Margaret Maria and Tréson will perform a short set on Wednesday, May 1 at 12 p.m. outside of the Orillia Opera House, in front of the bust of Gordon Lightfoot.
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SPEAK MUSIC
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Renowned Toronto soul and reggae singer Tréson has paired up with extraordinary post-classical composer, producer, and cellist Margaret Maria to create a luminous, entrancing visual adaptation of the Gordon Lightfoot classic, Song for a Winter’s Night (which they’ve already released as a single in February 2024).
On a featherbed of Margaret Maria’s multiple layers of deep, resonant cello — plucked or bowed, crisp or sustaining — the voice of Tréson takes its sweet and comfortable repose, in a gorgeous rendition that encapsulates the profound yearning of Lightfoot’s timeless masterpiece.
“I rarely make covers, but this one came in May 2023, just after Gordon Lightfoot passed away,” says Margaret Maria. “A dear friend of mine mentioned it was his favourite Lightfoot song, and I decided to make him a special birthday present. So, the cello instrumental was a present at first.”
After she met Tréson at Stéphane Vera’s birthday party in July 2023, they decided to work together, and he was thrilled with the idea of covering Song for a Winter’s Night.
“I absolutely adore the simplicity and beauty of the song,” says Margaret Maria. “It was great fun to make and even more wonderful to have Tréson sing on it with me.”
“Margaret Maria and I started working together,” says Tréson, “and when she told me she had made an instrumental cover of Lightfoot’s Song for a Winter’s Night, and wanted me to sing and record it, I was ecstatic. It is a huge honour to cover such a legend.”
The music video slowly emerged as a portrayal of pining for a missing loved one, whether they were away for the holidays, or truly gone, with their spirit still in our hearts. Margaret Maria and Tréson were filmed in different rooms, accentuating the feeling of loss and longing.
Both artists have been saved by music time and time again and believe that music can change the world we live in. Margaret Maria puts this in practice as the co-founder and conductor of a social change through music program in Ottawa, OrKidstra, and Tréson uses his platform as one of the lead singers of the beloved Canadian reggae band The Human Rights to share his message of unity and peace.
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