Tonya Boyd-Cannon
Table of Contents Welcome About the Artist Lesher Center Programs Support Lesher Center
Program Details Approx 75 minutes with no intermission
Welcome Join us for a year of entertainment, joy, and inspiring artistic voices! Building upon your ongoing support, we welcome you to the 23/24 season from Lesher Center Presents, including the Headliners Series, Center Repertory Company productions, and Bedford Gallery exhibitions. You’ll find a diverse array of genres, artists, and themes at your home for incredible, innovative arts experiences. We look forward to seeing you this year – you won’t want to miss what you’ll find at the Lesher Center! Peggy + Carolyn Peggy White Executive Director, Diablo Regional Arts Association Carolyn Jackson General Manager, Lesher Center for the Arts
Digital Programs Beginning in 2024, Lesher Center’s Headliners Series adopted the use of digital programs meant to be viewed on mobile devices. By cutting our paper use and eliminating substantial printing costs we are sustaining our mission to elevate the arts in the greater Contra Costa region.
Please be considerate of other patrons and artists when viewing digital programs on your mobile devices. View digital programs before the performance begins or during intermissions.
Patrons who create distractions may be asked to leave.
Tonya Boyd-Cannon
Presented By
Music’s most powerful feature lies in its capacity to heal. Tonya Boyd-Cannon is a musician embracing that notion while pushing the envelope for soul, and music as a whole. Many artists chase fame and riches, with short-lived careers forgotten in a hurry. Others create simply for the intrinsic satisfaction they get from sharing their love of music with the world. Tonya Boyd-Cannon falls into the latter category – a Mississippi-born, Louisiana-raised singer-songwriter who radiates unmistakable confidence and passion, and an individual who has truly dedicated her essence to the art form.
Her sound puts vibe front and center instead of confining herself to genre limitations. It’s a distinctive style that draws from her desire to give and heal others through music – ebbing and flowing from the most heartwrenching ballads, to jazz, funk, rock, gospel, and everything in between. Paired with a delivery that is sharp, inspirational, and contemporary – fans have not only come to expect her unmatched dynamism and artistic versatility, but also her deep-seated authenticity. Tonya’s illustrious career has seen her release many singles, collaborations, EPs, and full-lengths, all of which have received significant praise from media and critics alike. She was crowned winner of ‘Budweiser’s: Battle for the Crown’ contest and ranked in the Top 20 on NBC’s ‘The
Voice’. She performed at Alabama’s Bayfest, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Essence Music Festival, Mompox Jazz Festival (Colombia), Jazz at Congo Fair, New Orleans Gumbo Fest, Jackson Music Festival, and more. Additionally, she has opened for seminal R&B acts Anthony Hamilton, KEM, Jaheim, Cassandra Wilson, Rhonda Richmond, Danny Glover, and many others. Today, Tonya is currently touring with her band “The Family” along with Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra. When Tonya‘s not performing, she teaches Vocal Music and Creative Expression to her students in classrooms and her students in the community.
Tonya continues down her chosen path of revitalizing people through her brand of soulful, dynamic, and captivatingly robust music. For her, music and performing have allowed her to heal herself and bring vitality and happiness to others, and she still has so much to give.
Lesher Center Resident Programs
Our nonprofit partner, DRAA, invests in the power of the arts to transform lives and creates avenues for everyone to experience the arts.
HEADLINERS SERIES Up Next Mountain Stage February 1 Featuring Colin Hay, Bruce Cockburn, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Chuck Prophet & The Make Out Quartet, The Lucky Valentines.
Buy Tickets Mads Tolling & The Mads Men February 9 Celebrating the 1960s with their own distinctive style and innovative flair.
Buy Tickets Sarah McKenzie February 15 Australian jazz singer, pianist, composer, and arranger returns to the Lesher Center!
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Fiesta Cultural 2023 Street Fair, Chavalos Danzas por Nicaragua, photo by Ben Krantz Studio
There are many ways to show your support! Your gifts through the Lesher Center’s nonprofit partner, Diablo Regional Arts Association, drive excellence, innovation, diversity, and access for all through performances, exhibitions, and education programs. • Make a one-time or monthly donation • Sponsor an event or program • Donate stock or IRA • Make a legacy with planned giving • Use your corporate match program • Volunteer
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QUESTIONS? Contact DRAA! (925) 295-1470 or info@draa.org
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