encoreNOW is a bi-weekly column by Paul Rellinger where he features upcoming music, theatre, film, and performing arts events and news from across the Kawarthas.
This week, Paul highlights Colin Linden’s return to Market Hall, Stage and Symphony featuring the Kawartha String Orchestra, a musical about menopause in Lindsay, live music in Peterborough and Cobourg celebrating International Jazz Day, New Stages Theatre’s reading of a highly-acclaimed play, and The Shuffle Demons presented by Performing Arts Lakefield.
Blues-roots music treasure Colin Linden still getting it done
VIDEO: “Until The Heat Leaves Town” – Colin Linden
In 1971 at Toronto’s Colonial Tavern, Mississippi-born bluesman Howlin’ Wolf made time for an 11-year-old boy who had a lot of questions.
During the course of that encounter, the boy and the legend posed for a photograph. Before parting ways, Howlin’ Wolf told his starstruck admirer “I’m an old man now. I won’t be around much longer. It’s up to you to carry it on.”
To this day, Colin Linden’s wallet is home to that now well-worn photo — a reminder of the passing of the blues torch from his boyhood hero who, just five years after their chat, was no more.
That Linden took those words to heart is not in question.
Over the course of his near five decades-plus performing and producing blues and roots music, the singer and electric/slide guitarist has released 14 albums, won multiple Juno Awards, and performed alongside everybody who’s a somebody in the genre, including Bob Dylan, Bruce Cockburn, Colin James and, since 1996, Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson as one-third of the beloved roots-rock trio Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
On April 24, Linden returns to a familiar haunt in the form of Peterborough’s Market Hall. While his primary residence has been Nashville for quite some time, Canada is home, much to the delight of what remains a fervent fan base that rarely leaves a concert seat empty.
Linden arrives in Peterborough as part of his Ride On Tour, which is billed as the start of his second half century of touring. Tickets to Linden’s 8 p.m. performance cost $44 at markethall.org.
Howlin’ Wolf is smiling for sure, as broadly as he no doubt did in 1999 when A Tribute to Howlin’ Wolf, to which Linden contributed, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words. For Linden, it’s been worth infinitely more.
Kawartha String Orchestra presents another feast for the ears
VIDEO: Tak Kwan of Kawartha String Orchestra speaks with Marcus Quin
When musical talent collides with the unifying power of community, something wonderful almost always evolves.
In 2017, local string musicians, under the direction of Tak Kwan, came together to form the Kawartha String Orchestra. Since then, members’ shared love of playing music and giving back to their community has seen the ensemble give numerous performances, the musical menu ranging from Vivaldi to popular movie tunes.
In Kwan, the orchestra is in most capable hands. Having learned to play violin at age seven, his career as a soloist and chamber musician led him to serve as concertmaster of both the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra and the Northumberland Orchestra and Choir. In 2010 in Toronto, Kwan performed before Queen Elizabeth. No pressure there.
On April 27 at St. James United Church in Peterborough, the Kawartha String Orchestra presents Stage and Symphony, a 2 p.m. concert featuring the music of Mozart, favourites from The Sound of Music and Les Miserables, and selections from KSO bassist Marcus Quin. Guest soloists are Quin (clarinet) and Kwan (violin).
As a fundraiser for Upbeat! Downtown, an after-school music program for Peterborough kids interested in music but faced with barriers accessing music education, admission is by donation at the door.
Lindsay-bound hit musical tackles all things hot flashes et al
VIDEO: “Menopause the Musical” promo
As a typically typical male with no idea beyond my next meal and which team is playing for what and when, I have little to no understanding of what women have to endure. I’m working on it, but it is what it is, and what it is I’m reminded of daily by my wife.
Yes, I’ve heard of menopause, but it’s shrouded in mystery for me. I know what brings it on but have no idea of its effects. That’s a lived experience that only those to who experience it can attest to. What I do know is while the effects of menopause are far from funny, women, by virtue of coming together over a shared challenge, find a way to not only endure its effects but show their strength and resiliency in doing so.
In 2001, Menopause The Musical, with book and lyrics by Jeanie Linders, premiered in Orlando. Its storyline, centred around four women shopping for lingerie set to a soundtrack comprised of classic hit songs, resonated in a very big way in the form of more than 1,500 performances off Broadway and, since 2006, where it remains the longest-running scripted musical ever staged in Las Vegas.
Now we’re all invited to “come celebrate womanhood” April 27 at Lindsay’s Academy Theatre where Menopause The Musical, featuring an all-Canadian cast, takes to the stage for two shows, at 2 and 5 p.m.
Bonding over hot flashes, mood swings, memory loss and other menopausal symptoms, its central characters create a fun and wholly relatable celebration of the life stage. With the production rated as “man-datory viewing for men,” there’s a welcome seat for those who have an idea, but really have no idea at all.
Tickets cost $67 at www.flatoacademytheatre.com.
International Jazz Day marked in Peterborough and Cobourg
VIDEO: “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” – Caity Gyorgy Quartet
Back in 2011, April 30 was proclaimed International Jazz Day by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to “highlight jazz and its diplomatic role in uniting people in all corners of the globe.”
The idea came from legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, who is chair of the day with his Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz being the lead organizational partner.
Over the years, International Jazz Day has been marked locally in some way and this year is no different, with several jazz concerts of note scheduled.
In Peterborough, the day is being celebrated the prior weekend. Although the headline concert featuring Juno award-winning jazz singer Holly Cole at the Market Hall on April 27 is sold out, the Curtis Cronkwright Quartet will be performing a free show at the Black Horse Pub from 9 p.m. to midnight on April 26.
