Ben Kinsley and Sonia Patenaude have performed for the Quebec Cancer Society, the Canadian Make-a-Wish Foundation, and Habitat for Humanity. Northern Comfort have also been regularly featured performers on Sherbrooke QC’s CFLX 95.5 radio program “Arts d’Oeuvre,” hosted by Sylvie Bergeron.
Ben Kinsley
Ben Kinsley has studied guitar with Christopher Kane at the University of New Hampshire and went on to take private lessons with the Brazilian guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima in New York City.
Ben has attended and performed in master classes with Sharon Isbin, Paulo Bellinati and Lily Afshar, and has performed at the Aspen Music Festival. He has been very active arranging contemporary music for solo guitar, and for voice and guitar. Ben is currently studying flamenco guitar with Michel Beauchamp in Montreal.
In 2001, Ben wrote and directed the short film “Estrada do Sol” which is about the guitar in the South American culture and features the Brazilian master Carlos Barbosa-Lima. “Estrada do Sol” has been shown at guitar festivals in Mexico City, Montevideo, and Buenos Aries.
Ben has also been a student at the MIT Experimental Computer Music summer program.
Ben released a collection of solo guitar pieces “Castles of the White City,” in 2014 and recently remastered a small collection of original contemporary songs entitled “I Am With Ghosts Now” from 1987 and 1991.
Ben has been performing with Sonia Patenaude as the duet Northern Comfort since 2008.
Sonia Patenaude
Having sung since a very young age, Sonia Patenaude learned the rudiments of song as a member of the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir (1991-2018), the first Juno-nominated and winning gospel choir in Canada. A trained singer, actor, and dancer, she has sung within various choral ensembles including Choromondo under direction of Allyna Harris and the Bishop’s University Singers at Bishop’s University with directors Jamie Crooks and Fannie Gaudette.
After a long journey away from performing theatre, Sonia was cast as Audrey II in Bordeline Theatre’s production of “Little Shop of Horrors” presented at the Haskell Opera House in August 2018.
She has been fortunate to work with Eastern Townships musicians such as the house band from Arts d’Oeuvres, bassist Jonathan Guillaume Boudreau, and pianists Julian Gutierrez and Eric Akbar Manolson.
A regular Arts and Culture columnist on The Friday Drive on community radio in the Eastern Townships for CJMQ and CIDI, Sonia has been invited to host various events for Festival Traditions du monde de Sherbrooke.
In addition to Northern Comfort, Sonia has performed with Ben in the quintet “Crossing Borders”.
