Singer Caledonia Donahue will be among the Sask-Talent for TeleMiracle 48. (submitted photo/Tanya Donahue)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Country Singer

Perform like no one is watching: Caledonia Donahue offers Biggar talent to TeleMiracle

Jan 15, 2024 | 1:15 PM

A 15-year-old singer from Biggar has turned her life-long love of music into a way to help Saskatchewan in the good old-fashioned country style.

Caledonia Donahue recently got back from her pre-record session for TeleMiracle 48 and she said it was the experience of a lifetime.

“I’m feeling very good about it, I’m very excited,” said the young songstress of her first year performing for the Saskatchewan tradition.

The teen remembers her grandfather introducing her to singing, which quickly became her passion.

“He would always try to teach me little things about music,” she said. “He was in a band so he would let me sing with him when I was little. He played saxophone and then when I was four, he got his friends to teach me piano so that’s where I learned how to read music.”

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Now mainly a guitar player, the multi-instrumentalist counts Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Terri Clark as her influences.

For this show, she chose to go with the song I Saw the Light from one of country and western’s most beloved icons: Hank Williams.

“Every time I perform that song, the crowd usually loves it because everybody knows Hank Williams’ music and it’s one of my personal favourite songs,” she said.

Donahue said it was a unique experience playing and singing on a stage that featured a camera to capture every angle.

“It went pretty smoothly,” she said. “They had audio and lights and it was pretty fancy and everybody was so nice and helpful.”

The up-and-coming performer, who also grew up playing mandolin and banjo, has now taken a chance on the fiddle. Meanwhile, she takes her craft seriously and gets further training from piano teacher Peggy L’Hoir along with vocal teachers and artists in their own right: Donny Parenteau and Glenna Switzer.

Donahue explained that to be taking part in the event means a great deal because she wants to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

“I thought that doing this would help a lot of people and raise some money for the people who need it,” she said.

The performer is currently fundraising and has already done school bake sales along with an online fundraising page and Helping Hands – a $2 initiative that gets put on a wall with donors’ names. She hopes to reach the $2,000 mark.

As for any advice she has for future performers?

“Believe in yourself and perform like no one is watching,” she said.

To mail in donations, send to:

TeleMiracle
2217C Hanselman Court
Saskatoon SK
S7L 6A8

Cheques can be made out to TeleMiracle with a note saying it’s for Caledonia Donahue, SaskTalent. If you would like to see your name scrolled across the TV during the program, add a note indicating that wish.

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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