Keegan Isaac performs at last December's Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra Concert. (Louis Christ Photo)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Meota Concert

‘My Kinda Town’: Keegan Isaac to play fundraising Meota concert for COPS Centre

Aug 12, 2024 | 11:43 AM

Meota is Keegan Isaac’s ‘kinda town.’

The musician is bringing music to the community to raise funds for the Battlefords Union Hospital Community Oncology Program of Saskatchewan (COPS) in a loving tribute to his mother who passed away last fall.

“The COPS Centre was really important to her,” he said.

“She was first diagnosed with breast cancer when I was three-years-old – I’m 20 now.”

When his mother Michele first began treatment, she drove herself to Saskatoon every day for three weeks for treatment and refused to stay in a hotel.

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“She wanted to leave after her kids got on the bus to go to school and then get back home from her treatment before they came home from school,” he said.

“She still wanted to be completely present in their lives, even as she went through treatment.”

When she was diagnosed for the second time four years ago, it was the COPS Centre that offered their North Battleford family a chance of comfort and ease.

To help pay it forward and give back to the centre that meant so much to his family and continues to support other families going through their own cancer journey, on Saturday, Aug. 17, he and the 11-piece Itsy Bitsy Big Band, will host “My Kinda Town.”

The repertoire will feature a mix of jazz standards, Motown, country and original tunes will offer attendees the chance to sing along enjoy a fun evening and guest musicians include Ross Ulmer, Erin Forman and Sanjana Brijlall and Trombonist Brad Shigeta.

“I fell in love with singing and big band music and Frank Sinatra when I was 14 years old and ever since then, I wanted to do a big band concert like this,” the current music student said.

As a local musician, he has performed in Meota often and last year during a show last summer, with his mother in the audience, he made a connection, and a kernel of an idea began to form.

“It was the best audience I had ever performed for,” Isaac said.

While the concert is a fundraiser, the spirit of the event is that of Isaac’s mom.

“She was a…mother that attended every concert, every music lesson that I ever had, sat for just hours of some of the stuff that isn’t fun like violin lessons,” he said.

The fundraiser will take place at Meota Communiplex, located at 340, Third St. E and doors open at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, visit keeganisaacmusic on Facebook and Instagram or contact keeganisaacmusic@gmail.com.

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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