Just over a year after The Canadian Canoe Museum opened at its new waterfront location on the shores of Peterborough’s Little Lake, the sound of live music will soon fill the beautiful atrium.
The museum has announced the launch of its new “Music in the Museum” concert series featuring Canadian musicians, which will kick off on Saturday, May 24 with a performance by Juno award-winning roots musician Old Man Luedecke.
The ongoing concert series will be held in the museum’s atrium, where the Silver Bean Cafe is located, with the mass timber and wood panelling providing rich acoustics for the performers and the audience.
The museum’s executive director Carolyn Hyslop noted in a media release that events like these showcase the museum in a different way to an entirely new audience.
“We see ourselves as a community hub, an energetic space where people can connect, learn, share stories, and make memories, and the Music in the Museum series is an extension of this vision,” Hyslop said.
Proceeds from the concert series will will help subsidize the museum’s youth backcountry canoeing program, supporting the next generation of paddlers in connecting with Canada’s waterways.
VIDEO: “Year of the Dragon” – Old Man Luedecke
As for Old Man Luedecke, the Nova Scotia singer-songwriter and banjo player and guitarist is looking forward to being the inaugural performer of the new concert series.
“I’m excited to come to the museum again, play in this great venue, and be a part of this exciting event series,” he says.
Chris Luedecke — who adopted the stage and recording name Old Man Luedecke when he was 22 years old — has released 10 albums since 2003, with his latest being 2024’s She Told Me Where To Go.
Old Man Luedecke has twice won the Juno award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo, first in 2009 for Proof of Love and again in 2011 for My Hands are on Fire and Other Love Songs.
He has also won multiple East Coast Music Awards, and has been nominated for the Polaris prize.
Tickets for Old Man Luedecke at The Canadian Canoe Museum are $45 and are available at canoemuseum.ca/music-in-the-museum.
VIDEO: “She Told Me Where To Go” – Old Man Luedecke
Doors for the May 24th show open at 6 p.m., when the bar will also open for drink purchases. All ticket holders are welcome to explore the museum’s Exhibition Hall before the music begins at 7 p.m.
“Our space is a celebration of masters of their craft, and Music in the Museum is a celebration of some of the best Canadian musicians,” said the museum’s program manager Peter Vooys. “Like the watercraft featured in the museum, music has a way of connecting us, and we’re excited to bring a truly special experience to the community.”
The Canadian Canoe Museum will be announcing additional concerts in the Music in the Museum series later in the year.
