Tag: music

Meet London Chanteuse Laurraine Sigouin

by Richard Young

Laurraine Sigouin, a bilingual jazz singer and Forest City London Music Award winner, has performed at top London venues like Aeolian Hall, the Home County Music and Arts Festival, and the popular Jazz for the People concert series. The following is an edited Q&A from The Beat Magazine’s 2009 interview with Laurraine. 

Could you tell me about your upbringing and your early musical endeavours as a child and teenager? 

I grew up in Cochrane, Ontario, as the youngest in my family. I am proud of my French-Canadian roots. Surrounded by music from an early age, I began playing piano early and developed a lifelong passion for music. 

What brought you to London? 

At nineteen, I left home to study Music and French at the University of Western Ontario. This marked the beginning of my journey in both the arts and education. 

Could you tell me about your career in education? 

I had a fulfilling career teaching Music at Kensal Park French Immersion School in London. I am very grateful for the many years I spent sharing the joy of music with my students. 

Can you cite some highlights of your teaching career?

When I first started teaching music, I taught the entire program from Kindergarten through Grade 8. It was such a joy to guide students from their very first music lesson all the way to their final band concert. Watching each child develop their skills and grow in confidence — in their own unique way — was incredibly rewarding. Being part of that full journey was one of the true highlights of my teaching career.

I loved all our concerts, but one of the most meaningful traditions was taking my Junior Choir — often 100 to 120 children — to perform at Parkwood Hospital. The tradition began when my father was a resident there and continued long after he was gone, right up until my final year of teaching.

It was truly the highlight of the year for me and for many in the choir. When my father lived there, the kids were especially excited to go and sing for him. Jake Levesque accompanied those concerts as well, adding his warmth and musicianship to the experience.

How long have you been playing music professionally?

I’ve been performing since 1997, when I started working with Mosaic, a vocal trio alongside Catherine McInnes and Jake Levesque.

Do you consider yourself a full-time or part-time musician? 

Most of my days revolve around music in one way or another; it takes up a huge part of my life, whether I’m preparing for a concert, teaching my grandchildren, playing the piano, learning a new song, or just listening.

In addition to vocals and piano, do you play any other musical instruments? 

I didn’t pursue wind instruments as a performer, but during my music studies at Western, I gained enough of a foundation to teach them. I found immense joy in guiding students through their first notes, and helping them grow musically was a true privilege.

What have been your musical influences over the years? How would you describe your musical style? 

My musical tastes are quite diverse and eclectic, so it’s hard to pinpoint specific influences. I’m drawn to a wide range of styles, and I think that variety naturally shapes how I connect with music. I listen to a lot of Radio-Canada and love discovering artists or songs I haven’t heard before. That constant sense of discovery is what keeps music exciting for me.

My songbook draws inspiration from a wide variety of styles, including jazz, Latin, cabaret, bossa nova and samba, contemporary Québécois pop, French-Canadian traditional music, and Cajun music. It features artists and bands like Harmonium (Serge Fiori), Robert Charlebois, Charles Aznavour, Serge Gainsbourg, Édith Piaf, Henri Salvador, Pink Martini, Beausoleil, Zachary Richard, and Compagnie Créole. I also cover songs written by my very talented friends Steve Hardy and Jake Levesque — some of which are the result of collaborative songwriting projects.

Tell me about the various groups and musicians you have played with over the years. 

My performance career includes many years singing with London Pro Musica, as well as performing with the vocal trio Mosaic. Mosaic recorded two albums and appeared at major events, including the Montreal Jazz Festival and Home County Folk Festival. 

In 2004, Jake Levesque and I founded Enchanté to celebrate our Francophone and bilingual repertoire. The duo grew into a vibrant musical family featuring some of London’s finest jazz musicians. I am honoured that Enchanté received the 2025 Forest City London Music Award for Jazz Vocal (Solo/Group). Making music with this group remains one of the greatest joys and highlights of my life and musical career. 

Do you have any memories of the late Jake Levesque you would like to share?

There are so many special memories. I met Jake in 1997 when we formed Mosaic. We rehearsed two to three times a week, and we always had so much fun when we worked together. That same spirit carried into our time with Enchanté as well.

Jake also accompanied all my ensembles at Kensal Park. As school concerts approached, our weekly Enchanté rehearsal time was often dedicated to arranging and going over music for my school choirs. And he did all of that with joy.

My students could hardly contain themselves when Monsieur Levesque walked into the gym — it was like a rock star had arrived. He always spoke en français and never missed a chance to encourage and celebrate their talent.

