“The arts community here is as vibrant and talented as anywhere in the world.”
Shannon Linton is no stranger to music lovers in Northumberland County. The talented singer-songwriter co-founded Songs of the Next Generation (SONG) in 2013, and now over 100 kids in the county receive free music training. A classically trained singer, Shannon could have chosen a career in opera, singing on stages far beyond our borders. Instead, she found her true voice, crafting music and lyrics right here at home.
At our 2022 Festival, Shannon organized a wonderful concert and the audience enthusiasm told us we had to invite her back again this year.
When we first asked Shannon about what art means to her in 2022, she offered this response: “Art is the expression of something true. It is a sharing of something real that allows readers, listeners and viewers to feel. Art is not the sacred territory of geniuses; it is beautifully mundane and available to everyone. Art makes us feel, and that makes us more fully alive.”
But that quote got us thinking, so we asked: Do you have anything to change or add?
I am also deeply interested now in the idea, to quote Toni Cade Bambara [author, activist and documentary filmmaker], “The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.”
Why are you participating in the Northumberland Festival of the Arts?
I became connected to NFOTA by invitation of my dear friend and phenom Katie Hoogendam. That year, I met the wonderful folks behind the festival and was proud to organize a concert as part of the program. When Gwynn contacted me to organize another concert, I said “yes” without hesitation.
I am creating the September 13 concert, Together We Can II, which will bring together emerging and established singer-songwriters for mentorship and collaboration.
What I really love about this opportunity is that NFOTA gives me creative licence to plan a concert program I find interesting and inspiring, so I have artistic carte blanche. What a blessing!
What brought you to music in the first place?
I am lucky to have music running in my veins, through a long line of church choir singers. When I was very young, my older sister began singing lessons and joined a choir, and like a good younger sibling, I copied everything she did. So, at the age of six I began singing lessons and never stopped.
What inspires you to write songs?
Whew, good question. I write as a way of understanding how I feel, or as a way of working through feelings. I write to explore concepts that intrigue me. And I write because it feels really good and because some part of me needs to do it.
In terms of subject matter, I am inspired by relationships between people, and the relationship we have with the natural world. I don’t write a lot of conventional romantic love songs, but love and care are a thread in much of what I write.
What do you wish you knew about the business of music when you first started out?
I wish I knew to trust my own taste and follow my gut, and that I didn’t need anyone else’s permission or approval to make the kind of music I wanted to make. I wish I knew that tastemakers and gatekeepers were irrelevant, and that you can and should do whatever you want.
When you’re not getting inspired, writing songs and performing, what fills your life otherwise?
I have a beautiful family, including my husband Pat, my son William and my daughter Julia. They keep me very busy and incredibly happy. I am one of the choir directors with SONG and I teach private lessons, and I love to play hockey, go for hikes, and play baseball. Also, most of my extended family lives very nearby so we spend a lot of time together.
You can see Shannon in concert at Together We Can II, on Friday, September 13. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to festivalofthearts.ca
Sing it! Say it! Play it!
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