Earlier that same evening, the “Dine with Jazz” series will see four jazz duos perform from 6 to 8 p.m. at four downtown Peterborough establishments: Pete Woolidge and Craig Paterson at La Hacienda, Mike Graham and Victoria Yeh at Amandala’s, Michael Monis and Paco Luviano at Agave, and Rob Phillips and Carling Stephen at The Black Horse.
Meanwhile, the Caity Gyorgy Quartet — featuring three-time Juno award-winning vocalist Caity Gyorgy — will perform at the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall in Cobourg on April 30. Local promoter Ken Prue calls booking Gyorgy for International Jazz Day “a coup.”
Tickets for the Caity Gyorgy Quartet’s 7 p.m. concert cost $50 (plus taxes and fees) and are available at tickets.cobourg.ca.
Jazz is, admittedly by those who love it, an acquired taste, but those who gravitate to the genre are fiercely loyal to it, and most protective of it being presented in its purest form. But any jazz aficionado I’ve talked to has been clear on one point: the door is wide open for discovery of jazz, and appreciation for its longstanding and revered place in the cultures of not just North America but worldwide.
New Stages Theatre hosting a reading of an acclaimed play
If you’re going to present a staged reading of a beautifully-written drama, it’s vital to secure the talent of a dynamic lineup of actors to deliver its lines.
In preparation for its May 3 presentation of Emil Sher’s The Boy In The Moon, Peterborough’s New Stages Theatre has done just that.
Directed by New Stages’ artistic director Mark Wallace, reading parts are being delivered by Cliff Saunders, a veteran of both Stratford and Broadway, the very captivating Linda Kash and recent Randolph School of Performing Arts grad Sydney Marion. Also in the mix are local well-known performers Kate Suhr, Hilary Wear, Laura Lawson and Maria Luisa Belmes.
Based on the book by Ian Brown, The Boy In The Moon is a Dora Award-nominated play centred around Walker, the son of Brown and Joanna Schneller, who was born with a rare genetic mutation. The story relates their raising of their severely disabled son, the result, according to Sher, is a story “not just about raising a child with a disability, but any child.”
When it was staged at Toronto’s Crow Theatre, artistic director Chris Abraham praised the play as “generous, funny and deeply moving in a way I’ve rarely encountered.” Quite an endorsement.
General admission tickets for the 7 p.m. reading at the Market Hall cost $28 ($14 for arts workers, students, and the underwaged) at markethall.org. As of this writing, fewer than 50 tickets remained, so jump on it quick.
Performing Arts Lakefield continues to do what it does so well
VIDEO: “Money Is My Only Religion” – The Shuffle Demons
I remain intrigued by the high calibre of entertainment that Performing Arts Lakefield (PAL) consistently brings to its home of Lakefield United Church.
That trend will continue on May 4 when PAL brings The Shuffle Demons to its stage as the penultimate concert of its 2024-25 season.
Formed in 1984 by saxophonist Richard Underhill in collaboration with a number of Toronto-area jazz musicians, The Shuffle Demons enjoyed success early, with the 1986 single “Spadina Bus” bringing an unexpected Top 40 hit.
The debut album on which it was featured, Streetniks, was the best-selling independent release in Canadian music history up to that time, eclipsed for that honour five years later by The Barenaked Ladies’ Yellow Tape. The single’s success helped Streetnik be nominated for a 1987 Juno Award as Best Jazz Album.
Over the years since, The Shuffle Demons have toured extensively, both in Canada and overseas, their jazz and funk sound accentuated by eye-catching costumes and over-the-top stage antics. Simply put, there’s never a dull moment when this band is in the house.
Full marks to PAL which, since 1981, has in a big way delivered the goods in the form of music, mime, dance, comedy, theatre, and storytelling. Quite the gem for a community the size of Lakefield and a testament to the dedication of many.
Tickets to the 3 p.m. concert cost $40 ($15 for students) and are available online at performingartslakefield.org or in person at Happenstance Books and Yarns in Lakefield. Of note, this concert was originally scheduled for May 18, but has since been moved to May 4.
Encore
- What does Peterborough’s Irish Millie have to do to bring home some hardware from the Canadian Folk Music Awards? Stand on her head and kill it on the fiddle? Recently returned from the 2025 ceremony in Ottawa where she was nominated for two awards related her album Grace, the Peterborough performer was denied yet again. That brings to five the number of times she has been nominated. Disappointing for her, for sure, but she’s not dwelling on that, instead taking to Facebook to laud about what a great experience it was to again be in the company of other artists and to be nominated in the first place. Very commendable, for sure, but c’mon to those doing the judging — it’s high time Millie’s talent and dedication to her craft is duly recognized as second to none.
- Having said all that, Irish Millie will be getting her due this summer at Peterborough Musicfest, which continues to roll out announcements about the performers for its 2025 summer season of concerts in Del Crary Park. Having already announced Serena Ryder as the season opener on June 28 and Kim Mitchell as the season closer on August 16, organizers have revealed three Irish-themed concerts in August that coincide with the week of bicentennial celebrations for the Peter Robinson emigration: U2 tribute band Acrobat on August 2, Mudmen on August 6 with Irish Millie opening, and The Celtic Tenors on August 9. We still don’t know, but will find out at some point in May, who the remaining performs will be. That annually remains the most anticipated live music-related announcement for thousands. I, for one, cannot wait.
