Legendary Grammy-awarded Singer/Songwriter Dan Hill has participated and supported us with his appearance several times. First time was in 2017, last in 2024. Here is a brief interview we did with him just before his apearance at THESE ARE THEIR STORIES at the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts on April 4th at 7:30 pm. We sent him a short list of questions to find out what his life has been since the last time he appeared at a High Notes Avante event.  Tell me about something great that has happened to you since our last concert together (May 16, 2017)!  One of the great things that happened to me since May 2017 is touring the Phillippines.  I can’t get over how popular my songs are in Asia and it’s so heartening to watch the audience sing along to my songs during my performances there.  I do a lot of duets in Manila, working with four different female singers.  The fans in Manila love it when I work with Filipina singers and the singers are so good, their emotional power is amazing and I’m constantly moved by how heartfelt their singing is. What are some of the not so great things that happened to you since we last met? Last May 17th, my mom committed assisted suicide in Switzerland.  She was 90, worked out with a trainer twice a week and was in amazing shape.  But she simply didn’t want to live anymore and wanted to ‘go out’ before her health really degenerated.  Though I respect her decision  her death has really rocked me and I miss her horribly.  I have bought our childhood home so her memory really lingers with me. How have you been staying well? I’ve been writing and exercising, those are the two components I draw on to keep me healthy. Have you been doing any writing on the book you were planning about your own mental illness? I’m still working on my book vis a vis my own mental health as well as the mental health issues bedevilling my son and my late sister and my mom.  Our family has a lot of mental health challenges…seems we tiptoe between brilliance and insanity, or, at least, mania. Kindly tell us about the music that you have been writing and performing!  I’ve written quite a few songs about losing my mother, though I keep the lyrics vague enough to keep the listeners guessing. Why do you support what we are doing at High Notes Avante? The great thing about High Notes Avante is that you bring out into the open issues concerning mental health.  I really believe openness about mental illness is the key to rising up and overcoming the various obstacles.  I look forward to performing for your event in April and find that I really learn from the other performers and their various messages. Feel free to add anything you wish here: I will be performing a mix of old and new songs and really can’t wait. HIGH NOTES AVANTE is a registered charity (827049388rr0001) using artistic expression to inspire, give hope and connect those touched by mental illness. Our objectives include offering art productions directed towards the alleviation of loneliness and isolation as well as reducing any associated stigma. Our dream is to one day produce “THE mental health concert that will be accessible from coast to coast in Canada and give hope to everyone touched by mental illness, no matter where they live. Read more at   www.highnotesavante.ca