When confronted with a list of notable graduates of the former Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS), more than a few names jump off the page.
Before closing its doors in June 2012, the historic public high school graduated the likes of Canada’s 14th prime minister Lester B. Pearson, renowned ballerina Evelyn Hart, comedian Sean Cullen, and former Peterborough MP Maryam Monsef, to name but a few on a long list.
Then there’s Serena Ryder.
When Millbrook-raised Ryder departed the McDonnel Street high school for the last time, she couldn’t have known that platinum-selling albums, several hit singles, and seven Juno Awards would one day highlight her resumé.
But what she did know, and knew from an early age, was she loved to sing, that she had a penchant for writing songs, and that she came by her musical gifts naturally — her biological father being a musician in his native Trinidad before coming to Canada in the early 1960s.
Ryder started singing in legion halls and motels at the age of eight, learned to play the guitar at 13 and began writing songs, and was performing in legion halls and coffeehouses at the age of 15. But it was in Peterborough where her musical career was really launched in early 1998, when record producer Damon de Szegheo, the owner of Peterborough-based independent record label Mime Radio, approached her to record.
Three years later, following the release of her debut album Falling Out — produced by Szegheo — Ryder performed at the Peterborough Folk Festival as the inaugural recipient of the festival’s Emerging Artist Award.
As good as Peterborough was to Ryder during those baby step years, Ryder has consistently been faithful to Peterborough, and in particular to Peterborough Musicfest. So it is that on Saturday (June 28), making her fifth appearance at Del Crary Park, Ryder will open the 38th season of free-admission summer concerts.
Ryder’s follow-up to Falling Out came in 2005 when, backed by Hawksley Workman — yet another Peterborough connection — she recorded Unlikely Emergency. While not a big commercial success, the album did garner her an invitation to perform at a media event in advance of the 2005 Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame induction.
VIDEO: “Weak in the Knees” – Serena Ryder
The following year, If Your Memory Serves You Well was released — a collection of covers of notable Canadian songs like Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy” and Galt MacDermot’s “Good Morning Starshine” from the musical Hair, along with the Ryder-penned singles “Weak in the Knees” and the re-recorded “Just Another Day.” Achieving gold status, the album served to whet the appetite of a wider audience anxious for what was next.
In 2008, Is It O.K. quenched that hunger, also attaining gold status, helped by the single “Little Bit of Red.”
In almost every music artist’s background, there’s a year that jumps out as being pivotal in terms of creative output and resulting wider attention. For Ryder, that year was 2012 when Harmony was released.
VIDEO: “Little Bit Of Red” – Serena Ryder
Featuring the platinum-selling singles “Stompa” and “What I Wouldn’t Do,” Ryder’s fifth studio album directed its creator, as if she didn’t already know, to click her shoes because she’s not in Peterborough anymore.
To say Harmony was a game changer for Ryder is an understatement, as nothing but good things — very good things — followed. For example, “Stompa” found its way onto an episode of the American medical drama TV series Grey’s Anatomy as it wiggled its way to number 14 on the U.S. charts.
Days after the album’s release, it achieved the top spot on CBC’s Radio 2 Top 20 chart — the first time a Canadian artist attained that position. And Ryder’s late night show debut saw her perform “Stompa” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Harmony was a tough act follow, for sure, but in 2017, Ryder did her level best with Utopia. It too enjoyed platinum sales in Canada, with the singles “Got Your Number” and “Electric Love” enjoying chart success.
Ryder arrives in Peterborough with her latest studio album being 2021’s The Art of Falling Apart, a deeply personal musical documentation of her struggles with alcohol, depression, anxiety, and general mental health that produced the aptly named single “Better Now” — which she also re-recorded as a duet with American roots-rock musician Steve Earle.
“When I was 19, my first solo overseas tour was opening for Steve Earle in Australia,” Ryder recounts in a statement about the duet. “It was such a joy to share the road with Steve and he really took me under his wing. I was drinking a lot at the time, and I remember him telling me ‘Hey, you gotta slow down hon’. His voice still rings in my ears almost 20 years later. Better Now is a song about my decision to get sober, and it feels like kismet to have Steve join me on the remix, celebrating peace, sobriety, and health.”
VIDEO: “What I Wouldn’t Do” – Serena Ryder
In a March 2021 interview with Robert Frezza of Ladygunn, Ryder recounts that while wasn’t planning to make The Art of Falling Apart, it resulted from a “breather from touring” combined with her writing a speech on mental wellness that she delivered.
“The Art of Falling Apart means that you can find so much healing and have mental wellness when you allow yourself to experience uncomfortable feelings without trying to change them,” she explained.
“If you are able to sit with yourself in those comfortable moments, and if you’re able to sit down with them long enough, a lot of transformation and healing can happen. It’s an album about the journey of transformation from one side of the woods to the other. It’s about going through the pain and coming through transformed on the other side.”
Asked how she’s grown, both personally and as a songwriter, Ryder said she’s “a lot more vulnerable and transparent.”
“I feel like I don’t pretend to know as much as I used to. I used to think I knew a lot. Every day is a mystery and there’s beauty in the mystery of life. I’m enjoying not knowing because it makes life have constant nourishment and lessons every day.”
“As a songwriter, I’m writing more about my actual experiences instead of concepts of ideas. What’s happening is what you are hearing.”
VIDEO: “Stompa” – Serena Ryder
Still, Ryder hasn’t forgotten what got her to this point: unique melodies, poignant lyrics and a stage presence that’s as genuine as it is entertaining.
“I love that I’m at a place in my career that I have a really big catalogue (of music) so I can keep it interesting for myself and my audience,” she said. “I love playing ‘What I Wouldn’t Do and ‘Stompa.’ The messages are still pure. When you write from that place, those messages are timeless.”
Noting she hopes “my music feels like home for those who listen to it,” the fact that it will actually be performed at home again by Serena Ryder on June 28 is seemingly perfect for a host of reasons.
VIDEO: “Better Now” – Serena Ryder
Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 16 free-admission concerts during its 37th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until Saturday, August 16th.
Overseen by executive director Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the 2025 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2025 season.
