The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library

08/18/2026

📣 CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS! 🎸

The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library is looking for one or two guitar players in the St. John's area who can volunteer a little time to help us get some donated guitars ready for students.

Most just need a little TLC: new strings, restringing, tuning, and minor adjustments.

We can drop off a few guitars to you so you can work on them at your convenience, and we’ll cover the cost of new strings and any other basic supplies needed.

By helping us get these guitars back into playing condition, you’ll be helping us provide instruments free of charge to students who might otherwise not have access to one.

If you know your way around a guitar and would like to help, send us a message! And please share this post with any guitar players who might be interested. 🎶❤️

08/13/2026

Save the date - December 20th, 2026.🎶

The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library’s Annual Holiday Fundraiser is happening on Sunday, December 20, 2026, at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s!

We’re looking forward to bringing our community together for an evening of live music, great food, fun, and fundraising in support of helping children and youth across Newfoundland and Labrador access the instruments they need to participate in music programs.

📅 Sunday, December 20, 2026
📍 Delta Hotel, St. John’s
🚪 Doors open: 6:30 p.m.
🎵 On-stage entertainment begins: 7:00 p.m.

The evening will feature:

🎤 Live musical entertainment
🎁 Silent and live auctions
🎟️ Raffles and a 50/50 draw
🍽️ Food included with admission
❤️ Lots of ways to support music education across Newfoundland and Labrador

Funds raised will help us continue building and maintaining our collection of quality musical instruments and expanding access to music education for students throughout the province.

Mark your calendar and save the date!

Ticket information, performers, sponsors, auction items, and more will be announced in the coming weeks.

We can’t wait to see you there! 🎶

08/13/2026

A huge thank you to Avanade and its employees for their incredibly generous $4,500 contribution to The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library! 🎶💛

Through Avanade’s internal “Shark Thank” initiative, employees have the opportunity to nominate charitable organizations making a difference in their communities. We were honoured to be put forward—and especially grateful that Avanade employees chose to support our work.

This generous donation will help us continue building our collection of quality musical instruments so that more students across Newfoundland and Labrador can participate fully in school music programs, regardless of financial barriers.

Thank you to everyone at Avanade who supported our nomination and voted to invest in music education in our community. Your generosity will help put more instruments into the hands of young musicians. 🎺🎷🎻

07/30/2026

We were delighted to visit the Newfoundland Regiment Hockey Club recently, where Katie Sullivan and Kyle Massey accepted a generous $2,500 donation from the Regiment Hockey Cares Foundation on behalf of The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library.

This support will help us purchase and maintain quality musical instruments for students in schools across Newfoundland and Labrador, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent young people from participating in music education.

We are deeply grateful to the Newfoundland Regiment and the Regiment Hockey Cares Foundation for their commitment to youth, community, and creating opportunities for families throughout our province.

Thank you for helping us move one step closer to putting instruments into the hands of students who need them.

06/17/2026

Congrats to our organization’s namesake, Katie Sullivan, on her appointment as Conductor with Calos Youth Orchestras. Amazing news!

🎶 Welcome, Katie Sullivan! 🎶

CALOS Youth Orchestras is delighted to welcome Katie Sullivan as the new Conductor of the CALOS Wind Ensemble and Co-Conductor of the Concert Orchestra for the 2026–2027 season.

Katie is an accomplished educator, performer, and advocate for young musicians. She has been teaching instrumental music in Newfoundland and Labrador since 1995 and has inspired generations of students through her dedication to music education, ensemble performance, and student growth.

A member of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra since 1993, Katie was appointed Principal Trumpet in 2004. She brings a wealth of experience as an orchestral musician, chamber performer, and soloist.

Many young musicians throughout the province already know Katie as a supportive teacher, mentor, and leader whose enthusiasm for music is contagious. We are thrilled to have her join the CALOS team and look forward to the energy, expertise, and passion for music education she will bring to our musicians this season.
🎺🎷🎻🥁

05/25/2026

Donate here: instrumentlibrary.ca/johnhutton

What an incredible evening celebrating the life and legacy of John Hutton. 🎶

We are honoured to be partnering with Caron Hawco and John’s bandmates to raise funds to establish The John Hutton Instrument Collection for Young Musicians.

Thank you to everyone who has already donated in John’s memory. Your support will help provide instruments to young people across Newfoundland & Labrador who may otherwise not have the opportunity to join their school band or learn music.

Music changes lives - and through this initiative, John’s legacy will continue to inspire future generations of young musicians.

If you would still like to contribute, donations can be made here:
instrumentlibrary.ca/johnhutton

05/25/2026

What an incredible evening last night at the Celebration of Life for John Hutton.

