Ann Mortifee, (born 30 November 1947) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

singer, composer and librettist, author, storyteller, and keynote speaker. Her music blends folk, musical theatre, pop, sacred and world music. She is a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

, the highest honour bestowed on civilians by the Government of Canada.

Early years

Born in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, Mortifee lived in the province of

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

until the age of 10. Her father, who was deeply opposed to the country's racist

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

regime, immigrated to Canada with his wife and children and settled in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia.

Family

She was married to the late Paul Horn, a jazz flutist and one of the early new age musicians. Her younger sister, Jane Mortifee, also an artist, has on occasion performed onstage with Mortifee and on her albums.

Awards

Mortifee has received national and international distinctions and awards for her albums, concerts, musicals, scores for ballet, film, opera and TV as well as her book, ''In Love with the Mystery''. She also facilitates arts and consciousness workshops, and has co-founded two foundations - one for social innovation and one for forestry conservation.

Discography

* 1973: ''

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe ''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe'' is a drama by George Ryga. The play, in two acts, premiered at the Vancouver Playhouse, November 23, 1967. It was directed by George Bloomfield. The play has an important place in the history of modern Canadian theat ...

'' (cast recording from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's contemporary dance production of ''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe'') * 1975: ''Baptism'' - first solo album * 1980: ''Journey to Kairos'' - based on Mortifee's ''Journey to Kairos'' one-woman show and award-winning TV special * 1982: ''Reflections on Crooked Walking'' - the first full-length musical created and written by Mortifee * 1983: ''Born to Live'' - written with Michel Legrand * 1984: ''Bright Encounter'' * 1985: ''Jacques Brel Lives'' (from the cast reunion of the original Arts Club Vancouver production of ''

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway prod ...

'') * 1985: ''Christmas Connection'', with the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

and the Chicago Synthesizer-Rhythm Ensemble * 1991: ''Serenade at the Doorway'' * 1994: ''Healing Journey'' * 2005: ''Into the Heart of the Sangoma'' * 2010: ''In Love With the Mystery'' - musical accompaniment (with Paul Horn) to Mortifee's book '' In Love With the Mystery''

Selected awards and recognition

* 1967: Appeared as The Singer, and composed the musical score (with Willie Dunn) for the world premiere of George Ryga's play ''

'' - Vancouver Playhouse Theatre * 1975: Honorable Mention, Best Original Music, for ''Great Grand Mother'' documentary - Alberta Film and TV Festival * 1976: Featured composer/artist on

BBC TWO BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

TV series '' The Camera and the Song'' * 1980:

TV Ontario TVO Media Education Group (often abbreviated as TVO and stylized on-air as tvo) is a publicly funded English-language educational television network and media organization serving the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario E ...

Special, ''Journey to Kairos'', Ann's one woman show, received

Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival The WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, founded in 1968, is an annual film festival held annually in April in Houston, Texas. Notable festival alumni include John Lee Hancock, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning film '' The Blind S ...

Grand Prix Award * 1981: West Coast Music Award - Best Female Vocalist * 1982:

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...

nomination, Best Original Song ("Gypsy Born"), from the movie ''Surfacing'' * 1984:

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

nominations: Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year, Best Children's Album ("Reflections on Crooked Walking") * 1986: Bach's ''Magnificat'' CTV special (with Moe Koffman and Bobby McFerrin):

Golden Sheaf Award Yorkton Film Festival (YFF) is an annual film festival held in late May in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1947, the Yorkton Film Council (YFC) was founded and in 1950 the first international documentary film festival officially opened in we ...

* 1991:

nomination, Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year * 1991: Appointed a Member of the

Appointed 1 November 1991, investiture 29 April 1992. * 1992: Inducted into

BC Entertainment Hall of Fame The BC Entertainment Hall of Fame in Vancouver was founded on 24 July 1992 to honour British Columbians that have made outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. Star Walk inductees are featured with a plaque on the Walk of Fame on ...

* 1992: YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, Arts and Culture * 1994: Featured soloist,

1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games ( French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, from 18 to 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, boxing, cycling, ...

Closing Ceremony * 2000: Healing Journey project featured on the CBC '' Man Alive'' series * 2002:

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

for outstanding and exemplary contributions to the community and Canada * 2007: Narrator, Emmy Award-winning documentary '' Bhutan: Taking the Middle Road to Happiness'' * 2011: Narrator, Emmy Award nominee documentary '' When the Mountain Calls'' * 2012:

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

for service to Canada

References

External links

Official website

''Canadian Encyclopedia'' profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mortifee, Ann 1947 births Living people People from Durban South African emigrants to Canada Canadian singer-songwriters Musicians from Vancouver Members of the Order of Canada 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers