ADI BRAUN is a singer/songwriter with a long list of cabaret, concert and theatre successes to her credit.  She has performed in major jazz and concert venues in Canada, the United States, and Europe.  In the fall of 2023 Adi released her sixth critically-acclaimed CD, “Night and Day – The Cole Porter Songbook”, which which had its premiere with full orchestra at the Rose Theatre, Brampton in February, 2025.  Her other recordings include “Moderne Frau (Modern Woman)”, a tribute to the music of Weimar Berlin; “Canadian Scenes I”, featuring some of her own compositions; “Live at the Metropolitan Room” from New York City; “The Rules of the Game”, and “Delishious”. 

 After beginning her career in classical music, Adi started “singing sideways” in the late ‘90s and returned to her first love, which she calls “cabarazz”, drawing on aspects from both cabaret and jazz.  Adi has received andbeen nominated for numerous awards, including “Best Major Jazz Vocalist of the Year” by New York’s Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, and two Juno album short-lists.  Her repertoire ranges from the Great American songbook, to European cabaret, to contemporary songs by Canadian legend’s Shirley Eikhard and Gordon Lightfoot, among others.   

In addition to performing, Adi is a sought-after German Diction and Lieder coach, has co-hosted “Classical Mornings” on the New Classical FM, and frequently speaks on topics related to Weimar Cabaret.

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KIRK DUNN is a fibre artist, writer and actor, best known for the award-winning one-man show, The Knitting Pilgrim he co-wrote with his wife, Claire Ross Dunn. Directed by Jennifer Tarver, it tells the incredible story of his 15-year journey knitting Stitched Glass: three huge tapestries, designed in the style of stained glass, exploring the relationship amongst Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Kirk has performed the show, using the tapestries as his set, nationally and internationally, 120 times in 6 countries, to acclaim.

Kirk has written other award-winning plays, written for TV, and performed on stages and TV across Canada. His many stage credits include Billy Bishop Goes to War (Ergo Arts Theatre, Carousel); Merlin, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (YPT); Dads! The Musical (Charlottetown, Stirling, Drayton); Romeo and Juliet (Ford Centre); More Munsch (The Grand); The War Show, A Flea in Her Ear, Don’t Dress for Dinner, and The Affections of May (Drayton).

As a knitter, Kirk has designed many installations both big and small, as well as garments and household décor items, the patterns for which he is slowly but surely sharing on Ravelry. He has been a guest speaker for knitting groups in Canada, the US, and the UK, and has given workshops at the Textile Museum of Canada, the Aga Khan Museum, FACTS (Fashion Arts Creative Textiles Studio) in Blyth, the Almonte Fibrefest, Southwark Cathedral, and more, teaching his unique, colour-rich knitting style. His giant knitting installation, The Patchwork Pride Project, was displayed at London’s Canada House this summer, overlooking Trafalgar Square.

The most recent play which Kirk has co-written and co-produced with Claire is Spycraft, which explores the much talked-about female spies who used knitting as both cover and code while they gathered intelligence on the Germans during WWII. The playwrights received Toronto Arts Council funding to write the script. The play had a stage reading at Little Lion Theatre Company in London, England, and toured Ontario to acclaim in November 2025 thanks to Canada Council and Toronto Arts Council grants. www.kirkdunn.com Facebook: The Knitting Pilgrim.

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MUSIC FOR THIS EPISODE:

AMBE (Chronos Vocal Ensemble / Jordan Van Biert, cond.)

Composer: Andrew Balfour /www.instagram.com/andrewbalfour_

PIXABAY Royalty Free Music