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Our Featured Musician for 2011


Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis has been a professional musician since he was sixteen years old. His grandfather Archie Lewis had a radio show and Aaron's father Bob Lewis, who was acclaimed to have a velvet voice like Dean Martin, was recorded on radio with his twin brother Bill at the age of four. It was produced at the Star Theatre in Whitney Pier. They started the group the "Esquires" in the early 60s. Bob joined the Carleton Show Band in 1968 and played on the CTV program "The Pig and Whistle" for eleven years. Aaron joined the band when he was nineteen and played piano for them, touring all over the world for seven years. The friends they made at this time included such celebrities as Randy Travis, Whalen Jennings, Alabama, Tommy Hunter and Stompin' Tom Connors. Aaron's Uncle Bill started playing with Stompin' Tom in 1969 and is the one playing the guitar for the famous "Hockey Song".

Aaron's mother Helen (Pheifer) Lewis died in a car accident in 1974. Helen had a musical life when she was growing up in Scotchtown since her father Rudy Phiefer played the fiddle and would put on a "Christmas in July" party with Aaron's father when they came home on vacation from Ontario.

The last year Aaron played for the Carleton Show Band in 1997 they went on a three month cruise and he missed his long time sweetheart Karen MacQueen so much he thought it would be the proper time to propose. On a three day break in Cape Breton they got married and honeymooned at Glenora Distillery where Aaron had to play for John Allen Cameron.

Aaron continued to play locally after 1997 for John Allen as well as in the Laurel Martell Band. He has been with the Christmas Daddies house band for the past 13 years. He helped form the group called "The Three Pianos" with Johnny Aucoin and Stephen Muise after the "Come Home Celebration" in New Waterford in 2002. His father was the bass player for the group until his death in 2008. He also performed and produced dinner theatre at the Casino in Sydney for six years. He performed in a duet with Stephanie Beaumont last September for his new CD called "Discovering Gold" and works as a technician for the Membertou Convention Centre.

Aaron's whole family and their life has always revolved around music. His father, Bob Lewis was the first Cape Bretoner to win a Juno Award and a double platinum album. Bob retired from the Show Band in 1979 when the "Pig and Whistle" show came to an end. His sister April Halliday teaches music in the new Kinder Music program for babies and small children. His children also "have the music", with Jordon 16 playing bass, drums and guitar and his daughter Martina 13 playing piano and singing. His uncle Warren Lewis played the piano and was the performer for Opening Night for PierScape up until 2009 when he passed on. (We miss him very much).

The very versatile Aaron Lewis was part of the documentary "The Exiles Return" aired on Global Television; he recorded his first CD in his living room and now produces CDs for other musicians. He is a great singer and song writer as well with hits such as "Wouldn't it be Beautiful" by Gordie Sampson and "If I Can't Take the Island With Me" sung by the Carleton Show Band. When asked about his favourite creation he said he started writing the song "I See You" when his children were born, it took him many years to complete it. This song has never been recorded but Aaron promises to play it during PierScape's Music Celebration Night and he will be accompanied by the children for whom it was written.

Our Featured Musician for 2010


Mary Pierrynowski

The choir career of Mary Pierrynowski began many years ago at St. Mary's Polish Church when Fr. O'Connell was the pastor. At the age of thirteen she sang the daily mass in Latin. She remained involved in everything throughout the years that followed. The St. Mary's Polish Choir was at first a youth choir which was formed by Mrs. Pierrynowski about 40 years ago. As the years went by and the organist retired, the choir evolved to the thirteen person a-cappella choir it is today. Mary also taught Polish at the church hall over the years and so it was natural that the choir should sing only in Polish which is a beautiful melodic language, although very difficult to learn. She was a gifted teacher which also helped her to be a wonderful choir director.

Mary's parents, Stefan and Maria Wroblewski emigrated from Poland to Cape Breton and Mary grew up on Swan Street in Whitney Pier. She attended Holy Redeemer School and graduated with her secretarial diploma from their commercial program.

Mary and her husband Teofil, now deceased, have two daughters, Maria and Wanda and two granddaughters Krystina and Candice. She made sure her daughters were educated in the Arts with music and art lessons. They were members of the choir and at different times played the organ at church.

Mary belonged to the Polish Cultural Association and the Multicultural Associations. She was involved with the Young Polish Singers and Dancers for ten years. These dances were performed while singing and Mary taught her twenty participants, including her two daughters, many songs which went with the national and regional dances they performed. They took part in an all Polish Song and Dance festival in Oshawa Ontario, a Multicultural Song and Dance festival in Quebec, had several performances in the United States as well as Halifax and all over Cape Breton Island. St. Mary's Polish Choir also put out two CDs, one of church hymns and one of Christmas carols.

Mary continues to work with the choir, although she now has to contend with her deteriorating eyesight since she has macular degeneration. Instead of using this as an excuse to retire Mary developed her own system enabling her to read the music. She prepares her programs for Mass and the music she needs by using a closed circuit TV with a huge magnifying glass and broadcasts the written music magnified fifty times on the screen. She then plays the notes on a mini keyboard which she keeps on her lap. When in church with the choir the keyboard is on a stand to the side. The choir of twelve women singing a-cappella need only a few introductory notes and they are ready.

All will attest that this purely Polish Choir singing in two part harmony is absolutely heavenly. You can enjoy them at Mass on Sunday at 930am at St. Mary's Polish Church, Whitney Pier.

Our Featured Musician for 2009


Alvin Seymour

Alvin Seymour was in born in 1929 in Whitney Pier on Franklin St. His parents returned to Newfoundland when he was a baby only to settle in Ashby 13 years later to work in the steel plant. Alvin learned to play the button accordion at the age of seven and when he was a teenager he would sit on the frontsteps of Donald Maclellan and Bill Lamey's house and listen as they played the fiddle. He now can play seven different instruments. Alvin moved back to the Pier in the 60's and raised six boys and two girls. He was a single parent for much of his children's lives. He suffered the loss of his son, Kevin, who died at age 33. He joined the Legion Singers in 1990 and has been singing and playing ever since. Alvin and the Artifacts: his daughter Donna Cooper, George Donovan and Jim Smith have played everywhere in Sydney and outside the province as well.

Alvin's crowning glory was to play at the Savoy Theatre last year at the 60th birthday party for CBC radio. Alvin favorite tune is slow air, "Bonnie Lass of Head Lake", when asked why he said "I don't know, it can't be said in words but it's a beautiful piece to play."