Kinsman, Cathy

Websites:  No
Origin: Minden, Ontario → Halifax, Nova Scotia, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Cathy Kinsman is a Canadian singer-songwriter, composer, and multimedia creator whose recorded work spans the early 1980s and early 1990s. Her catalog includes a series of singles and a full-length LP released through Songmaster Records, followed by a later self-directed album issued on her own Vital Scenes Productions Inc. imprint. Across these projects, Kinsman maintained consistent authorship and creative control, positioning songwriting at the center of her work.

Raised in Minden, Ontario, Kinsman began performing at an early age, singing with her five sisters in church choirs and at local community events. As a teenager she moved into lead roles in school musical productions and later fronted a seven-piece band, headlining the county fair in her hometown. These early experiences established her as a confident vocalist and stage performer before she entered the recording world.

Kinsman studied performing arts for two years at Sheridan College in Oakville, where she was cast as the romantic lead in both annual musical productions. During this period she worked regularly in clubs throughout the Toronto–Hamilton area and expanded into stage acting, including a production of Cinderella at Hamilton Place, one of Canada’s major performing arts venues. This combination of musical and theatrical training formed the practical foundation for her later studio and compositional work.

Her transition into recording came at the start of the 1980s through Songmaster Records, where she released a run of singles and her debut LP, It’s All Up to You. Produced and arranged by Craig Ruhnke, the album presented Kinsman as a songwriter in full control of her material, working within a polished adult-contemporary and folk-rock framework. Singles from this period included ‘Flying So High,’ ‘Such A Lovin’ Way,’ ‘It’s All Up to You,’ and ‘In The Movies,’ the latter recorded as a duet with Ruhnke.

Industry attention followed quickly. RPM reported that Kinsman undertook a promotional tour of California radio stations, and that ‘In The Movies’ also appeared in a French-language version titled ‘Au Cinema,’ which received notable airplay in francophone markets. The response was strong enough that a full French-language album was briefly considered, and Kinsman pursued further French studies to accommodate interview demand.

After this initial recording chapter, Kinsman stepped back from the commercial recording cycle. She re-emerged in 1993 with The Promise, released on her own Vital Scenes Productions Inc. imprint. Written entirely by Kinsman and co-produced with Brian Gagnon, the album marked a clear shift in focus, incorporating piano-based arrangements, choral textures, and extended compositions such as ‘Delphis Suite.’ The project included contributions from Wayne St. John and the World Peace Choir on ‘Right to Freedom,’ underscoring its collective and message-driven character.

The Promise was conceived as more than a conventional album. Contemporary coverage described it as part of a broader multimedia and educational effort that included a music video and supporting materials addressing the treatment of captive dolphins. Profits from the project were pledged toward dolphin rescue and related advocacy initiatives. While praised for its production quality and non-confrontational approach, the release was also framed as a starting point for discussion rather than a standalone educational tool.

Alongside her music releases, Kinsman has maintained an active parallel career in film, television, and stage-based work. Her creative output has included writing, story editing, and composition for documentary and television projects such as Where Whales and Humans Meet, Dreamwrecks, and Racing the Wind, as well as original music for film and documentary soundtracks including Dispelling the Myths. Her work during the 1990s also included music video production, extending her songwriting into visual and narrative forms. Her involvement in visual media has extended to wildlife cinematography, with footage later licensed for use in the feature documentary Saving Luna. She also founded the Whale Stewardship Project, established to support the study and protection of beluga whales.

Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Kinsman has continued working as a composer and lyricist, including long-form and collaborative stage projects, extending a career rooted in performance and recording into narrative and interdisciplinary forms.

Taken together, Cathy Kinsman’s recorded output and related media work document a career defined by authorship, independence, and purpose. Though her discography is compact, it reflects sustained engagement with songwriting as both creative expression and communication within Canada’s independent music and arts landscape.
-Robert Williston