Tag Archives: Michael Keith

Arts

Michael Keith & Iris Gildea: Leaving Cortes Island

Originally published on April 10, 2025

Michael Keith and his wife Iris Gildea are leaving Cortes Island. 

 “This was a decision we made a while ago.  My wife teaches at the University of Toronto. It’s quite the communte between semesters and we started investigating the possibility of libving somewhere a bit closer to her work. We found the ideal situation in the Maritimes. The commute is about a fraction of the time and we can get the place that really suited us. So we made that decision. It was tough, but  it’s time for the next part of the journey,”  he explained. 

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Arts

Michael Keith (Part 2): on Cortes Island 

Originally Published on July 13, 2023

Michael Keith was ‘blown away’ when he visited Hornby Island twenty years ago.

“I was like, ‘Wow, imagine living in a place like that.’ I remember going back to Toronto and telling my friends, ‘they don’t even lock their doors there. It’s incredible!’”

He was enamoured by the spectacular seascapes at Tofino, when he played there a few years later. 

Keith went through a divorce, sold his house, and then hooked up with a professor at the University of Toronto.  

“My new partner who I’ve been with for 10 years,  introduced me to Cortes because she would come here for getaways from Toronto. I was gigging two or three times a week, and teaching in Toronto. She wanted to move here. I came, checked it out and just fell in love with the land. We were fortunate enough to get a tiny little place.”

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Arts

Michael Keith (Part 1): Inspirations then and now

Originally Published July 12, 2023

Nur Michael Keith has been living on Cortes Island for the past 6 years, but has been a professional musician for most of his 56 years. 

In the beginning of a two part series, he talks a little about his earlier life, inspirations and we listen to three of his songs. 

At one point during our interview I asked about his first name, ‘Nur.’ 

Michael explained, “It was something I gave myself. ‘Michael’ is from my birth parents, ‘Keith’ is from my adoptive parents and ‘Nur’ I gave myself. I sometimes go by Nur Michael Keith.”

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Arts

Denise Wolda (Part 1 of 2): From Farmer’s daughter to Professional Musician

Originally published Aug 11, 2023

If Cortes Island had an anthem, it would very likely be the chorus of ‘Feel the Island.’ The songwriter, Denise Reinhardt Larson, was a professional musician for twenty years prior to her marriage to Ron Wolda. Her story goes back through the Folk Revolution to rural Saskatchewan.

“ My maiden name is Reinhardt. I’m from a grain farm in southwestern Saskatchewan. It’s about 21 miles south of Etonia, and just about a mile and a half up from the South Saskatchewan River, with lovely hills running from the river up to the edge of the farm. It’s a beautiful spot, and I’m the last one of the family to still own land there. I have two quarters. That feels odd, and it feels quite lovely at the same time,” she explained.

“ We had halls in our small towns, just like we have our Gorge Hall and Manson’s Hall on Cortes. That’s where I got my beginning.”

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Arts

Folk U-Michael Keith and Greg Osoba Chat About All Things Guitar

On December 20, 2024, host Greg Osoba was joined by guitarist Michael Keith to chat about all things guitar: theory, terminology, sounds, effects, and practice. This is a fun, demonstrative interview for both total beginners and advanced players looking for some new inspiration.

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