CORNWALL, Ontario – If Pamela Cumming was unsure that she wanted to make music her career, she certainly came to an immediate and forgone conclusion when she set foot on the campus grounds of the Berklee College of Music, five years ago.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but when the time came to choose a course of study, music seemed to be the obvious choice,” said the 24 year old who has recently returned home to Williamstown, her studies complete.
“As soon as I got to Boston and got out of the car, I said: ‘I think I can live here, I like this place.’”
Cumming was born into it, you might say, beginning piano lessons with her mother from the age of four, and subsequently, the violin. Homeschooled, throughout her childhood, she was able to dedicate half her day to practice. That’s how you get to Berklee – to paraphrase an old joke.
Despite her tender age, some of her most impressive credits , thus far, include performances with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, as a member of the Videri String Quartet, as well as tours with Berklee World Strings and singer-songwriter Nikolas Metaxas in Cyprus and Greece.
A highlight for her was a recent performance with Dream Theatre, a prestigious progressive metal/rock band comprised of Berklee alumni, at the Boston Opera House.
Following her four years at school and a year teaching in Boston, now with her visa run out, Cumming is ready to begin the next chapter in her life.
As for what her future holds, she says that she would like to teach, play and tour. I “want to do it all; I like doing a great mix of stuff.”
Although much of her training was classical, Cummings says that now she enjoys the singer songwriter genre.
While at Berklee, Cummings roomed with a young singer/songwriter from Fairbanks Alaska, Emily Anderson. The two became fast friends and soon discovered their musical chemistry as well.
The talented duo will take to the road, as it were, for a small tour, beginning at home, on August 9, at the Williamstown Fair, Center Stage, at noon.
The ukulele/violin duo will perform some of Anderson’s originals as well as a great selection covers including Bill Withers’, Ain’t No Sunshine; Come Together, by The Beatles; and Some Chocolates, by The Blow.
Other shows in the tour include: August 13, at the Quirky Carrot, Alexandria, 7pm, $20 (includes coffee and dessert); August 14, at St. Andrew’s United Church in Williamstown, 7pm, with Graham Greer and Tracy Lalonde (pay-what-you-want); August 15, Bar 1718, Toronto (also performing that night will be Winnie Brave); and August 16; Washago Festival, Orillia.
For further information about their music, visit, www.emilyandersonak.com and www.pamelacumming.com.
