WINDSOR JUNCTION: The Windsor Junction Community Centre (WJCC) is hosting its first indoor winter all-ages concert on Nov. 24, beginning at 7 p.m.
Lydia Persaud was well received at Stan Rogers Folk Festival and now she’s playing in the community next to Fall River. Doors open at 6 p.m., and there is limited seating so get your tickets now.
A fixture of Toronto’s music community and a sought-after collaborator, Persaud stands alone with her debut album “Let Me Show You.”
Exposed to music from a very young age, Lydia’s early influences sprang from singing in church. It wasn’t until Lydia stumbled across a cassette that she was exposed to soul music.
“My first introduction to soul music was through one of my early tapes, VH1 Divas Live,” she said in a backgrounder about her. “It was a live performance taping with Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Carole King and Gloria Estefan.”
The vocal skill of these icons drew Lydia in to explore the soul genre.
“Soul music has always affected me the most, a soulful conviction on matters of the heart,” said Lydia. “Voicing struggle or sharing joy and celebration has always been my favourite method of expression.”
Lydia attended the rigorous jazz program at Humber School of Music, where she won the Oscar Peterson Jazz Award and connected with fellow members of the folk trio The O’Pears, whom she has been collaborating with for the past seven years. She has supported such icons as Gordon Lightfoot, David Crosby, and Lee Fields, as well as opened for Serena Ryder, Sarah Harmer, and Joey Landreth.
Purchase tickets for the WJCC concert online at Sidedooraccess.com by searching for the show for $20 each; kids under 12 receive free admission.
