{"id":121088,"date":"2026-01-21T10:48:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T15:48:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=121088"},"modified":"2026-01-21T13:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:00:02","slug":"interview-etobicoke-philharmonic-orchestras-matthew-jones-corey-butler-talk-hymns-freedom-february-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/01\/21\/interview-etobicoke-philharmonic-orchestras-matthew-jones-corey-butler-talk-hymns-freedom-february-1\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra\u2019s Matthew Jones & Corey Butler Talk About Hymns To Freedom February 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"L:
L: Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director Matthew Jones (Photo courtesy of EPO); R: Musician & producer Corey Butler (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra (EPO) will present a program created by producer and musician Corey Butler of Zamar Music Inc. titled Hymns to Freedom, featuring renowned singer and actor Jackie Richardson. The concert takes place on February 1 to mark Black History Month.<\/p>\n

Butler\u2019s program includes music, history, reflection and narration. His Zamar Music Inc. is a music arts organization that is dedicated to making an impact via music art education, mentorship, performance and production.<\/p>\n

LV spoke to Butler and Matthews about the concert.<\/p>\n

Corey Butler<\/h3>\n

An accomplished pianist, producer, and entrepreneur, among other things, Butler has had a long and varied career in the music industry. He served as the Musical Director of the JUNO Award winning Toronto Mass Choir for over 10 years, and produced award-winning albums for the Choir, along with Londa Larmond and Gospel Joy (Poland), among others. As a songwriter, he\u2019s collaborated with Grammy Award winning Hall of Fame inductee Carvin Winans.<\/p>\n

Dedicated to music education, Butler is a music professor in the Arts, Media, Performance and Design (AMPD) program at York University.<\/p>\n

Jackie Richardson<\/h3>\n

Canadian singer and actress Jackie Richardson has been a fixture in Toronto and Canada\u2019s entertainment scene for decades. She\u2019s known for roles in TV series and films such as Turning to Stone, The Gospel According to the Blues (for which she garnered a Gemini Award), The Doodlebops, More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City, and Sins of the Father. On stage, she won a Dora Award in 2004 for the musical Cookin\u2019 at the Cookery, and performed in roles in movies such as Three Men and a Baby, Harriet the Spy, and many more.<\/p>\n

Born in Pennsylvania, she moved to Toronto in the mid-1950s with her family. Her father was a musician, and she began her musical career singing in a church where her grandfather served as deacon.<\/p>\n

As a musician, she was a member of the Toronto group The Tiaras in the 1960s, and later performed with The Platters. She sings across a range of genres, including gospel, blues, and jazz. Among the highlights of her career are her performances with Joe Sealy on his album Africville, a release which won a JUNO Award.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s received a Maple Blues Award for her lifetime achievement from the Toronto Blues Society, and was made an Honorary Member of the Order of Canada in 2021, among her many other accolades.<\/p>\n

\"L-R:
L-R: Musician and producer Corey Butler; singer Jackie Richardson; Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director Matthew Jones in rehearsal (Photo courtesy of EPO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Matthew Jones & Corey Butler: The Interview<\/h2>\n

How did the Hymns to Freedom Project come about?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first year, it actually came up as a part of my Master’s,\u201d Butler explains. \u201cI did my Master’s in composition.\u201d<\/p>\n

His studies were based on the juxtaposition of African American vs Western music cultures. The project was first staged in 2018. It was a time, Butler notes, of a great deal of racial unrest, spurred in part by the murder of George Floyd in the US.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just thought, why can’t we all get along?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hymns to Freedom marries seemingly polar opposites in terms of music cultures \u2014 the aesthetics of Western classical music and the spirituals that arise predominantly from African American culture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole premise is, we’re better together.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been presented twice since its 2018 premiere. For EPO, it\u2019s a welcome addition to their programming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s obviously really exciting for us,\u201d Jones says. He mentions the synergy of bringing two different cultures together in performance. \u201cOur Discovery Series is the perfect place for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He points out that the Hymns to Freedom programs not only engages the audience with music, it invites them into a larger conversation about music cultures and race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is a really wonderful direction to take the EPO,\u201d Jones adds.<\/p>\n

Pianist Corey Butler and vocalist Jackie Richardson perform Oscar Peterson\u2019s Hymn to Freedom in 2017 at a show presented by Art of Time Ensemble:<\/p>\n