Singer/Musician/Entertainer
Cornelia Sutherland
Born Cornelia Boucher and raised in the musically rich landscape of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Cornelia grew up on the French Acadian Island of Isle Madame where she developed a life long love for music and singing from an early age. Learning to play multiple musical instruments (including the guitar, drums, mandolin, and harmonica just to name a few) she gravitated to the piano in particular and embarked on what would turn out to be an illustrious musical career spanning over 3 decades, multiple albums and countless live shows all over the world. Cornelia has made Calgary her adopted home but her Maritime and Acadian heritage is never far from the surface.
Musical Career
Cornelia released her first full length album, simply titled “Cornelia” in the early 1970s and began a career that would take her all over the world and produce many television appearances including multiple spots on The Tommy Hunter Show as well as winning The Du Maurier Search For Stars in 1982. Some time after the release of her first solo album she began making music with her then husband and collaborator Billy MacLeod and the two would become Cornelia & Billy recording 3 albums and touring all over Canada as well as parts of Europe and South America. For over 20 years the musical duo made a living playing their special brand of Country/Blues/East Coast music to thousands of people and Cornelia built up a natural ease on stage with her genuine gift for performing and love of entertaining in general.
Current History
Over the past 15 years, Cornelia has been enjoying a second career delighting a whole new audience with her unique brand of musical entertainment. Mixing “Golden Oldie” hits with folk favourites, Cornelia creates an engaging trip down memory lane while incorporating Acadian musical traditions with an East Coast flair, all the while understanding the importance of reading each audience and tailoring every show to their needs. In 2010 Cornelia was honoured by receiving the Stompin’ Tom Connor Life Time Achievement award at The East Coast Music Awards, along with her late long time musical partner Billy MacLeod. Proving some talent gets better with age, Cornelia took to the stage and delivered a show stopping performance that brought the crowd to it’s feet. This same enthusiasm for entertaining and dedication to music is present on every stage she’s on, and anyone fortunate enough to experience the show, no matter how big or small, is in for a real treat.