Singing for a soulful benefit

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A quick look at singer-songwriter Christine Magee’s calendar and you can see she’s been busy performing all over the Lower Mainland.

With the 27-year-old’s first CD, Overcome, released just a year ago and a number of songs nominated for awards since then, you’d expect the soulful chanteuse to be in high demand.

But she manages to make plenty of time for her hometown. Magee teaches voice, piano and guitar to more than 50 students in Tsawwassen. She works with a small chamber choir for teens who are currently putting together a medley based on music from Sister Act (the Whoopi Goldberg comedy). She covers worship music as a member of the band Paradigm, which performs at her church, Ladner Christian Fellowship.

And on May 24 at 8 p.m., Magee will take to the Tsawwassen Arts Centre stage with the hope of raising money for that very facility.

The Delta Arts Council and Tsawwassen Arts Centre have plans to renovate and revitalize the theatre.

Magee’s benefit concert will feature songs from her debut album as well as new material from a demo CD she expects to release in mid July.

Next Saturday, she’ll be complemented by drums, bass and electric guitar, and back-up singer Shane Raman, who performs with Vancouver group Musica Intima.

“Most of the time, I do a solo act,” says Magee. “It’s nice to spice things up and do a full band on stage.”

Magee describes her own music as a mixture of soul, gospel, jazz, blues and a little bit of pop with a classical edge.

While soul and jazz are her niche genres – soul she loves to sing, jazz she enjoys playing – Magee is an artist who finds comfort in many categories.

For more on Christine Magee, visit www.christinemagee.com. Tickets to her upcoming benefit concert are $10 and can be purchased at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre or call 604-943-9787.

kthiessen@southdeltaleader.com