Toronto, April 23, 2010 – The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has hired artist, 
educator, producer and arts administrator Aengus Finnan as Touring and Audience Development Officer. He replaces Mark Hammond, who served as Interim National and International Touring Officer from June 2008.
In his new role, Aengus will work to reinforce OAC’s ongoing commitment to touring, presenting and audience development for the arts.
“We consider the issue of building audiences the biggest challenge facing artists and arts organizations today,” said John Brotman, Executive Director. “With his 15-year experience as an established artist and at the helm of a successful music festival, we know that Aengus will bring leadership to this area.”
Based in Northumberland County until recently, Aengus is a singer-songwriter who has released two acclaimed albums. He founded the
Shelter Valley Folk Festival, where he served as volunteer Artistic Director for seven years and as Executive Director for five years. He also co-founded
The Way We Feel, an annual concert celebrating the songs of Gordon Lightfoot.
Over the course of his eight-year touring career, he performed at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC, the Yukon International Storytelling Festival, and in Yokohama, Japan. Aengus is also a recipient of the New Folk Award at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.
As an educator, Aengus has worked in schools throughout the province, and in Aboriginal communities in Northern Ontario and the Arctic. He is the founder of Art Beat, an arts education outreach initiative offered by the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals.
Aengus is a founding board member of the Arts Council of Northumberland, and a former Board President of the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals.
Aengus was awarded The Commemorative Medal in Honour of the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, for his humanitarian and cultural work in Canada. He was twice nominated for the Premier’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts.
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For further information
Geneviève Vallerand, OAC Communications Coordinator
416-969-7434 / 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7434
gvallerand@arts.on.ca