Heather Christine and Matt Zaddy – also known as River North Duo, brought their engaging mix of rock/folk and jazz to seniors through SAMS – and dazzled audiences with their stories of their married life together. Here is their story:
“Through SAMS, we sang songs for the seniors at various long term care homes in Mississauga as our duo “River North”. We performed holiday songs at Christmastime and had the seniors singing along. The seniors loved to hear Matt Zaddy’s acoustic guitar and were quick to join along on the choruses. We enjoyed performing popular songs from the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.
The seniors were wonderful! They were singing along at every long term care home that we visited. At some of the facilities they were up and dancing and interacting with us (and each other). Once they were engaged, they were giving us song requests. You could feel the joy lift the room and transform the mood. Music is such a powerful medium for creative and personal expression. Music truly is “the universal language of mankind.”
Giving back is really important to us. Singing for the seniors for us is like singing for our Grandparents. We have so much respect and admiration for the older generation. We feel such a heartfelt connection with the seniors and take their advice and feedback to heart. They are quick to tell you when they like something (or the opposite). Performing for seniors over the years has truly helped us to grow as musicians and learn a much wider variety of repertoire. It keeps you quick on your feet. We thank the Mississauga Arts Council for asking us to be a part of the Seniors Arts and Music Series. We hope more young performers and new music graduates can have the opportunity to perform at senior homes as the experience makes you a more experience and well-rounded performer. The seniors are so happy to hear new artists!”
The SAMS pilot project was supported through a generous grant from the Ontario Government.
Thank you to our generous SAMS sponsors, enabling us to enrich the lives of seniors.
SAMS is produced by the Mississauga Arts Council in partnership with Entertainment Unlimited.
