Friday, June 13th

JUNO award-nominated, award-winning, and internationally renowned contemporary folk artist Dayna Manning has been recording and touring for over 25 years. She released her first album with EMI Canada and Nettwerk Music Group in 1997, and has written and recorded four solo albums and three as a founding member of the acclaimed folk trio, Trent Severn.

Dayna is a community arts leader, mentor, singer/songwriter, producer, engineer, and author. As a performer, she has it all; an unmistakable voice, compelling songwriting, and fingerpicking skills that are rarely rivalled. Ask anyone who has seen Manning perform, she is simply mesmerizing.

Dayna is well known for weaving local history and storytelling in her songwriting, including tributes with Canadian ties to The Band's Richard Manuel; Father Goose himself, Bill Lishman; and may be known most for her beloved tribute to the snow day, "O Snow". Her first book Many Moons: A Songwriter's Memoir includes a foreword by Col. Chris Hadfield, and was listed as one of the best books of the season by Canadian Living Magazine. The accompanying soundtrack is a 'greatest hits' of Dayna's writing.

Dayna received the 2023 Forest City London Music Award for Ontario Independent Recording Artist of the Year, and was nominated for Producer of the Year at the 2021 Canadian Folk Music Awards for her latest album, Morning Light. The video for her song, "You You You" won the 2021 FCLMA for video of the year.

Dayna's current artistic work includes adapting a local play into a musical, and she will celebrate the release of her 8th studio album in her hometown of Stratford, Ontario, with a performance at the Stratford Festival's Tom Patterson Theatre on July 14th, 2025.