The Yorkton Arts Council is thrilled to bring you the next concert in the 40th Anniversary "Stars For Saskatchewan" concert series: Connie Kaldor, Thursday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Anne Portnuff Theatre, Yorkton Regional High School. Connie is a prairie-born star who will light up the stage with heartfelt music that will touch you in a special way: music that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you glad to be alive!
Connie's musical career has taken her many places, but the prairies still have a special place in her heart. "I think first of all, this part of the world is where I am from, and where so many of my initial memories began. I think there is a great expression in NFLd, where do you belong to. I think that might be more the point. I belong to the prairies not the other way around. I do, for whatever reason, find it to be a place that inspires me to write. I have been spending more time here in the last little while because my husband Paul, who produces my recordings, has been working his family farm for the last few years. Also there are so many stories and images that have not been used by other songwriters. It is an open pallet to work with. It is a powerful place and some part of me wants others to feel the way I do about it." Connie explains.
We asked Connie where an idea for her music comes from. Does something make an idea come tumbling along quickly, or does it begins with a few chords or a phrase of lyrics and then unfolds after that? She replied, "All of the above. Sometimes it's an idea that my brain fusses with for a while, sometimes it is a phrase that pops into my head. There is always a creative part and then the working it to make sure it works to the best of its ability. I do know that when I take time with my piano or guitar something usually comes out of that time. Like anything the more you do it the better it gets."
Certain songs like "Wood River" or "What Might Have Been" or even "I Love That Dog" strike such a chord with audiences everywhere. How does it make her feel when her music touches the audience? Connie had this to say: "It's what makes performing so great. I often say that I play for free, what they pay for is to get me there and back and live in between. Music is about connecting with people. When it works and you do, that is what it is all about. I get letters from people telling me that my songs have been important in their lives or a personal event. That is what keeps me going as an artist. That is the job as far as I am concerned."
Connie Kaldor's website (www.conniekaldor.com) is a great website that tells music fans about Connie. Under "Prairie Connections", one page talks about the "Prairie Cookbook". When asked if there is a printed version of the Prairie Cookbook, Connie replied, "Dang it not yet. That is one of the ideas that I want to make happen! I always collect local cookbooks when I travel but I would love to hear about the people that offer the recipes. And in my dream there would be a little history of the recipe, i.e. I cooked this for my husband in a trailer in a northern work camp and he swore he was the luckiest man in the world. Things like that. Or this pie recipe was the only reason the bake sale made money that year. Or how about pictures!! I need a cookbook assistant. I could just write music to bake by and we could have a cd as part of it!!! I did write a song of dating advice called if you like her perigees!"
Connie's sparkling, delightful personality encompasses the audience like a warm hug from a dear friend. Her songs and stories reach out and tell the audience about something that is very important to her. What does she want the audience to experience at one of her concerts? "I want them to have a good time, to laugh, to be moved to have a little time where they get to step out of the everyday, and a little time where they appreciate the pleasure of being in a room with other people enjoying a show. I think for audiences in the prairies, I would like them to find their own experiences in my songs and to have some song or lyric about something they know to take with them back out into the world." said Connie.
Connie has been interviewed countless times. Is there one question that she would like to be asked? "I think I have been grateful for all the stories I have heard and all the support that I have been given by my own prairie community. I have raised my family in the midst of these shows and the great people that I get to meet along the way. So the most important question I would like anyone I consider a friend or fan to ask is: When are you coming back? And can I offer you another piece of that saskatoon pie, or my secret recipe that makes it so great?"
Tickets for this wonderful show are available at the Yorkton Arts Council office (306) 783-8722, at TicketPro (www.ticketpro.ca) or at the door.