A beloved school tradition was ending our Concert des Fêtes with Jake’s performance of Linus and Lucy. Former students still tell me that every time they hear it, they think of Monsieur Levesque — for many families, it became a holiday highlight.

He gave his time and talent with such generosity.

What are some of the musical venues where you have performed? 

I have performed at many of the city’s beloved venues, including Aeolian Hall and Ironwood Kitchen and Grill, and at events such as the London Jazz Festival, Jazz by the Bog, the Springbank Garden Concert Series, The Aeolian Jazz and Musical Arts Festival, and le CFA-Forum provincial. 

Are you working on any special projects or have any upcoming gigs you would like readers to know about? 

A special project that I’d like to mention is a recording of the compositions that Jake and I wrote together. We were thrilled to collaborate with Christoph Babin (sound engineer), Stephen Holowitz (piano), Paul Stevenson (trumpet), Jesse Grandmont (fiddle), and Leah Grandmont (fiddle). Their musicianship is truly extraordinary, and we were absolutely thrilled with the results. The recording is available on my Bandcamp page. if you search for my name on the Bandcamp site  https://bandcamp.com/, you’ll find our songs there.

I also have an upcoming porch concert on September 1 on Elmwood Ave in Old South. Stephen Holowitz will be joining me on piano, and Paul Stevenson on trumpet. It’s open to the public, so if anyone would like more information about that or future events, you can find me on Facebook by searching my name or Enchanté and follow me on Instagram at @Laurrainesigouin.

In addition to your musical endeavours, are you involved with any other arts organizations or activities in London? 

At the moment, I’m not involved with other arts organizations in London. Between my musical work, supply teaching, and family life, my days are pretty full. That said, I’m always open to new collaborations or opportunities within the arts community.

Is there anything else you think our readers should know about Laurraine Sigouin, the musician, and Laurraine Sigouin, the individual? 

Today, I find joy making music with my grandchildren, supporting my oldest as he learns violin and teaching piano to my younger ones, and continuing to share my love of music both in performance and at home. 

Remembering Wonderland Gardens and The Pop Festival of August 1969

by Richard Young

Mention the name Wonderland Gardens today, and most Londoners will probably respond, “Wonderland what”?

The site of the legendary dance hall, which burned down in 2005, is now called Springbank Gardens, and all that remains of the original venue is the outdoor bandshell.

The story of Wonderland Gardens begins in the early 1930s, when Charles Jones signed a long-term lease for a small lot of land in Westminster Township adjacent to the Thames River. His plan was to build a series of gardens, fountains, woods, ponds, and footpaths, including a luxurious swimming pool, all surrounding a 550-square-metre, open-air dance floor with a bandstand and Spanish Colonial-style pavilion.

Wonderland Summer Gardens opened on May 24, 1935, and it quickly became one of the city’s hot spots. Big Bands like Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians and those led by Glenn Miller, the Dorsey brothers, and local musicians like Johnny Downs and Lionel Thornton all graced the venue’s bandshell. Generations of Londoners danced and canoodled under the stars on the venue’s open-air dance floor.

As the decades passed and musical tastes changed, the venerable dance hall changed with the times. By the 1960s, Wonderland was London’s favourite concert/dance hall for the thousands of London area Boomers who flocked there to see major acts like Sly and the Family Stone, Deep Purple, The Mandala, Grant Smith and the Power, and many others too numerous to list.

Wonderland was also a jumping-off point for local bands like The Bluesmen Revue, A Small Experience, and The New Set, who mostly opened for the headliners.

For John Sharpe, The New Set’s former drummer, Wonderland holds a special place in his musical career.

“A group could play any number of teen towns or private events, but everyone knew you had not really ‘made it’ until you played Wonderland,” recalls John. “It was a magical place that attracted hundreds of teens to its weekly rock ‘n’ roll shows, so every group in the area wanted in on the action.”

Jim Chapman, former bassist for The Bluesmen Revue, a very popular London R&B group, remembers headlining at Wonderland many times.

“The room had excellent acoustics both on the stage and in the hall. In those days that was the exception rather than the norm,” Jim recalls. “And it had one of the smallest dressing rooms I ever saw in a venue that size. How the multi-person big bands ever managed to get their people dressed for a gig I cannot imagine!”

Ken Thorne, of A Small Experience, another London band that regularly played Wonderland, remembers the venue’s dressing rooms, too.

