Arts Scene – Timeless Tunes

by Jo Barnes | photo by Leah Gray – 

We’re familiar with the image. A smoky, dimly lit nightclub. A chanteuse steps into the spotlight. Her song begins to transport her audience away from the trouble of the outside world.

Local singer, Edie Daponte, who performs July 9 at Sidney’s Summer Sounds Concert, engages her audiences through her vocals and storytelling, all of which pay tribute to and deliver a fresh take on the cabaret performers from a by-gone age.

“It feels good to connect with people. I love acting and entertaining others,” shares Edie. “I love to see people laughing, singing and crying.”

A dynamic singer, Edie performs numbers in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish. Her repertoire covers different genres including jazz, bossa nova, blues and Portugese Fado. Like the cabaret and nightclub performers of days gone by, she reaches out and communicates with those listening. A prime example is “Under Paris Skies,” a show she wrote which highlights the story and songs of legendary singer Edith Piaf. It was both a challenging and rewarding experience.

“It was my first show at the Mary Winspear, and I didn’t know how people would react, but when I sang the last song, Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien, I just wanted to cry. I did it!” says Edie.

Whether delivering a song that’s lighthearted or passionate and whether performing in an intimate club or on the big stage, Edie likes to give her all and create a memorable experience.

“I like to sing songs with lyrics that can provide deep meaning or look on the bright side of life such as Look for the Silver Lining, What the World Needs Now is Love or Here’s to Life,” she shares. “It’s really important to make eye contact. Sometimes, audience members have tears in their eyes, and I have tears in my eyes! It’s a fantastic exchange.”

In order to sing pieces that are well known and make them her own, she goes through a process.

“I learn the melody first and the lyrics, and I listen to various different singers perform the song,” notes Edie, adding: “It all takes time.”

Her love of singing is a thread that runs through her life. As a young girl, she took private vocal lessons and studied at Ontario’s Western Conservatory of Music. Music was a constant in her home.

“My parents emigrated from Portugal when they were a young couple, and they played music all the time,” she says. “My mom was always singing along.”

Most days the music genre played was Portugese Fado, known for its expressive, soulful sounds. It had a big impact on Edie as a child. “The music artist who had the biggest influence in my early days was Amalia Rodriguez,” comments Edie. “She definitely had an emotional influence on me.”

Evolving sounds and styles continued to shape Edie’s musical appreciation in her teenage and young adult days. “My mother had records of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. It was always ‘in my ear’,” she remarks. “In the 1970s, I listened to songs by Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac and Heart.”

For Edie, it was the singer’s tone of voice or emotional lyrics that consistently impacted her. She began to experience that impact when she became a performer herself. “At age 15, I joined my first band. It was a quartet, and we played at weddings and corporate events,” she says. “I really enjoyed singing.”

After a long career in pharmaceutical sales, Edie finally retired about 10 years ago. An opportunity offered by Donna and Bill Phillips of Beacon Landing (now RIVA) prompted her return to professional singing, and since then, she has never looked back.

“With my sales work, I travelled a lot, so it was too difficult to commit to musical gigs,” notes Edie. “I did a fundraiser gala, performed at wineries and private parties and embraced all of this in my 50’s.”

Through the years she has worked with various musicians including Atilla Fias, Karel Roessingh and Damian Graham and played a variety of venues. Currently, along with the very talented musician and her longtime collaborator, Joey Smith, she performs in Sidney at RIVA or St. Paul’s United Church, at Victoria’s Oswego Hotel, and Government House as well at various entertainment spots in Courtenay, Qualicum and Parksville. Edie is currently writing new songs to add to her collection which includes Little Town by the Sea and Sliver of Time and plans to record a new album soon.

While Edie enjoys crafting her songs, it’s the live performance experience that she relishes.

“I’m having a whole lot of fun,” comments Edie. “I am grateful to my community and the audiences that encourage me.”

With each song, she might tell a different story and sing it in a different style, but when Edie steps up to that microphone, she wants to carry the listener along with her every step of the way.