Dare to Dream
Photo credit and copyrights to Shane Collins & Gonzo Okanagan
My footsteps echoed down the narrow hallway as I walked toward the backstage greenroom at the ROTARY CENTER OF THE ARTS. Performers milled in preparation for their dress rehearsal as I slipped in unannounced – I have a habit of catching artists by surprise.
My invitation came from one artist in particular and as I glanced around the room, I saw her wild and fantastic head of hair: there was LEILA NEVERLAND searching high and low for a piece of scrap paper to get everything ready for the stage manager. She embraced me with a hug then introduced me to her band.
There were seven of some of them: Craig Thomson on Tenor Sax; Chris Manuel on Trombone; Joe Auty on Trumpet; Fahlon Palm on Viola; Muireann Meiklejohn on Violin; Vancouver-based cellist Emilio Suarez; and Neil Gray on Percussion. They all come together to perform Leila’ s newest endeavour: a live recording and concert of her first full-length orchestrated album due out later this winter.
Last month, I invited Miss Neverland to sit with me for a coffee and talk about what she’d been up to. She told me she was working toward a new project of original tunes that were set to include a wide range of instrumentalists.
I shook everyone’s hand and went into the theatre so I could get an idea of how I was going to shoot the event. Before long, the artists took their places in the MARY IRWIN THEATER, and began their rehearsal. I took the opportunity to walk the stage and take the photos I knew I wouldn’t be able to grab during the live performance.
I immediately noticed how loud my camera was as I started clicking away. The shutter snapped and sounded like an instrument of its own, and a terrible truth dawned on me: my camera was too loud for a live recording. Panic drew the blood from my face and I felt faint. The tune they rehearsed right off the top was a particularly quiet tune with little more than Leila singing and playing her piano.
Thankfully, like a blessing from the heavens, there was a drummer. When Neil joined in, I realized that I could take photos to the beat of the drums and disguise my camera’s percussion.
After photographing the rehearsal, the artists returned backstage and the crowd began to spill down the theater’s aisles. Soon the lights dimmed and Leila took to the stage. She opened the night with a moment of silence for her grandmother, her teacher, her mentor, who at the ripe old age of 96 had died just a few nights prior to the show.
Swathed in a red dress, Leila sat at the grand piano and opened the evening with a few solo tunes from her previous album release LITTLE BIG STORM. They were sweet, soft, delicate tunes, and I stayed in the wings with my camera tucked away, just listening. In her last solo tune the audience offered their voices as a choir and then the rest of the musicians stepped on-stage.
The show erupted in sound with the added voices of the strings, the horns, and the drums, and I timed my photo taking to the beat. Throughout the performance themes of freedom, mystery, hope, sorrow and love seemed to flow through not only the lyrics but the melodies themselves. Songs like ‘RIPPLE’ and ‘RIVER’ really tugged at the heartstrings, and waves of emotion rolled through all of us.
The night concluded with a standing ovation as the beaming artists took their bows. Then without delay, the artists returned to the stage, illuminated the auditorium and revisited a few songs to get everything just right for the recordings.
For me, dear reader, it was a night of fruition for my friend Leila. It was a beautiful and inspiring moment to witness. Swept away on a sea of sound, she set sail, dreaming, determined to stay afloat through every little big storm that came her way. She stayed steadfast and made it happen with the support of talented musicians and excellent techs. The final part of this project now rests in the trusted hands of one of Kelowna’s top sound engineers Cory Janko of Caged Audio to masterfully blend the intricacies of sound. It really does make one wonder what’s possible if you just dare to dream.
Check out Leila’s website for the upcoming release of the live album at www.leilaneverland.com.
The show erupted in sound with the added voices of the strings, the horns, and the drums, and I timed my photo taking to the beat. Throughout the performance themes of freedom, mystery, hope, sorrow and love seemed to flow through not only the lyrics but the melodies themselves. Songs like ‘RIPPLE’ and ‘RIVER’ really tugged at the heartstrings, and waves of emotion rolled through all of us. The night concluded with a standing ovation as the beaming artists took their bows. Then without delay, the artists returned to the stage, illuminated the auditorium and revisited a few songs to get everything just right for the recordings.
For me, dear reader, it was a night of fruition for my friend Leila. It was a beautiful and inspiring moment to witness. Swept away on a sea of sound, she set sail, dreaming, determined to stay afloat through every little big storm that came her way. She stayed steadfast and made it happen with the support of talented musicians and excellent techs. The final part of this project now rests in the trusted hands of one of Kelowna’s top sound engineers Cory Janko of Caged Audio to masterfully blend the intricacies of sound. It really does make one wonder what’s possible if you just dare to dream.
