Mariposa-In-Concert Show Announcement

—submitted

Mariposa favourite, Matt Weidinger, returns to Orillia on November 23 to kick off the Mariposa in Concert (MIC) 2024-25 season with his Van Morrison tribute show.

“It’s Too Late to Stop Now – The Music of Van Morrison,” is slated for Saturday, November 23, 2024 at the Orillia Opera House, 1 West Street North in downtown Orillia. Doors Open at 7 pm and show starts 7:30 pm. Tickets are $35 each (includes all processing fees and taxes) and can be purchased at the Orillia Opera House Box Office or online at www.orilliaoperahouse.ca.

“Matt is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and is well-known and respected throughout Ontario,” Pam Carter, MIC Chair, commented. “He has released three albums and is a member of Lance Anderson’s 12-piece band, “Matchedash Parish,” whose debut album, Saturday Night, earned them a 2020 Maple Blues Awards nomination for New Artist of the Year.”

For November’s show, Weidinger’s put together a seven-piece band, including two horns to reflect the sound for which Morrison is known. The show will be something of a retrospective of Van the Man’s extensive song catalogue, with a particular focus on the early material that was Weidinger’s introduction to Morrison’s brand of Celtic soul.

“Matt’s interpretation of Van’s music is a deeply moving personal memoir of Celtic soul. Simply marvellous, actually fantabulous!” – Bruce Hall, Grand Rivers Blues Society

Matt started listening to Van Morrison in high school with Astral Weeks, and then Moondance, soon uncovering a treasure trove of musical offerings. “He’s got a huge catalogue,” Matt said. “With Van Morrison, there’s just so much to see, so much to discover.”

Weidinger’s own influences stem from the ’60s, as can be heard in both his vocals and his choice of music. Like Morrison, he began performing as a teen. For a relatively young performer, he’s already got more than a decade of experience under his belt that has earned him a solid following. In addition to singing and writing songs, he’s a multi-instrumentalist, equally at home on the piano, organ, guitar, bass, and mandolin.

Matt Weidinger has established himself as a full-time musician since the age of 16 having surpassed thousands of hours in the trade. During his formative years, Weidinger found a home within the thriving blues scene in Kitchener-Waterloo, playing regular club gigs with its leading practitioners while still in high school.

The Mariposa Folk Foundation’s 2024-25 Concert Series is sponsored by Alleycats Music & Art, Amy & Al Wallace, Apple Annie’s Café, Bell Chiropractic and Soft Tissue Centre, Cathy Cleary Design, Colour n’ Light Muskoka, Dapper Depot, Dentistry on West, Lavender Hills Farm, Paul Raymond, Susie Q Fudge and Gifts and Tim Lauer, Sales Representative, Royal LePage Real Quest Realty.