Imagine a kitchen party where Mother Maybelle Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Mississippi John Hurt, Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Patsy Cline show up, and you begin to get a sense of what it feels like inside songwriter Eve Goldberg's head. Never one to restrict herself to one genre of music, Eve has performed her trademark mixture of folk, blues, country, bluegrass, old time, and jazz in venues ranging from small house concerts to the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Eve was born in the Boston area but has called Toronto, Ontario home since 1981. As a child, she was dragged to folk concerts featuring performers like Pete Seeger, Doc Watson, Arlo Guthrie, the Watersons, and countless others. Eventually it all sank in, and as a teenager she began to devour all kinds of contemporary and traditional roots music. She began performing in 1990, and hasn't looked back since. Along the way she's earned the respect of legendary musicians like Peggy Seeger, Geoff Muldaur, and Penny Lang.
Eve's watercolour voice and solid guitar and ukulele style have become a favourite at festivals, folk clubs, and concert series across Canada and the US. Her performances are intimate and relaxed, moving effortlessly from folk classics to original gems, all wrapped up in her clear, pure voice and dynamic playing. With an equal passion for the craft of songwriting and the art of interpretation, Eve blends new and old influences into a seamless whole.
She has released three albums to widespread acclaim -- "Ever Brightening Day"(1998) "Crossing the Water,"(2003) and "A Kinder Season"(2006). Her instrumental tune "Watermelon Sorbet" was used for years as the opening theme for the popular CBC national radio show "Richardson's Roundup." Her song The Streets of Burma was used by Amnesty International Canada as part of its campaign to help free one of the monks arrested following the famous Saffron Revolution in 2007.
Eve is one half of the folk/roots duo Gathering Sparks with musical partner Jane Lewis. In a short time, Gathering Sparks has gained a reputation for sparkling harmonies, solid instrumentation (piano, guitar, ukulele, accordion, and banjo), and stellar songwriting. Gathering Sparks was nominated for a 2014 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the year based on their self-titled debut EP. Their first full-length CD, "All That's Real" was released on Borealis Records in September 2019.
In addition to being a fine performer, Eve is an experienced teacher who excels at passing on her skills and knowledge to others through private lessons, workshops, and classes. She has taught at colleges, music camps, schools, and festivals, and specializes in teaching adults in community settings. Eve brings a wealth of organizing, teaching and facilitation experience to her workshops and classes, and knows how to get participants involved and excited about the topic at hand.
Eve has one of the most important qualities any teacher should have: a strong belief that everyone can learn. She excels at presenting musical information in a clear and non-intimidating manner. She especially loves teaching beginners and knows how to create a supportive environment that encourages students at any skill level to learn and grow.
Eve currently stays busy teaching ukulele classes in the Toronto area. She has completed Level III Certification in the James Hill Ukulele Method (JHUI), and has taught for several years at the Vancouver and Toronto teacher training institutes of JHUI. In addition to leading ukulele workshops at festivals, camps, and schools in different parts of Ontario, Eve is the founder of the Parkdale Ukulele Group, which provides a group setting for learning ukulele in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto. She also founded and leads The Ukulele Orchestra of Toronto.
