William Terrence Tufts
Contract Instructor
Terry began his career as a working musician upon graduating high school and has since been active as a solo artist and an accompanist, performance and session guitarist (Laura Smith, David Francey, Jessie Winchester, Valdy, Colleen Peterson, Susan Aglukark, Wayne Rostad, Tamarack, The Arrogant Worms, The Family Brown, George Fox, Dario Domingues, Willie P. Bennet, Sneezy Waters, Stephen Fearing, Don Ross, Tom Paxton) having performed in Italy (for Governor General Roland Michener in Rome), Austria (the Human Rights World Conference in Vienna), Finland & Sweden (the Davi Suuva Festival in Karesuando), Australia (the Melbourne Music Festival- Melbourne), Germany, Denmark, the U.K, the U.S., and Canada coast to coast to coast. He is renowned as a triple threat guitarist and singer-song writer (two-time recipient of Ontario Council of Folk Festivals SONGS FROM THE HEART Award), performing on CBC Radio for Musical Friends with Marie Lynne Hammond, Morningside with Peter Gzowski, Swinging On A Star with Murray McLauchlan, Madly Off In All Directions with Lorne Elliott, on CBC TV for The Rita McNeil Show, True North shows (Yellowknife,and Whitehorse), The Dini Petty Show, Canada AM, The George Hamilton IV Show, The CCMA Awards, The Tommy Hunter Show, 4 Tours with Hank Williams:The Show He Never Gave, the Canada Day Celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, The Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Romeo Leblanc’s Inauguration in the House of Commons in Ottawa, and HRH Elizabeth II’s visit to Canada.
He is endorsed by White Guitars, Beneteau Guitars, Bounsall Guitars, and Manzer Guitars.
He has 7 solo albums to his credit, is part of 16 different compilation albums, plus an instrumental album and a seasonal album recorded and written with Kathryn Briggs as part of their duo K.E.W.T. (standing for Kathryn Elizabeth and William Terence). He also works with Kathryn and daughter Beth in a trio called TRiPOD.
He is currently, along with Kathryn and double bassist John Geggie, writing and performing music inspired by the life story and canvases of Group of Seven inspiration Tom Thomson as part of THE ALGONQUIN ENSEMBLE, a sextet consisting of Kathryn, John, Lisa Moody – Viola, Laura Nerenberg – Violin, Margaret Tobolowska – Cello, Terry on various fretted instruments. Their sold out premiere performance was July 9th, 2017 in Kleinburg, Ontario at The McMichael Canadian Art Collection.
Terry has been obsessed with the fretted string since the age of 5. He has taught finger style guitar courses at The Ottawa Folklore Centre, Mississippi Mills Music Works in Almonte, Ontario, Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario, private teaching, and is starting his third year teaching songwriting at Carleton University, also in Ottawa.