Program
During the program, you'll have an opportunity to learn about the wonderful organizations that benefit from the funds raised by the Canadian Association of New York Foundation and participate in our silent auction that is so central to our
fundraising efforts.
Evening's Entertainment
Master of Ceremonies
George Stroumboulopoulos
George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight is a multi-faceted storyteller, broadcaster, producer and filmmaker. He is the host of Apple Music's STROMBO radio show heard in over 165 countries and the curator of Apple Book's book club, Strombo's Lit.
He is a member of the Order of Canada, a 12 time Gemini & Canadian Screen Awards winner, recipient of the Swarovski Humanitarian Award and was honoured as Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) Changemaker of the Year. He is Canada's
first Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), travelling to Haiti, Pakistan, Darfur, Lebanon and Syria and raising over 2 million dollars (US) for the agency's programs. He established the George Stroumboulopoulos
Music Therapy Scholarship, funding music therapy education. He’s also worked closely with the World Wildlife Fund, Innocence Canada, Amnesty International, Music Heals, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation and serves on the APJ Canada board.
His work has helped raise tens of millions of dollars.
His past broadcast work has included producing and hosting prime-time news and late-night talk shows, CBC’s The Hour and George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight as well as his
own interview series on CNN and anchoring the nation’s most-watched television show, Hockey Night in Canada. He hosted and produced Canada's premiere culture show, The NewMusic on MuchMusic.
“George has built one of the
most prestigious broadcasting careers in our nation's history." Toronto Star
Entertainment
Tyley Ross
A native of Ottawa, Canada, Tyley began his career as a street busker before becoming a cartoon and voice artist, rock singer, and an actor for the small and large screen. Discovered by Pete Townshend in 1994, Tyley was cast in the title role
for the Canadian premiere of The Who’s Tommy, for which he was honored with the Dora Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical.
He spent the next ten years on musical stages across North America, starring in roles at such venues as the Stratford Festival (Tony in West Side Story), Shaw Festival (Franklin in Merrily We Roll Along), and on Broadway (Chris in Miss Saigon).
During this time, Tyley also wrote and recorded two CDs of original music, and was a frequent guest soloist with a number of leading orchestras in Canada and the United States.
In 2004 Tyley co-founded the genre-defying East Village Opera Company and spent the next six years as the group’s male lead-singer. The band was signed to Decca/Universal for five years, and during that time he released three CDs: La Donna,
East Village Opera Company, and Olde School - for which he was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award for Classical Crossover Album of the Year. Tyley toured worldwide with EVOC and appeared on many national and international television broadcasts
including the 2008 Miss USA Pageant (NBC), and two PBS specials: EVOC live in Saint Louis, and Remember Me – a multi-disciplinary collaboration he co-created with renowned choreographer David Parsons. With AnnMarie Milazzo he also formed
Aria Electronica and recorded and released Redux an album of reimagined opera classics.
Though Tyley is mostly retired from performing he has appeared on the stage in recent years in the original Broadway company of Finding Neverland (Lord Cannon, JMBarrie u/s), in the Kennedy Center’s production of Sunset Blvd (Manfred), and
as Simon in the 20th anniversary reunion concert of the Wedding Banquet in Taiwan.
He has lead voice workshops in Canada, Mexico, the UK, South Korea and throughout the USA. His YouTube video “Singing in the MRI” has been viewed over half a million times and is used as a teaching aid in singing courses around the world.
Tyley is a member of NYSTA, NATS, PAVA, SAG/AFTRA and AEA. He has been staff voice coach for multiple Broadway shows and maintains an active private voice studio in Times Square.
