Free music, comedy shows in Sudbury pay tribute to frontline workers
A weekend of free music and comedy in Greater Sudbury pays tribute to frontline workers.
Organized by Sudbury Performance Group (SPG), the events are being held at a number of venues around the city until Sunday evening.
Jamie Dupuis playing his harp guitar at a Sudbury Performance Group show in Sudbury in March 2023. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)New Liskeard’s Jamie Dupuis, one of the performers, plays the harp guitar. At one point, there were only two makers of the instrument in the world.
Dupuis says he was studying music in California 10 years ago and ended up at a collector’s house.
“He collected many, many instruments and he handed me a harp guitar,” said Dupuis.
“I was studying guitar and I loved guitar and I wanted to try something different.”
Dupuis told CTV News he was able to learn how to play based on his previous experience with the guitar.
In 2016, he said his career took off when he covered a Pink Floyd song. The video got millions of views, and was even shared by Nick Mason, a member of the band.
Dupuis said it was at that point he realized he’d found his niche.
“I think after a period of time I start to think to myself ‘I need something personal to me,’” he said.
“I didn’t want to sound like my influences. I wanted to sound like myself and I think that instrument allowed me to do that.”
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Dupuis performed with Emma McDaniels on Saturday at the Hilton Garden Inn. McDaniels is a singer-songwriter from Sudbury. They’ve been performing for three-and-a-half years through a mutual love of music.
McDaniels said music became a form of therapy for her at age 11.
“I was going through intense medical things at the time. I was a SickKids kid,” she said.
McDaniels told CTV News that she loves music’s ability to express herself.
“I think it’s a moment to express the vulnerability of the things you can’t say,” she said.
“You know, just being able to feel the song.”
SPG said these free performances are a way to support artists and venues while paying tribute to frontline workers.
Events wrap up on Sunday, with events at Fionn MacCool's on Regent Street, the Hilton Garden Inn on Barrydowne Road, Trevi Bar & Grill on Lasalle Boulevard and the Ukrainian Hall on Frood Road. A full schedule can be found here.
For more information on this and other events, visit SPG’s Facebook Page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.