New Music: CJ Wiley

Acclaimed Toronto pianist Stewart Goodyear has been described as one of the finest pianists of his generation. This week, he opens the Calgary Symphony Orchestra’s Classics season with Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. Ahead of the performance, Stewart sits down with Tom Power at the piano in the Q studio to talk about what first sparked his love of the instrument, why he considers Beethoven his therapist, and why classical music was, in his words, the “wildest music” he had ever heard.

On CJ Wiley’s debut EP, Just Can’t Quit, the non-binary singer-songwriter chronicles the life cycle of a relationship, from crush to falling in love to commitment to breakup. They sit down with guest host Ali Hassan to talk about the record’s concept and what inspired them to examine, as they put it, “the masochistic ritual of love.”

Gary Oldman returns as Jackson Lamb for Season 6 of the hit spy thriller Slow Horses. The Oscar-winning actor joins Tom Power to talk about the secret to playing a crude, flatulent and brilliant MI5 agent — and why he’s relishing the chance to settle into a long-term role. He also shares the research behind some of his most iconic characters, from Commissioner Gordon in Batman Begins and George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy to Sirius Black in the Harry Potter franchise.

Canadian folk musician and singer-songwriter Le Ren (a.k.a. Lauren Spear) has toured the world with Jeff Tweedy and Andy Shauf, and earned co-signs from artists like Orville Peck. On her new album, Don’t Be Funny Without Me, she unpacks the chaos of her 20s and comes out on the other side with a new perspective on life and her career. Le Ren joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about the new album, finding humour in pain, and navigating the public-facing realities of being a performer.

Ins Choi, the creator of Kim’s Convenience, is back with a new play — and this time he’s getting even more personal. It’s called Son of a Preacherman and it’s about the Canadian playwright’s childhood as a “PK” (preacher’s kid), and how theatre and the arts took him away from becoming a man of the cloth. Ins joins Tom Power in the Q studio to talk about the production and how it all kind of came about by chance.

Toronto artist Kofi isn't interested in picking a lane. He’s one of Canada’s top-ranked volleyball players, currently training with the Canadian National Men's Volleyball Team ahead of the next Summer Olympics. At the same time, he’s also building an impressive career as a singer-songwriter and producer. Kofi joins guest host Garvia Bailey to talk about his new album, Phone Home, the discipline behind managing two full-time passions, and how he’s proving you can reach the top in both athletics and music. 

Zorga Qaunaq is a visual artist, a traditional Inuit tattoo artist, and an Inuktitut language educator — but she didn’t become an actor until just a few years ago. It took five rounds of auditions for her to land the part of Millie Maktana on the CBC sitcom North of North. Now, she’s attending the Toronto International Film Festival with two films making their world premieres: In the Heart of the South and In Alaska. From her very first acting role to two films at TIFF, Zorga sits down with Q’s Tom Power to talk about navigating imposter syndrome, tackling the heavy pressure to be a "digestible" representation of her culture, and how she realized her people-pleasing tendencies were going to ruin her burgeoning career.

For most of us, home is a place that we’re from, or a place of safety and comfort. For Canadian country-folk singer Spencer Burton, home took on a whole new meaning when he found himself at his son's bedside in the hospital, while he spent three months recovering from a major surgery. Spencer joins Q guest host Ali Hassan to talk about his new single, Bound for Home, what it was like writing his upcoming self-titled album in a hospital, and how the music became a way for his family to find — and hold onto — hope.

Philip Akin has been telling stories on Canadian stages for decades, and mentoring some of this country’s best theatre artists for just as long. In 2000, he co-founded the Obsidian Theatre Company, which trains, produces and showcases Black talent across the country. Now, he’s directing a new production of Ohio State Murders at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Philip joins Tom Power to talk about the play, how he takes theatre to the precipice, and why he thinks Black artists are too polite. Plus, he shares how he’s feeling after being appointed a Member of the Order of Canada earlier this year.

Kathleen Robertson is no stranger to hit TV. She’s starred on hugely popular shows like Boss, Tracker and the ’90s cultural phenomenon Beverly Hills, 90210, where she played Clare Arnold. Now, she’s going toe-to-toe with Alan Ritchson on Reacher. Kathleen joins Tom Power to talk about her role on the hit action crime series, what it was like growing up as a child actor in Hamilton, Ont., and how being Canadian helped keep her grounded.