2023 Adjudicators

Joni NehRita

Popular Voice

Beginner & Primary (Virtual)

Joni NehRita invites listeners to feel, move and think more with her gift for writing catchy melodies dressed in jazzy chord ready to hit the beach- south of the border, of course! This knack for sun-drenched melodies and infectious grooves help her message of equity, social change and the cultivation of compassion to be received like a cool drink on a sweltering day. She leans in toward fearless self-expression and the complexities of what it is to be a human striving to be better. The path isn’t easy or linear, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be joyful along the way.

The Jamaican-Canadian artist is a seasoned performer – fortunate enough to have played on stages around the globe including, North America, Australia, Europe and The Middle East. As Raji Sohal of the CBC said, “I can attest that in live performance her voice and stage presence are stellar and come off as endearingly natural.”

NehRita studied jazz vocals and arranging at Humber College and it continues to enrich her composition & improvisational skills. She is also quite passionate about Circle Music which is a form of group music-making that is based around play, improvisational singing and body percussion. In January 2023 she travelled to Brazil to complete her circle music facilitation training with Música do Círculo.

Notable career highlights include playing lead roles in professional musical theatre (Obeah Opera in Toronto and Hair in London ON), playing her original music live on national tv three times on Canada AM as well as being the featured vocalist twice with the KW Symphony and once with the Hamilton Philharmonic. As an educator/facilitator, NehRita has guest lectured at Seneca at York, The University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University. She is also a TEDxED speaker in addition to being a seasoned panelist and moderator.

In fall 2023 she releases a new project: Songs For Community – an album, songbook and contemporary choral charts. Age of Majority Singers, will be the first choir to perform repertoire from this album at their spring concert in April 2023.