years in a row, the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival is held annually in the picturesque town of Orangeville in south-central Ontario. Since its modest beginnings in 2003, the festival has grown exponentially and boasts an impressive line-up of local and nationally recognized musicians, with approximately 95% of the acts being Canadian artists. In 2015 the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival hosted 35,000 visitors over four days, injected over one million tourism dollars to the town and surrounding area, and, along with a Board of Directors, the festival employs the help of over 160 volunteers from the community. “Larry is a popular figure in the blues community,” says Toronto Blues Society President Derek Andrews. “His community building, good nature and generosity are a winning combination.”
On receiving the Blues Booster of the Year Award Kurtz, an accomplished blues musician in his own right, said “It is a real honor and privilege to continue providing performance opportunities for our amazing Canadian blues artists. Blues music inspires a feeling deep inside me like no other can. It’s a dream come true to invite the very best Canadian talent to come and play in my hometown!”
Larry Kurtz will be presented with the Blues Booster of the Year Award at the 19th Annual Maple Blues Awards in Toronto. The January 18th gala event is the premier blues event of the year. Tickets for the Maple Blues Awards are on sale now for $40 – $75 and can be purchased at Koerner Hall / The Weston Family Box Office, located in The Royal Conservatory building at 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto, by phone at RCM box office (416) 408-0208 or online.
