12:00: The Rochester Fringe Festival returns
1:00: 'Connections Summer Sessions:' A doctor who left Rochester to practice in Canada reflects on the decision
The Rochester Fringe Festival kicks off in just over two weeks. This year's event includes more than 700 performances, including everything from theater and comedy to music and dance. In our annual Fringe preview, we talk to the festival's executive producer and some of the artists involved about what's coming up and what they think you won't want to miss. Our guests:
- Erica Fee, CEO and producer of the Rochester Fringe Festival
- Jimmie Highsmith Jr., Grammy-nominated saxophonist, educator, president of major/music events for Xperience Live Events LLC, and performer in "Lyrical Grooves"
- Lu Highsmith, administrative consultant for North Star Poets and performer in "Lyrical Grooves"
- Tracey Yarad, musician, writer, and actor in "All These Pretty Things"
- Sean Mulligan, artist with "Sound of Sanctuary (SOS)"
- Kristy Liddell, president of The Friends of Washington Grove, which is producing "Forest Music"
- Joe Liss, actor, writer, and producer with "Misery Loves Company"
- Mike Gamble, comedian with "Sorry 4 Da Weight"
- Dre Gray, comedian with "Sorry 4 Da Weight"
- Drew Jemison, comedian with "Sorry 4 Da Weight"
Then in our second hour, we continue with special rebroadcasts of some of Evan Dawson's favorite conversations. In this episode of "Connections Summer Sessions," we hear from a doctor who left Rochester and moved to Canada in 2015. Dr. Emily Queenan is a family medicine practitioner. She loved Rochester, but she said that the American healthcare system was "crushing her soul." Queenan wanted to see more patients and fill out less paperwork. She wanted to build long-term relationships, not spend long hours on the phone with insurance companies. In this discussion from 2025, she answers questions about the difference between American and Canadian healthcare. Our guest:
- Emily Queenan, M.D., president of the professional staff association and chief of obstetrics at Georgian Bay General Hospital, and family physician at Queenan Family Medicine and Maternity Care in Midland, Ontario
"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