To donate and learn more:
https://instrumentlibrary.ca/johnhutton/

We were honoured to attend and witness the outpouring of love, music, stories, and community spirit that filled the room. It was a beautiful tribute to a man whose impact on Newfoundland and Labrador’s music community will never be forgotten.

We are especially honoured to be partnering with Caron Hawco and John’s bandmates to establish The John Hutton Instrument Collection for Young Musicians — a lasting way to continue John’s legacy of mentorship, generosity, and helping others succeed.

We want to sincerely thank everyone who has already donated in John’s memory. Your support will help purchase musical instruments for young people across Newfoundland and Labrador who may otherwise never have the opportunity to play music or join their school band.

Music education changes lives. It builds confidence, creativity, friendships, discipline, and belonging. Through this initiative, John’s legacy will live on in every student who gets the chance to pick up an instrument and discover the joy of music.

While last night’s event was an incredible success, we’re making one final push for donations to help grow this collection and maximize the impact we can make for young musicians in John’s memory.

To donate and learn more:
https://instrumentlibrary.ca/johnhutton/

Thank you for helping us honour John Hutton in such a meaningful and lasting way.

The John Hutton Instrument Collection for Young MusiciansThe Katie Sullivan Instrument Library is honoured to announce the creation of The John Hutton Instrument Collection for Young Musicians, a dedicated collection of instruments established in memory of John Hutton and his extraordinary contribut...

05/20/2026

The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library is honoured to announce the creation of The John Hutton Instrument Collection for Young Musicians — a dedicated collection established in memory of John Hutton and his extraordinary contribution to music in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Learn more: https://instrumentlibrary.ca/johnhutton/

This initiative was developed in partnership with John’s wife, Caron Hawco, as a meaningful way to honour John’s lifelong commitment to music, mentorship, community, and helping others succeed.

With a career spanning more than 57 years, John Hutton was a force in Newfoundland and Labrador’s music, entertainment, and business communities. Best known as lead guitarist and singer with Billy and the Bruisers, John was also a passionate advocate, mentor, entrepreneur, promoter, and community builder whose influence reached generations of musicians and artists throughout the province.

Through this special collection within The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library, John’s legacy will continue by helping young people across Newfoundland and Labrador access the instruments they need to participate fully in school music programs.

Instruments purchased through this initiative will become part of a special subset within our Library inventory and will be specially marked in John’s memory as they are loaned to future generations of young musicians.

🎶 A Celebration of Life for John Hutton will be held:

📍 Jag Soundhouse
📅 Sunday, May 24
🕗 8:00 PM

Proceeds from the Celebration of Life will support the creation of The John Hutton Instrument Collection for Young Musicians within The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library.

To learn more or donate in John’s memory: https://instrumentlibrary.ca/johnhutton/

The John Hutton Instrument Collection for Young MusiciansThe Katie Sullivan Instrument Library is honoured to announce the creation of The John Hutton Instrument Collection for Young Musicians, a dedicated collection of instruments established in memory of John Hutton and his extraordinary contribut...

05/07/2026

We’re incredibly grateful to announce that The Katie Sullivan Instrument Library has received a $1,500 Community Grant from the City of St. John’s!

Thank you to St. John’s City Council for approving this funding and for recognizing the importance of accessible music education in our community.

As we continue building our collection of instruments and preparing to launch our loan program for students across Newfoundland and Labrador, this funding will help us purchase and maintain quality instruments for students who otherwise may not have access to them.

For many families, the cost of renting or purchasing an instrument can place music education out of reach. This grant helps us move closer to a future where every child who wants to participate in school music programs has the opportunity to do so.

We’re proud to have the support of the City of St. John’s as we work to make music education more accessible, inclusive, and equitable for young people in our communities.

Thank you again to the City of St. John’s for investing in students, arts education, and community wellbeing. 🎶

05/02/2026

🎶 Behind the scenes at the Instrument Library 🎶

After an incredible response to our Used Instrument Drive, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work, or Ken did at least!

We were thrilled to bring in instrument repair technician Ken, who spent a week restoring our donated instruments. From minor fixes to major tune-ups, 70+ instruments have now been brought back to life and are getting ready for their next chapter.

A huge thanks to Sable Building & Design for allowing us to use space in their workshop for this repair work!

Every instrument we repair is another opportunity for a student to participate fully in their school music and band programs. This work is a key part of how we build and maintain a high-quality collection for students across Newfoundland and Labrador .

We’re getting closer every day to launching our loan program in September, when these instruments will be placed into the hands of students who need them most.

Thank you to everyone who donated and supported this effort—it’s making a real difference. 💛