It started in 2005 when she developed and produced a quarterly concert series for young singer/songwriters at Riverdale Community Hall. There she was introduced to a smattering of the astounding young talent emerging in Edmonton. The success of the series, coupled with her unshakable dedication to encourage young talent, was recognized with a Governor General’s Award for outstanding contributions to her community.
Rhea founded and hosted Edmonton’s first and only Songwriters Stage at Hulbert’s cafe. Hulbert’s owner Chris Martyniuk supported the stage by podcasting, simulcasting and rebroadcasting the sessions twice weekly to an ever-growing audience on Enigma Internet Radio.
Each week for nearly three years, highly skilled young performers flocked to Hulbert’s for the chance to practice their craft in a safe and nurturing environment. Hulbert’s has since been sold, but Rhea recently relocated the Songwriters Stage to the Hydeaway – an all ages art space looking to encourage young artists.
Rhea launched U22 Music Productions in 2007, producing two radio shows for CKUA and a series of sold-out concerts at the Royal Alberta Museum in 2008 that paired emerging artists with veteran performers. Mentorship is the heart of this program – inspiration is the soul. The U22s are mentored by collaborating with veteran artists. In turn, the U22s offer mentorship and encouragement to other aspiring young artists through live performances and by hosting U22 songwriter workshops and festival boot camps.
Rhea says, “In the wake of massive cuts to arts funding, it is vital that Canada’s youth be inspired to continue pursuit of their artistic goals. By providing a relevant mentorship program that mixes credible industry information with music and perspectives from U22 musicians, we will motivate and empower young artistic Canadians to believe that they really CAN consider a career in the arts.”
In 2008, U22 was invited to showcase performers at the most respected festival in the world – the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. Over 3000 fans packed the U22 concert stage for a concert featuring Samantha Schultz, Michael Rault, The Vissia Sisters, and Joe Nolan. (Joe Nolan was selected as one of three festival performers to receive a Galaxie Rising Star Award alongside Ridley Bent & Little Miss Higgins.)
Festival producer Terry Wickham says, “It was sort of an experiment in 2008. I put in on Stage 4 which is the smallest stage and it swamped the stage! It was immensely popular and people are intrigued to see who U22 is coming up with.” The U22 Revue was invited for a return engagement in 2009 and given two larger showcase stages and more time.
To date in 2009, U22 performers have been the feature of 38 concert performances, 18 music festivals, 13 radio interviews, 15 television appearances, and 27 charitable events. Most recently CBC filmed a one-hour television special featuring U22 performers live on stage at the Royal Alberta Museum during Alberta Arts Days which will air in Spring of 2009.
There have been many notable success stories. Samantha Schultz was recently awarded a full four-year music scholarship to Berklee in Boston. Lyra Brown won the Youth Category in the Ship and Anchor Songwriting Competition and performed at the 2009 Calgary Folk Music Festival. Painting with Ella won third place in the same competition. Paul Cresey was nominated as Young Performer of the Year by the Canadian Music Association in 2008. Stephanie Bosch and Kaley Bird both received a $10,000 recording grant from Rawlco Radio.
“If you give them a little bit of help, they shine,” says Rhea. “It’s magic – I love it. It gives me this incredible feeling of satisfaction to see them grow as performers.
“You can’t get better if you don’t get to play. And if you’re going to be playing in venues, you have got to know what the protocol is – how to go in and be polished and professional.”
The only qualification for U22 is you must be under the age of 22 and genuinely interested in writing and performing your own music. The community that has developed around the program is supportive and extensive. The performers are collaborating on projects, co-writing and touring together – it’s wonderful to see!
U22 mentorship workshops will be happening throughout the winter. For more information, please visit the website at U22.ca or contact Rhea directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 780-497-7919.