Biography

“When music and timeless lyrics come together, it can touch something deep inside us. It can reconnect us with cherished memories, make us laugh, cry, feel hopeful or sad. While trained as a classical singer, I draw from several genres of music - classical, Celtic, folk, pop ballads, and jazz standards. The unifying element in my music is that it makes an emotional – and intimate - connection with your life, and those in your life.”

Born and raised in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Eleanor McCain found her voice as a young girl, singing at church, schools and community events. With musical training resources scarce in her small Maritime hometown, her mother drove Eleanor to Fredericton - nearly 150 kilometres away - for voice lessons to cultivate her budding talent. After graduating from the music program at New Brunswick's Mount Allison University, she moved to Toronto, Ontario to pursue her classical training. She concentrated on expanding her vocal style from pure classical to classical crossover with a fusion of pop and folk.

Eleanor cherishes her Maritime roots, family and her true love for creating music that is as intimate as it is moving. These are the foundational elements of who Eleanor is, and infuses the music she loves to share with you. 

Shortly after this release, Eleanor found herself focused on the joys of motherhood. Her dream to return to the studio to record was ultimately fulfilled when she flew to Nashville and once again teamed up with renowned producer Terry Sawchuk to record Bundle of Joy, a lullaby CD that celebrates the joys of motherhood. Eleanor received a 2009 East Coast Music Award nomination for Bundle of Joy for Children's Recording of the Year.

In July 2010, Eleanor completed her third CD, Green Hills of Home. The Celtic CD is a collection of traditional folk and Maritime songs that represent her East Coast roots. Eleanor teamed with Halifax native, Brigham Phillips, who arranged and produced the CD. Eleanor received an ECMA 2011 nomination for Roots / Traditional Solo Recording of the Year for this CD.

Eleanor's 2011 CD release, Holiday, is a 2-disc CD that offers holiday songs that fall into two collections creating two distinct sentiments - a "Naughty" side of up-tempo and jazzy secular selections and a "Nice" side of intimate and traditional hymns and carols. The CD is dedicated to her mother whom she credits with instilling a passion and love of beautiful Christmas music. For the Holiday CD, Eleanor received an ECMA 2013 nomination for Gospel Recording of the Year.

Eleanor has garnered the support of such notable musical artists in her collaborations with Natalie McMaster, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Elmer Iseler Singers, John McDermott, Liona Boyd and internationally recognized Galician bagpiper Carlos Nunez. Eleanor also had the opportunity to perform with David Foster when she sang for the Crescendo event in Halifax to raise money for the David Foster Foundation. In addition, Eleanor has worked with various symphonies including Symphony Nova Scotia, the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Symphony New Brunswick and the Victoria Symphony.

Eleanor McCain's musical evolution has been influenced by the freedoms of her youth, the wonderment of motherhood and maturity in understanding how music connects people and underscores life's events. Her hope is that a listener’s experience is intimate, poignant and filled with an emotion that is genuine and wonderfully human. She believes that we all get caught up in our day to day lives, and sometimes we forget, or don't take the time to feel. That’s why she loves music, and why the songs she sings are all about making emotional connections.

In addition to her busy recording career, Eleanor continues to focus on raising her daughter, Laura.

 

Sites Eleanor Likes

• Elmer Iseler Singers
• Hospice Toronto
• Goneshopping.ca
• Yummy Mummy Club
• Brigham Phillips
• Anne Lindsay
• Jason Fowler
• Terry Sawchuk
• Matt Dusk
• Corporature
• Heather Wilkinson
• Glenn Bell Photography
• Gail Brill Design