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.
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church - Westminster Room
54 Queen St. N.
Kitchener, ON N2H 2H2
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:9:00 AM | Name:Rowena Bennesch | Titles: Never Tear Us Apart by INXS Valerie by Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse | Home Festival:Kitchener-Waterloo |
Time:9:15 AM | Name:Maya Greenough | Titles: I Love You by Billie and Finneas O'Connell Enough For You by Olivia Rodrigo | Home Festival:Peel |
Time:9:30 AM | Name:Maddie Lammers | Titles: Fight Song by Rachel Platten Trustfall by P!nk | Home Festival:London |
Time:9:45 AM | Name:Delilah Minshall | Titles: When We Were Young by Adele Adkins and Tobias Jesso Dog Days Are Over by Florence Welch and Isabella Summers | Home Festival:Brant |
Time:10:00 AM | Name:Macy Keithlin | Titles: Beggin' by Bob Gaudio and Peggy Farina Some Things I'll Never Know by Teddy Swims | Home Festival:Kitchener-Waterloo |
Time:10:15 AM | Name:Sienna Valente | Titles: Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan and Dan Nigro When I Look at You by Hillary Lindsey and John Shanks | Home Festival:Toronto |
Time:10:30 AM | Name:Peyton Brookes | Titles: A Thousand Years by Christina Perri and David Hodges I'm Still Standing by Elton John and Bernie Taupin | Home Festival:Hamilton |
Time:10:45 AM | Name:Emma Colby | Titles: Cry Me A River by Arthur Hamilton Fly Me to the Moon by Bart Howard | Home Festival:Quinte |
Time:11:00 AM | Name:Elliana Berman | Titles: Someone Like You, Adele by Adele Adkins and Tom Wilson Light On by Maggie Rogers and Tom Hull | Home Festival:Pickering GTA |
Time:11:15 AM | Name:Evelyn Raynor | Titles: Autumn Leaves by Jacques Prevert, Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer Decode by Hayley Williams, Josh Farro, Taylor York | Home Festival:Oakville |
Time:11:30 AM | Name:Theo Deme-Lindberg | Titles: Lean On Me by Bill Withers Fly Me to the Moon by Bart Howard | Home Festival:Ottawa Kiwanis |
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:1:00 PM | Name:Carter LePiane | Titles: Fix You by Coldplay Love Story by Taylor Swift | Home Festival:Grey County |
Time:1:15 PM | Name:Anushka Sabeshan | Titles: All Of Me by John Stephens and Toby Gad Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars and Philip Lawrence | Home Festival:Toronto |
Time:1:30 PM | Name:Yulia Mooers | Titles: Momma Mia by Abba 1000 years by Christina Perry | Home Festival:Stratford |
Time:1:45 PM | Name:Erica Jin | Titles: From the Start by Laufey & Spencer Stewart Ripples by Beabadoobee (Beatrice laus) | Home Festival:Peel |
Time:2:00 PM | Name:Alyssa Motar | Titles: Hero by Mariah Carey Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys | Home Festival:Newmarket |
Workshop will be held from approximately 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm.
Announcement of winners will happen at the end of the workshop.
The top two competitors from this class will proceed to the playoffs.
The playoffs will be held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church - Chapel
54 Benton St., Kitchener, ON N2G 3H2