On October 25, the legendary Massey Hall will host the 1st Annual Dream Serenade, a concert presented and curated by Toronto songwriter, Hayden Desser and his wife Christie Greyerbiehl, in support of services for children with developmental disabilities. The inaugural event will feature intimate performances from Feist, Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of The National, Sarah Harmer, Kevin Hearn of Barenaked Ladies, Jason Collett, Grey Lands (Wayne Petti), Lou Canon, and Hayden himself.
Money raised through ticket sales and donations to this year’s event will benefit Toronto’s Beverley Street School, as well as a family relief fund for caregivers. This exceptional school uses a team-based approach to support the educational needs of students who have a developmental and/or physical disability. Proceeds will be used to support furthering specialized technologies and equipment that are needed at the school on a daily basis. Funds will also be directed towards the building of a customized green playground for the children and their families.
Dream Serenade has been in the works for over five years, since the birth of Hayden and Christie’s first child, who was born with a rare chromosome deletion causing developmental disabilities. “She’s the most beautiful and inspiring person and yet our experience as parents has been among the most complex and challenging journeys we’ve ever known,” admits Hayden. “We recognize that our experience as parents of a child with a developmental disability is not unlike the other families at Beverley. In those overwhelming and clouded first years, the comfort and support that can be provided to families from specialized services becomes paramount. Dream Serenade will aid both the children and their caregivers.”
Ticket will be on sale Wednesday, September 17 at 10am.
For tickets please call 416 872 4255, buy online masseyhall.com,
Or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office (60 Simcoe St, Toronto, ON).
The first-ever vinyl edition of Hayden’s 1998 album The Closer I Get will be available on Record Store Day (Saturday, April 19). This hand-numbered two-record set comes on 180 gram vinyl and includes a digital download card, plus an original sticker from 1998 (they made too many!).