An intimate acoustic evening of Canadian music
Serena Ryder put on a great show at the River Run Centre on Saturday, Oct. 13. Originally from Toronto, Ryder has been well known for quite some time — both in Canada and internationally. Her music ranges from folk and indie rock, to more typical pop music. Ryder is known for her original music, as well as her covers of songs by famous Canadian artists. Most recently, she released a Christmas album, Christmas Kisses, on Oct. 18.
Saturday night’s solo show was a joy to experience, and true evidence of Serena’s status as a well-established performer. Her voice is as strong, powerful, and dynamic live as it is on her albums, and it is quite possibly made even more interesting by the level of fluidity possible in a live performance. She played a mixture of old and new songs, backed by only an acoustic guitar, and alternated between music that has been played time and again on the radio, and less well-known music. Ryder also performed some Canadian covers — one of which was written by Paul Anka and she prefaced with an explanation that she was not certain if she remembered the chords. One of Serena Ryder’s greatest strengths as a performer is her ability to engage the audience with self-deprecating humour and light-hearted banter. Only a true performer can cut through the invisible boundary between stage and audience and leave people feeling not only as if they have witnessed an enjoyable show, but also that they have had a conversation with a friend.
The River Run Centre is a unique venue, as it holds a multitude of different types of performances, including dance shows, plays, classical musicians, pop stars, and comedy shows — to name a few. As a result, it seems the audience had an overwhelming attitude of politeness, which probably arose from an uncertainty as to how they should act. The audience did not seem particularly likely to get up out of their seats, or cheer loudly — that is, until they were given some encouragement. Ryder invited the audience to stand up, sing along, yell louder, and even shout out questions, which created a comfortable space for each and every person there to do whatever they wanted. By the end of the show, there was a simultaneous mix of sitting, standing, clapping and dancing. Most importantly, everyone was enjoying the performance in their own individual way.
Photos by Karen K. Tran/The Ontarion
Article by Hannah Stewart