Ryder lends talents to fundraiser
When it came time to choose an artist for their annual Marquee Event, Women’s Resources didn’t have to look too far away.
On March 9, Millbrook’s own Serena Ryder will take the Academy Theatre for Performing Arts stage to help raise funds for crucial programming and supports for abused women and their children.
The multiple Juno Awardwinning singer/songwriter was actually born in Toronto but spent the majority of her childhood and teen years in Millbrook. She grew up listening to likes of The Beatles and Leonard Cohen, who fuelled her passion for music.
Although she had begun singing in Royal Canadian Legion halls and hotels at the age of eight, it wasn’t until she received a guitar from her stepfather, Andrew McKibbon, when she was 13 that Ryder began tackling songwriting as well. By the time she was 15, Ryder was playing classic rock and folk tunes, accompanied by her piano teacher, in local venues.
At 17, Ryder moved to Peterborough, where she settled into a community of artists while attending the integrated arts program at Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational Institute.
She continued to perform and it wasn’t long before she was approached by producer and Mime Radio record label founder, Damon de Szegheo, to produce her first full-length CD, kickstarting an amazing, whirlwind musical adventure.
In the years that followed, Ryder toured with artists such as Thousand Foot Krutch, Three Days Grace and Melissa Etheridge, was named the 2001 Emerging Artist in the Peterborough Folk Festival, embarked on a tour of Australia (2005), shared the stage with Aerosmith, 54-40 and Cheap Trick, picked up nine Juno Awards including Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, and released several more CDs.
Earlier this year, Ryder also started hosting her own radio program, The Serena Ryder Radio Show on CHFI-FM, rebroadcast across Canada.
In addition to singing, Ryder is also an accomplished visual artist. She draws, paints, sculpts and does collage. Ryder has also actively supported many other charity organizations in Canada and abroad.
Tickets for the Marquee Event will be available starting Nov. 15 at the Lindsay Scotiabank branch — where Women’s Resources receives a matching donation up to $3,000 — and the Academy Theatre beginning Nov. 23.
Past headliners include Jim Cuddy and Rick Mercer.
For more information, contact Carolyn Fox 705-324-7649 ext. 223 or cfox@womensresources.ca.