“The original dressing room walls were scrawled with the signatures of many of the artists who performed there. Whenever we played there, we used to try and find the new additions while waiting to go on stage,” says Ken.

On August 13 – 14, 1969, Wonderland hosted a two-day Pop Festival featuring Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Alice Cooper, Cat Mother & The All Night News Boys, George Olliver & The Natural Gas, and others for the whopping price of $7.00! The event preceded the much larger Woodstock Music Festival that took place in New York State, August 15 – 18.

Apparently, Zappa was asked why he wasn’t playing Woodstock. His reply? “Because we don’t want to.”

Rumour has it that after his set, Zappa waterskied on the heavily polluted Thames River, which flowed behind Wonderland! The rumour was recently confirmed during an interview I did with Chuck Jones.

As the years progressed, touring acts moved to other venues in town and Wonderland became more of a location for special events like company parties, conventions, rallies, and receptions.

“In its final days, the City of London had an active interest in Wonderland, but the council would not invest the money needed to refurbish it and keep it a top live performance venue,” Jim laments. “When Wonderland burned down, there was a lot of talk that something political and fishy had gone on, though I have no way of knowing if that was the case. Like many people, when I heard news of the fire, I shed a tear for all the great days and memories gone by.”

So next time you pedal or walk through Springbank Gardens, take a pause to see if you can hear some of the strains of great music that was once played on the site.

Author’s Note: Since this story was published in The Byron Villager a few years back, I was commissioned by the City of London Culture Office to prepare an Interpretive Sign that visually tells the history of Wonderland Gardens from 1935 to its rebirth as Springbank Gardens. Hopefully, the official unveiling of the sign will take place by summer’s end.

Change is a fact of life.

by Richard Young

Most people reach a stage or point in their lives when circumstances, often beyond their control, necessitate major lifestyle changes.

In my case, it was a recent, unexpected diagnosis of Stage 3 Chronic Kidney Disease as a result of the Type 2 Diabetes I have lived with for over a decade. Although I have managed it reasonably well, keeping my A1C at 7.0 (3-month blood sugar average) or under, it has taken an unavoidable toll on my kidneys.

During a three-hour consultation at London’s Kidney Care Centre, I was informed that unless I make major changes to my diet, especially curtailing my intake of sodium (salt) and foods high in potassium and phosphorus, and adopting a more rigorous exercise regimen, I will be looking at the prospect of dialysis within two years.

Now, that is a sobering thought!

In addition to diet and exercise changes, they recommended that I avoid any undue stress in my life. Hmm….

Since retiring from my thirty-year high school teaching career in 2008, I have lived my life using the motto: “Retired, not Expired!”

Hence, I have pursued various activities and interests to keep myself active and engaged.

In 2009, a group of my fellow freelance writers and artists launched The Beat Magazine, a monthly independent arts and culture magazine. I assumed the combined roles of Publisher and Managing Editor, while my good friend, Nicole Laidler, became the Editor, responsible for gathering and editing the magazine’s content. Somewhat arrogantly, we called ourselves “London’s premier independent arts print magazine and leading source of informed local arts news.”

Despite bleeding money for most of our existence (publishing a profitable arts magazine in London is no easy task), it was a great ride, and we lasted until 2013 before the money finally ran out. Today, I maintain The Beat Magazine 2009 as a website and Facebook page.

After The Beat folded, I began freelance writing for other local publications, including, at one time or another, Lifestyle, Business London, London Inc., Scene, and the Villager Publications group of community magazines.

I also took on a casual part-time copywriting position at Marketing Strategies & Solutions, an advertising house that specialized in promoting heavy industrial equipment and services. Now, that was a learning curve!

In 2023, at the invitation of my former teaching colleague, Art Fidler, who had just founded Silver Spotlight Theatre, a community theatre group for people 55+, I agreed to put together a profitable performance Program for the group’s first production, Babes In Arms. The role expanded to publicizing the show in the local mainstream media and social media platforms.

I did the program and publicity for Silver Spotlight Theatre’s production of Into The Woods in November 2024.

I also publicized the highly successful variety show, Groovin’ for Good, a fundraiser for the London Food Bank in May 2025.

I had planned on doing the publicity and program for Silver Spotlight Theatre’s next production, Showtune, in December 2025. But the several factors that had caused me undue stress in my SST role, combined with my unexpected CKD diagnosis, prompted me to step away from the role late in July.

However, I’m not throwing in the towel altogether on my love of the local arts and culture scene, especially community theatre.

