Uma sessions live concert series: showcasing Windsor talent, one show at a time

By Joelle Brassard

Kamryn Cusumano, a local photographer, has created a project that displays local talent through a show on Bell’s FibeTV1 streaming service. 

Uma Sessions Live Concert Series is a produced television series where local artists will come to the Uma studio and perform a concert which is filmed. 

Cusumano began her photography career as a journalism student at the St. Clair College Mediaplex where she learned how to use a camera. 

“I found I was pretty good at capturing people,” said Cusumano. “The summer after my first year in journalism, I got an internship with a photographer named Hieke Delmore and from there I just continued practicing photography by building a studio in my basement. I used my valuable experience of working with Heike and went from there.” 

Cusumano began taking on clients full-time shortly after starting to work as a photographer.  

Then she took on the task of opening up her own studio. 

“Early in my career I would just go to people’s homes who had nice backgrounds,” said Cusumano. “This particular studio, I had rented for a project during journalism which is how I found out about it. It was kind of my dream studio and I never imagined I would get that exact spot.” 

Through her experience working for Phog Lounge for five years starting in 2015, she began to make connections with musicians in our area and those travelling through on tour.  

“Last year I connected with a booking agent Sean Vandenberg and when he had bands coming into Windsor, they needed a place to stay so I offered up my studio,” said Cusumano. “Now I have connections with probably 25 bands worldwide from places like Germany, Argentina, British Columbia, Atlanta, Manitoba and more.”  

Cusumano realized how thriving our local music scene is and how much Windsor has to offer as a city for music which made her want to showcase it. 

“I really wanted to help capture this moment in time of our music scene in Windsor,” said Cusumano. People tend to look elsewhere for their entertainment like Detroit and travel to go find entertainment when we have it locally. I wanted people to look inward at our city for things to do.” 

She believes Windsor is a music capital city of Canada. 

Director and Cinematographer Elliot Hale joined forces with Cusumano after working together and also became inspired by our local talent and wanted to find a way to showcase it. 

Hale explained after doing a pilot with local artist Willowbrook, he felt they really had something special. 

“We finished doing the pilot with a small amount of funding from the Arts Council and at the end of the shoot day we just realized that this could be something way bigger than we imagined and thought we could turn it into a show,” said Hale. “We then got the amazing opportunity from Bell and their streaming service FibeTV1 which allowed for us to get funding and do a proper show.”  

Local musician Bilal Nasser, who was featured recently on the Live Concert Series said it was an amazing opportunity. 

“It’s a really special project and I just thought who wouldn’t want to jump at an opportunity like this?” said Nasser. “We have a lot of great local artists as well as people who tour here and amazing venues, but I find that it’s not really talked about or known.” 

Overall, the Uma Live Concert Series has created something unique to Windsor and for Windsorite’s to consume.  

To watch all available episodes of the Uma Live Concert Series, you can go to UmaLoft.com and scroll to the bottom of the page for a list of upcoming and previously recoded sessions. You can also register to be in the audience and see the show live on the site.