1-877-2BE-CALM Project

The City of Victoria’s Artist-in-Residence, Kathryn Calder, with the help of Emily Hamel and free services provided by TELUS, has created 1-877-2BE-CALM, a toll-free telephone number to bring calmness and joy to your day.

The project is designed to bring soothing auditory experiences to individuals in the Greater Victoria Area and across Canada. The phone line has a wide variety of comforting and joyful content featuring calming nature sounds, stories, meditations, music, poetry and children’s laughter. 

If you'd like to submit your child's laughter to be considered for future audio selections, fill out the release form and email your recording to culture@victoria.ca.

 

 AUDIO GUIDE

Dial 1-877-2BE-CALM (1-877-223-2256) on your phone to experience this project, or have a listen to the audio files below.  Press 1 to 9 to explore each menu option. Each channel will automatically repeat. If you would like to choose a different menu option, please redial and choose another channel.

Press 1 for B.C. Nature Sounds - Northern Resident Orcas, recording by Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada  | Read transcript

Press 2 for Indigenous Stories and Songs - Dylan Thomas | Read transcript.

Press 3 for Poetry - John Barton | Read transcript

Appuyer sur 4 pour poésie en français/Press 4 for Francophone Poetry -
Thérèse Bussières | Read transcript

Press 5 for Contemporary Music - Kathryn Calder | Read transcript

Press 6 for Instrumental Music - Hale & Hearty | Read transcript 

Press 7 for Children’s Laughter - Owen (6), Arthur (2), Davey (almost 3), Emmie (1.5), Ruby (6), Owen (3), August (10 months), and Owen (3) |  Read trancript 

Press 8 for a Guided Meditation - Dr. Rachel Worth-Cappell  | Read transcript

Press 9 for Ambient Music - Matthew Cardinal| Read transcript 

Auditory content will change periodically. Check back to hear a variety of new sounds from local artists until the project ends in July 2021. 

Please click here for artist bios.

Thank you to TELUS for making this project possible.

Kathryn Calder would also like to thank Emily Hamel, Katherine van der Gracht, Colin Stewart, Christine Boutillier, Dominique Hamel, Anne-Marie Stewart, Kate Todoruk, Ženija Esmits, Dr. John Ford.