In Hebrew, the word for listen is shma. Shma, is the first word of one of the most sacred jewish prayers. This is the first prayer Jews recite in the morning, the last prayer they recite at night. It is often recited at the moment of death. And it is a prayer asking the Jewish people to listen.

Veronica Simmonds is a radio producer based in Canada, she has spent every day of her professional life listening. She always thought of radio as a calling but only recently has she started to connect this call to her Judaism. This shift happened when she learned that her great grand aunt Mattie Rotenburg was also a broadcaster. During the most vicious period of the Holocaust in 1943, Mattie was a commentator on the CBC Radio program Trans-Canada Matinée. And when Veronica heard one particular broadcast of Mattie’s, her understanding of listening and Judaism deepened. In order to make sense of it she took the tape to her Rabbi, Rabbi Tina Grimberg. This is their conversation.

Content warning: This piece contains graphic details of the violent persecution of Jews during the holocaust.

Air date: Tuesday 6 Sep 2022
Broadcaster: Short Cuts BBC4 Falling Tree
Producer Veronica Simmonds, Editor Eleanor McDowall 
Featuring music from Alphabet of Wrongdoing by Cantor/Composer/Vocalist Daniela Gesundheit. With gratitude to Mattie Rotenburg

Mattie's Broadcast

Chris Myhr is captivated by the destructive power of water. In this Visual Arts News podcast he explains his latest project Approaches to Erg.

This piece contains music by:
Bell Orchestre
Boards of Canada


Chris Myhr's Approaches to Erg

Interviews with Hot Docs Industry folks while their hair gets braided!
www.hotdocs.ca/
www.braidioshow.tumblr.com/

Braidio themesong by Dark for Dark
darkfordark.bandcamp.com/

Hot Docs Braidio: Bernice Steinbaum & Kristina Sorge

Hot Docs Braidio: Liz Cook

Hot Docs Braidio: Jayisha Patel

Hot Docs Braidio: Maya Newell & Charlotte Mars

Hot Docs Braidio: Elizabeth Radshaw &  Brigid O Shea

This piece was produced as part of The 24-Hour Radio Race from KCRW's Independent Producer Project.

Veronica Simmonds: The Golden Horseshoe

The dance profession places many physical, mental and emotional demands on its workers, but as with so many artistic endeavours these off-stage efforts are not always exposed or fully understood. The work of the dancer is an audio installation and performance piece that shares dancers’ perspectives on their labour.

Audio production: Veronica Simmonds; Choreography: Jacinte Armstrong; Sound composition: Lindsay Dobbin. 

With the voices of: Jacinte Armstrong, Rhonda Baker, Susanne Chui, Ruth-Ellen Kroll Jackson, Sarah Rozee, Elise Vanderborght, and Liliona Quarmyne. 

Photo by Charles Bourne

Work of the Dancer

This was a piece I produced for the CBC Doc Project to honour Documentary Hero Steve Wadhams.

Sound Design in collaboration with Johnny Spence.

The Idea of Wadhams

All kinds of radio/documentary/sound/hustling/
+ braiding hair on air #Braidio http://veronicasimmonds.com/
www.braidioshow.tumblr.com/

Veronica Simmonds

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