The O’Pears are coming to the Utopia Hall and bringing their unique sound to a new audience.
Meg Contini, Jill Harris and Lydia Persaud make up the trio known as The O’Pears who will bring their contemporary folk style to the Utopia Hall on Saturday (Jan. 19).
Harris tells BarrieToday that a love for music and longtime friendship makes performing with the group and huge joy.
“We’ve known each other since our Humber College days and participation in jazz,” said Harris. “We hit it off because we are all similar in age and had the same goals in music and love for it.”
The O’Pears first album, Like Those Nights, came out in 2016, but they’re newest album, Stay Warm, was released last month on Dec. 7.
Harris said that the two creative processes were very different.
“The first album took a few years to write and put together, while Stay Warm was put together over the last year,” Harris said. “It just flowed and is a feeling of a winter-themed album, which is great listening this time of year.”
The musicians are also members of the cover-band supergroup Dwayne Gretzky. Harris has been up to Barrie with the rock band and loves the area.
“Performing with Dwayne Gretzky is certainly a different type of show, but so very fun,” said Harris. “We were up here with them as part of show and Barrie is beautiful, the lake right in the middle of town is fantastic.”
Folks in attendance at the Utopia Hall will see more than an intimate concert as the women have been performing so long together that they sometimes get lost in story and humour.
“It’s not just the three of us up there performing songs, that’s for sure,” said Harris. “We like to joke and tell stories with each other and the crowd. It is a very relaxed setting and while we believe you’ll get lost in the music, we hope you enjoy our personalities as well.”
Tickets for the Dinner and a Concert with The O’Pears at Utopia Hall are on sale now. Click here for more details.
Tickets are $35. The buffet dinner starts at 7 p.m., while the show begins at 8 p.m.
Utopia Hall is located at 8396 6th Line, west of Barrie.
For more information on The O'Pears, visit their website.
