Stratford’s Hannah Thomas knows exactly what she’ll be doing for Father’s Day.
Stratford’s Hannah Thomas knows exactly what she’ll be doing for Father’s Day.
The 19-year-old pop singer is launching her third Dock Music Concert Series on Sunday with a setlist dedicated to dads.
She’s also inviting a special guest – her own father, Dale.
He’ll be helping her perform The Prayer, a 1998 duet made popular by Canadian singer Celine Dion and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
“I just love dedicating songs to people,” Hannah said Friday. “It’s a really nice thing that people can come down to (hear) songs that they feel like are about them. I’m very excited.”
Dale is a stonemason by trade. He surprised his daughter two years ago when he offered to sing Bocelli’s part of The Prayer on her first album, Christmas Don’t Be Late, the seasonal record that later earned Hannah a nomination for Young Performer of the Year at the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards.
“(Mom and I) both looked at him with this funny look. He was dead serious,” Hannah said. “So we started practicing and he started taking lessons online to learn how to properly sing the Italian parts. It just kind of grew from there.
“He’s pretty much a professional singer now,” she added with a laugh.
Dale admits he still gets nervous performing the song live but said it’s “always special” taking the stage with his daughter.
“I’ve always enjoyed singing; always with nobody else listening,” he said, smiling. “I’m not sure how Hannah does it every Sunday, but I’m glad she does.”
Hannah’s Dock Music Concert Series has become popular in Stratford over the past couple of summers. She first began performing from her family’s dock on the Avon River, across from Stratford’s new Tom Patterson Theatre, when people were still adjusting to the pandemic’s first lockdowns.
Shortly afterwards, Hannah’s audiences began to grow larger. Local artist Claire Scott added a mural on the dock, which might now be better described as a stage.
“She painted an incredible mural displaying the combination of music, art, and community, and how it brings us all together,” Hannah said. ”It’s just supposed to bring some happiness to people when they walk by and see it. It’s just beautiful.”
Hannah is now preparing her most ambitious season yet.
This summer’s Dock Music Concert Series will take place on each of the next eight Sundays. Themed shows are back – including a Disney-themed set on June 26 – and a few other guest artists are lined up to take part.
“I’ve got all eight shows all planned out,” Hannah said. “I’ll be announcing soon what is going to be happening in the upcoming weeks.”
Over a dozen sponsors have signed up, too. Performances take place every Sunday at 7 pm through July 24.
“I’m so thankful for all the support I’ve gotten from the community,” Hannah said. “(The concert series) just grew into something that I never even could have imagined. Now it’s this weekly event that people look forward to in the summer. I’m just so happy that it’s turned into what it has.”