INTRODUCING OUR 2023 OPENING ACTS!
sherry Ryan
Once named “St. John’s answer to Lucinda Williams” and compared to John Prine for “reeling you in with her heartfelt stories and a hint of humour,” Sherry’s show captures her adventurous and open-hearted spirit. Her songwriting transports you to places and experiences that make you feel like you’re on the journey with her. Blending country folk with her Irish-Newfoundland roots, Sherry affirms her place as one of Atlantic Canada’s best-loved singer-songwriters. Her iconic ‘Stop the Trains’, about her father’s 1950s railway encounter with the infamous Wreckhouse winds, has quickly become a part of the Newfoundland canon of legendary songs.
ID: Sherry stands outside smiling and looking away wearing a light coloured jacket and pink patterned shirt.
jing Xia
Jing Xia is an award-winning guzheng artist and scholar based in Newfoundland, Canada. Born and raised in Hunan, China, Xia started to study the guzheng at six years old and has degrees in Music Performance (B.A.), Arts Management (M.A.), and Ethnomusicology (Ph.D.). As a young performer of all styles, her musical journey on the guzheng has encompassed Chinese traditional and folk music to intercultural ensembles, improvisational music, and beyond. Xia is the winner of the 2022 MusicNL award “Rising Star of the Year,” the 2022 Artist in Residence at Lawnya Vawnya, and a recent nominee for two 2023 East Coast Music Awards (Global Recording of the Year; Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year).
ID: Jing stands behind a musical string instrument wearing a white and black dress.
Melanie O'Brien
Melanie O’Brien is a performer from St. John’s, Newfoundland. She is a Sheridan College Honours Graduate and scholarship recipient. Melanie released her debut album of original music in 2016 titled, Shining in the Blue and was subsequently nominated for MusicNL’s Female Artist of the year and Rising Star and took home the award for Music Educator of the year as a vocal coach. In 2018 Melanie released two more singles and toured her music all across Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada. She is also part of the stylized duo, The Duds with Philip Goodridge and in 2020 they released their debut album, These Words I Can’t Forget and garnered MusicNL nominations for Pop Artist of the Year and Rising Star. They subsequently released seven more singles including a holiday collection. Melanie is currently working as a resident artist with Terra Bruce Productions.
ID: Melanie stands outside with her hands above her head, she wears a black jacket and a yellow/orange top.
SAM
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Meet Sam, an Afro-fusion girl group currently based in St. John's, NL. With gorgeous voices that have been trained since childhood through singing in choirs and singing together at home, this talented trio (sometimes duo) cannot be ignored. Sam describes their sound as Afro-fusion because it is inspired by their love for music from home and from around the world.
As newcomers to Canada, music was one of the ways Sam connected with the community. They began performing their original songs and cover songs at open mic events and later, local festivals.
ID: Two people stand together outside smiling in brown and purple dresses.
Meet Sam, an Afro-fusion girl group currently based in St. John's, NL. With gorgeous voices that have been trained since childhood through singing in choirs and singing together at home, this talented trio (sometimes duo) cannot be ignored. Sam describes their sound as Afro-fusion because it is inspired by their love for music from home and from around the world.
As newcomers to Canada, music was one of the ways Sam connected with the community. They began performing their original songs and cover songs at open mic events and later, local festivals.
ID: Two people stand together outside smiling in brown and purple dresses.
For our Full Schedule of Public Readings & Events CLICK HERE.