It’s the main reason I have reactivated The Beat Magazine 2009 website after an eleven-year hiatus!

It will give me the autonomy to do what I want, when I want, and how I want.

Please join me in this next step in my life journey at http://www.thebeatmagazine2009.ca

Thanks for reading this Blog post.

Silver Spotlight Theatre announces its fourth production, Showtune.

by Richard Young

Silver Spotlight Theatre, London’s community theatre group for those 55+, has the Cast, Artistic Team, and Crew in place for its next production, Jerry Herman’s Showtune, opening at the Auburn Theatre in early December 2025.

“Jerry Herman made a name for himself as a premier composer for the Broadway stage with Hello Dolly, Mame, and La Cage Aux Folles. Each of these shows has a highly recognizable score with a common theme, imagining a brighter future. And what is needed more today than an imagined brighter future?” says Director Rick Smith. “It Only Takes A Moment, Open A New Window, The Best of Times Is Now, are but a few examples of his positivity in words and music. There are so many more heartfelt songs gathered in this revue that is a celebration of the works of one of the predominant composers of the classic Broadway musical.”

“We have assembled an Artistic Team, Cast, and Crew who share that optimism. These folks are fearless and open to trying new things. Some of these 55+ targeted cast and crew have been involved in previous Silver Spotlight Theatre Productions, and some are brand new to this company. It is encouraging to see the new faces of older people showing up and strutting their stuff. Their enthusiasm, eagerness, and bravery never cease to amaze.”

Rehearsals begin in August and continue until the show’s opening in December.

Co-founded by Art Fidler and Rick Smith in 2022, Silver Spotlight Theatre is a branch of London’s Musical Theatre Productions. It features and is produced by performers and staff 55+ with a mission of presenting full-scale Broadway musicals. Its three previous shows, Babes In Arms (2023), Grease (2024), and Into The Woods (2024) played to sold-out houses.

Showtune Is presented through a special Music Theatre International (MTI) arrangement. All authorized performance materials are also supplied by www.mtishows.com.

Media Inquiries: Richard Young, Community Outreach and Program Head, richardyoung51@rogers.com

The Artful Players Groovin’ for Good London Food Bank Fundraiser program set

by Richard Young

LONDON, ONTARIO – The program for The Artful Players Groovin’ for Good fundraiser for the London Food Bank is set. Members of the seniors musical theatre group are ready to present a captivating evening of retro live performances that cover three decades, the 1950s, 1960s, and the 1970s, featuring musical performances, skits, trivia, dances and memorable TV commercials from each.

“We’ve created a program that highlights a wide range of talents and skills. The audience will be able to participate in trivia questions and sing-a-longs to well-known hits from the decades as well as laugh at familiar classic commercials from the past,” says Artistic Director Tracey Andrus. “Our enthusiastic cast brings over forty years of experience to the show.”

“Matt Loop, a well-known radio personality from Jack FM 102.3, will emcee the evening. Our house band, the Hot Tub Hippies, who play at many venues around Southwestern Ontario, is thrilled to be a part of the show. The evening promises to be fun and entertaining. A huge thank you to the Palace Theatre for donating their space to us.”

Some familiar songs include Both Sides Now, I Could Have Danced All Night, Crocodile Rock, You’ll Never Walk Alone, and Bohemian Rhapsody. Kelly Holbrough and Chris Hoffer reprise their duet of You’re The One That I Want from the sold-out Silver Spotlight Theatre show, Grease (2024). Other songs are performed by soloists and an ensemble.

The ticketed event will feature a Silent Auction prior to the show and during intermission with a wide array of items generously donated by local businesses, arts organizations, and artisans. A donation box will also be set up for non-perishable food items. 

The London Food Bank has seen an increased demand for its services in recent years, making this fundraiser more important than ever. All proceeds from the event will go directly to the Food Bank, enabling it to continue its crucial work of providing essential support to individuals and families facing food insecurity.

The Artful Players Present Groovin’ for Good: A Fundraiser for the London Food Bank.

Date & Time: Thursday, May 15, 2025, 7:00 pm.

Location: The Palace Theatre, 710 Dundas St., London, ON. 519-432-1029

Tickets: $30 Online https://palacetheatre.ca or at the Palace Theatre Box Office

Media Inquiries: Richard Young, Publicity, Social Media and Program Head, 519-432-6986, richardyoung51@rogers.com

#theartfulplayers #groovinforgood #londonfoodbank #atthepalace