When Tracey Randall had the “best summers of her life” working at the Peterborough Summer Festival of Lights in 1987 and 1988, there was no way she could have known back then that, more than 35 years later, she would be at the helm of Canada’s longest-running free outdoor concert series as it heads into its 37th season.
Randall still remembers those first days on the job. Then a tourism and business student at Fleming College, she recalls the “amazing” summers driving boat number two in the illuminated boat show that was a feature of the festival in those days, while learning from festival founder Fred Anderson.
“I spent two years working for Fred, so I really got to know who he was and what he wanted to do with bringing live music to Peterborough at no cost,” she says. “Sometimes the students (now) will come back to me and say ‘That was the best summer of my life’, and that’s what I want to hear because it was for me as well.”
Though the Peterborough native has been the general manager of Musicfest since 2012, the festival’s board and staff agreed the title did not do justice for the role Randall has played and continues to play for the not-for-profit organization. She is now officially the executive director of Peterborough Musicfest.
“The title of general manager doesn’t quite justify what Tracey does for this organization,” says Musicfest marketing and communications manager Raff Melito. “So many not-for-profits have realigned their structure to change the title of general manager to executive director, because there’s always the question if there’s someone between general manager and the board of directors, and there is not. There is Tracey, so we just wanted to elevate her title to better reflect what it is she does for the organization.”
Despite the fun of summers spent at the festival back in the late 1980s, Randall moved to Toronto and spent 15 years working her way up the corporate ladder of a Fortune 500 company. Then she was determined to work the Olympic Games when it came to Canada — Randall was a competitive figure skater growing up — and, sure enough, worked the international circuit, first in Beijing in 2008 and Vancouver in 2010.
In between, however, Randall did some travelling and spent a year volunteering in Africa, which encouraged her to return to her home in Peterborough following the Olympics.
“I really was grounded and living a different life there, helping children in need,” she says. “I learned a lot about myself and was able to slow down and just take it easy and I realized that I wanted a different lifestyle.”
So, after her involvement with the Olympics, she returned to her hometown where she still had so many connections and was hired to cover a maternity leave at Musicfest.
“I just planned to stay here in Peterborough for about a year looking after the festival, and then pass it back and go and work at the Pan Am Games,” she recalls. “Now here I am, 12 years later, still running the festival.”
In her role at Musicfest, Randall has been able to do the event management she learned to love so much throughout her previous careers.
“I love to juggle and I like giving back to my community and solving puzzles and putting them together, and I think it just works well with my personality,” she says, noting it goes back to her days in figure skating. “It says a lot about when I was a little girl on the ice at Peterborough Memorial Centre when I was eight, and they put a light on me by myself and I’ll never forget it. And now I have no problem taking the mic standing in front of that crowd and speaking.”
In the more than 20 years Randall was away from Peterborough, Musicfest has grown into what it is today, seeing thousands of locals and visitors enjoying outdoor concerts at Del Crary Park every summer (except during the pandemic), while generating more than $4 million in revenue for the local community. The concerts have always been free admission, thanks to the 120 sponsors of the festival, 30 per cent have been involved since the beginning.
Since Randall has been leading the team, she is “proud” that Musicfest has worked to ensure the festival is barrier-free, opening it up to many who were unable to come down before, with “all walks of life” now in attendance.
“We’ve opened up the park to so many people that didn’t come down before,” she says. “I think they come now because, during the pandemic, a lot of people needed music to move ahead. I’m just proud to see a lot of new faces at the park.”
“People have changed their choices of purchase (to local businesses sponsoring the festival) because they see the (sponsor’s) logo down at the park and know that a business is supporting the free music, so they want to support them — and that’s what community is all about.”
Randall adds that it’s also about encouraging an immersion in music and art that doesn’t require having to go all the way to Toronto or other areas. She names local artists like Millbrook’s Serena Ryder and Bailieboro’s Jimmy Bowskill as some of the many musicians who were able to get their start on the Fred Anderson stage.
“Look how far they’re gone after Peterborough,” she notes. “We are just really proud that some of these acts could start or have started their music here and they can move on and move elsewhere. That’s why we want the locals to be here and inspire them to sing and play music and instruments. We’re very proud and we feel we have reflected and inspired them to become better musicians.”
Over the years, Randall has seen many seeing local and up-and-coming artists get their start at Musicfest, which has also hosted big names like Carly Rae Jepsen, Tom Cochrane, Gordon Lightfoot, Our Lady Peace, Walk Off the Earth, Sloan, Randy Bachman, Serena Ryder, and many more.
However, one of the best parts of the job for Randall is being able to connect with the young people who work or volunteer at the festival ever summer. The festival now employs more summer students, and she is drawn to seeing youth spend their summers involved in Musicfest the way she was all those years ago.
“I always think about Fred when I’m training them because I remember being there with him and wondering what it was going to be like and that first day was amazing,” she says. “I really try to take in the first day every year and watch the new students and how they enjoy that first night with 12,000 people in the park.”
“We have volunteers that come in at age 14 as an usher and come in as a timid, quiet person still trying to find themselves but, by the end of the summer, they’re someone different because they’ve worked with this incredible crowd.”
She credits both the festival’s success and her new executive director title to the staff, volunteers, and sponsors, as well as those who crowd Del Crary Park every Wednesday and Saturday night to enjoy the live music.
“I’m just so proud of how far it’s come and feel I’ve worked many hours into making sure this festival can still exist and move ahead,” Randall says. “But I really value community and connection and that’s what pushes me to keep going.”
“It’s the connection with our staff and our sponsors and so I am very proud of this offer that they have given me. I didn’t expect it, but I thank them for having the faith in me to keep going and hopefully we’ll move further and grow more. Let’s see where we can grow with this.”
For more information about Peterborough Musicfest, including the upcoming season which begins with a free concert by Canadian country artist Tenille Townes on June 29, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca.
