Wilmot Terry Fox Run concerts go on the road

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

“This will allow the public to feel closer to the music"

Laura Mae Lindo (Photo: Nigel Gordijk)

The Wilmot Terry Fox Run is getting intimate, with concerts that will visit homes across the township and beyond. The "On the Road" concert series will have musicians performing for small audiences in people’s houses.

“This will allow the public to feel closer to the music,” says WTFR co-organizer Cheryl Gordijk.

Artists will play a 45-minute set before a small audience in someone’s home, and each concert will feature two sets. The audience size is limited to the capacity of the host’s house, so people will need to register online in advance.

Some of the venues and performers have already been confirmed, with more events planned. In 2017 and 2018, five New Hamburg businesses hosted back-to-back fundraising concerts simultaneously in the "Marathon of Shows" one-day music festival. Gordijk says: “The concerts for our festival in the past couple of years didn’t raise as much money as we’d hoped. Live performances in homes are growing in popularity, so we think our fundraising total has the potential to go higher.”

“That event was concentrated in New Hamburg, but we’re the Wilmot Terry Fox Run. We want the whole township to be involved.”

Confirmed concerts will be hosted in St Agatha, Phillipsburg, New Hamburg and Wellesley. “When people heard what we were trying to do, they started to offer their homes as venues. We’re trying to accommodate everyone we can.”

The first gig, featuring Juneyt and Sean Bertram, will be on July 7 in the home of Al and Anne Fisher in St Agatha. Donations will be collected at the venue.

Juneyt is a Turkish-born flamenco guitarist and songwriter who has built a large, dedicated following with performances throughout Kitchener-Waterloo, the GTA and beyond. Bertram is a guitarist, singer and songwriter who performs jazz, pop and rock.

Bertram said on Facebook: “I’m so excited to be kicking off the Wilmot Terry Fox Run On the Road concert series with the incredible Juneyt. You won’t want to miss what I can guarantee will be a beautiful night of music for a great cause.”