Catherine Blake has a Master’s degree and a Diploma in Adult Education. She is currently enjoying retirement but worked for 30 years at Western University, first in Continuing Studies, then in the Faculty of Medicine managing courses for faculty, staff, and the community, and the final ten years as a research coordinator working on dementia research projects. She has been a member of the London, Ontario New Horizons Band since 2000 and also plays in Sounds of Swing, and Jazzabelles, two community swing and jazz bands in the city. Mark Kearney is an author and an award-winning journalist. His latest book is Al Christie: Hollywood’s Forgotten Film Pioneer, published in 2023. He has co-authored 10 other books and contributed to another three. Mark is currently a lecturer at Western University, teaching a range of journalism courses. Over his 20-plus years there, he has won several awards for teaching including the Dean’s Award of Excellence in Teaching in the Faculty of Media and Information Studies. Mark lives in London, Ontario and plays clarinet with the New Horizons Band at Western University. He also plays in the Alte Klezmer group and strums his ukulele weekly with the Southern Ontario Ukulele Players. He and his wife, Catherine Blake, are long-time members of NHIMA. This interview took place in London, ON in February 2025. If you would like to find out more about the Western University New Horizons Band, please go to https://music.uwo.ca/outreach/new-horizons-band.html
