“Come On Over” for Shania Twin at Concerts in the Park

Donna Huber had a bustling baking business when fate came calling nearly 30 years ago.

For a long time, people came into her bakery and left with their arms groaning under the weight of her tasty treats. But, a couple of years into her venture, the feedback from her customers changed. It wasn't that they were left unsatisfied by her baked goods. Quite the contrary. Instead, they were struck by her uncanny resemblance with an up-and-coming country singer from Timmins.

It was early in the singer career, and the name didn't ring a bell with Donna, but she remembers walking into a shop one day and seeking myriad magazines covered by Shania Twain and it was then that she too thought her customers might be on to something.

Despite not being all that comfortable at the time in getting in front of crowds, something told Huber that fate was sending her a signal. She plucked up her courage, got her voice in fine form, and “Shania Twin” was born.

The act, one which she hesitates to call a “tribute”, has taken her around the world. Now, it is returning her to Aurora in one of her first live gigs since health restrictions allowed.

“This opportunity means everything for so many different reasons,” she tells The Auroran. “Number one, because of COVID, we haven't really played a lot and we're just getting back and really excited about that. I have been doing this for a long, long time and every show is appreciated. Every single show. We just have a really great time and love to see smiling faces.

“I just had the feeling that this is something I should do. It was a really strong feeling and even though it went against everything about who I was, because I was super-shy and I was going to go on stage in front of people, I just knew I had to do it. It was a huge calling, if you want to say that, but it took off very quickly.”

She thought she would do the act for a year. Maybe two. But here they are, 26 years later and feeling “so blessed.”

After doing the show for more than a quarter of a century, Ms. Huber is often asked if she gets tired of the music created by the Canadian superstar. The short answer is no. The Shania Twain songbook, she says, is energized music and that is felt by both her and the crowd.

“I saw little tiny babies [at my first shows] and later on they are mothers with kids of their own and they are still coming to the show,” she says. “It is so amazing and it is all because of Shania. People love her music.”

Shania Twin, the Premiere Tribute to Shania Twain, will play Town Park next Wednesday, August 18, at Town Park. Showtime is 7 p.m. Register for your free place in front of the bandshell by visiting aurora.ca/summerconcerts.

“Welcome back to live music!” says Ms. Huber. “We're so excited. When my agent called me and said I was playing Aurora, I was so happy. I remember the last show and we had such a great time. We're back and ready for live music again, people!”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter