Patterson has been active as a
sideman and solo recording artist touring in
North America,
India,
Mexico,
Europe, and the
Middle East. While her main instrument is
piano, she performs frequently on
alto saxophone and
duduk. She was active in
post-punk and
new wave bands in
London, Ontario,
Canada in the 1980s where she played with
Sheep Look Up, Suffer Machine, and Edna and Edna. In 1999, Patterson founded imaginit music, a Toronto-based company that operates as a recording, rehearsal, and teaching studio. Imaginit music has presented events in Toronto such as Forward Festival at the Lula Lounge and Musiques Sans Frontieres at the
Drake Hotel, as well as Patterson's own concerts in South India in association with
Alliance Française. Patterson has commercially released two solo albums and three music videos (through Festival Distribution and Rough Trade Records). ROAM’s debut album
Points of Departure (March 2009) was well-received by
The Signal,
Here and Now, and
Metro Morning. They had performed at the Canadian Connections Fair in the
Netherlands; the
Canadian Music Week Amnesty International showcase 2009; a
Toronto Symphony Orchestra soiree; and the Symphony in the Barn Concert Series in
Durham, Ontario. ROAM has fluid membership, which has included Rakkatak’s Anita Kattakar (tabla), Oriana Barbato (guitar), and Sarv Ensemble’s Kousha Nikhaie (kamancheh). Patterson’s songs have appeared in films including
Bruce McDonald’s
Roadkill, Charles Johnston’s
Tête à tête,
Darrell Wasyk’s
H, and
Ingrid Veninger’s
Three Sisters On Moon Lake. As a producer and engineer, Patterson has worked with artists including Rita di Ghent, the Toronto Tabla Ensemble,
Emm Gryner., Brenda MacIntyre, and
Mélissa Laveaux. She has collaborated with musicians
Maryem Tollar,
Cassius Khan, Darbuka Siva, Rahul Pophali, Navin Iyer, Venkata Subramanian, and Prakash. Patterson is an active mentor and coordinator in community arts programs. She has facilitated and presented youth songwriting workshops and performance showcases and was a mentor at the 2009 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals conference in
Ottawa and the 2010 Canadian Music Week in Toronto. She has been a company member of Toronto Playback Theatre since 2004, improvising live soundtracks for private and public performances, as well as being coordinator for multiple programs focusing on at-risk youth, cultural diversity, and anti-violence. Her career initiatives have been supported by the
Stephen Lewis Foundation,
Amnesty International, Alliance Française, FACTOR Canada,
Global Affairs Canada,
Canada Council,
MuchFACT,
BravoFACT,
Ontario Arts Council, and Toronto Arts Council. ==References==