In what has become an annual event produced in partnership with Shivering Songs, Songs of the City helps to keep the community grounded and informed of the United Way’s valuable community contribution through story and song.
United Way of Central New Brunswick has announced plans to host a new edition of Songs of the City at the Fredericton Playhouse on Tuesday April 26. The event shares transformative stories of everyday people whose lives have been changed through a United Way supported agency or program. Participants are paired with local artists to tell their stories through songs composed uniquely for the event.
This year’s event will feature stories from Apatawsuwikuwam Health Centre, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fredericton and Oromocto, Habitat for Humanity, and Liberty Lane. Local musicians Kylie Fox, Pallmer, Matt Comeau, The Olympic Symphonium and Fredericton’s Poet Laureate Jordan Trethewey have composed new music and poems exclusively for this free public performance to share stories of United Way’s impact with the community it serves.
“The United Way creates change. This event reflects on the impact of that change in the lives of everyday people in our region. Donors don’t always have the opportunity to see the direct impact of their gifts. Each year we have held this event, it shows us all, in a very powerful way, the difference each one of us can make,” said Faith McFarland, executive director of United Way Central NB. “We are so fortunate that the four individuals whose stories are being told at this event have agreed to share them with us, and that we have such great local talent, who have so masterfully transformed these stories into song and poem.”
Songs of the City was first conceived and performed by Equity Showcase Theatre in Toronto in 2015 as a way to recognise the United Way’s support of the community. The event was introduced to Fredericton audiences in 2016 and has been a reoccurring part of Shivering Songs many years since.
“As organizers, we look for opportunities to position Shivering Songs as a platform to impact the community in positive ways,” says Graeme Walker, Shivering Songs co-founder and founding member of The Olympic Symphonium. “We are so privileged to be part of an event like Songs of the City as it allows us to provide an opportunity for songwriters to tell some of the most important stories in our community.”
Songs of the City | April 26 | Fredericton Playhouse | 7 p.m. | View Event
