Toner in tune
Charlottetown Festival veteran joins other P.E.I singer-songwriters at Music P.E.I. Week concert
Alicia Toner was presented with the Music P.E.I. SOCAN Songwriter of the Year Award.
Singer-songwriter Alicia Toner was riding a roller coaster of emotions at the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year concert Thursday night at St. Paul’s Church in Charlottetown.
“I’m both excited and terrified to be sitting up here with these fine artists,” said the Music P.E.I. award nominee, before performing “Waves,” a stirring song from her debut album, “I Learned the Hard Way.”
By the end of the songwriters’ circle, however, those feelings had turned to surprise and delight when it was announced that she was the winner of 2018 SOCAN Songwriter of the Year Award.
“I’m a little bit in shock. I’m so grateful for this. And there’s lots of joy,” said Toner, a member of the Charlottetown Festival company, who has been establishing herself as a performer for the past decade. The award presentation, made by singer-songwriter Catherine MacLellan, was just one part of a soul-stirring evening of songs by songwriter of the year nominees.
Besides Toner, the songwriters’ circle featured performances by nominees Ashley Condon, Dennis Ellsworth and Kinley Dowling, Liam Corcoran
and Nick Doneff. During the second half, each of the performers talked about their craft in an interview-style format.
Like a well-oiled machine, the songwriters’ circle moved along with each performer describing the inspiration for his or her song and then performing it.
Corcoran set the wheels in motion with “Party’s Over” from his new album, “Nevahland.”
The powerful song about moving on and living a better life, was filled with hand-picking and hand-strumming guitar
moments. Ellsworth and Dowling blended their voices as they performed “Virginia,” and Dowling added her stirring violin strings to the song, “Panorama High.”
Condon also pulled at the audience’s heartstrings when she sang “Waiting for Rain,” about waiting for healing to come into people’s lives. Dowling accompanied her on the violin, to the delight of the audience.
Doneff performed “Raised on Witherbee Clay” from his debut recording. It was inspired by the place where he grew up.