Bronson will take the side stage at Del Crary Park on Wednesday, July 15 as part of the Peterborough Musicfest Future Sound Series presented by Cogeco, opening the night before country artist Tyler Joe Miller takes the main stage.
For the local singer-songwriter, the opportunity represents a goal she has been working toward for years.
“I’m just so excited to kind of continue that legacy,” Bronson said. “It’s been a goal of mine to get here, so I’m just happy that I was invited this year.”
Music has always been part of Bronson’s life, thanks in large part to her father, longtime local musician Danny Bronson. Growing up, she spent years around stages and performances before eventually taking her own path away from music.
When she returned to it later in life, Bronson said music became an important part of finding her way back.
“It was a really healing place for me,” she said.
Her father played a major role in helping her reconnect with the local music scene, quickly welcoming her to join him for performances and encouraging her to build confidence as an artist in her own right.
“He’s really been pivotal for me getting back into the music scene,” Bronson said. “But also just finding my own way and meeting new people and working with different people too.”
While she has deep roots in the local music community, Bronson has been carving out her own identity as an artist.
“It’s different, but it’s good,” she said. “I’m enjoying it.”
Wednesday’s performance will also be a special one for her family. With friends and relatives travelling from near and far to watch, including some making the trip from Ottawa, Bronson expects plenty of familiar faces in the crowd.
For her father, who has performed at venues throughout the region and was cemented on the Peterborough Pathway of Fame at Crary Park in 1999, seeing his daughter take the Musicfest stage will be another memorable chapter in the family’s musical story.
“It’s kind of like that full-circle moment,” Bronson said. “Every summer kind of comes back to the park in some way.”
Bronson has also leaned on the many musicians who have helped shape Peterborough’s vibrant music scene. She pointed to artists like Kevin Foster and Ty Wilson as people who have supported and inspired her, while also looking to the legacy of local music icon Colleen Peterson.
“Colleen Peterson is a huge inspiration,” Bronson said. “Her legacy lives on in just doing her own thing, going down to Nashville and then coming back up here and making a name for herself as well.”
“Peterborough is incredibly blessed with musical talent,” Bronson added. “You don’t have to go far to find the next person.”
Bronson will kick off the night at 6:30 p.m. from the Future Sound Series stage, followed by Tyler Joe Miller’s Peterborough Musicfest debut on the main stage at 8 p.m.
Admission is free, with concertgoers encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy an evening of live music on the shores of Little Lake.
