Linda Cara's first time on stage was at the age of three as a ballet and tap dancer. Remembering through the eyes of a child, she can still recall seeing an audience for the first time. Performances continued through to age nine, at which point, she decided to take music lessons. The instrument that fascinated her was---the accordion.
Her musical education includes classical training at the Royal Conservatory of Music, where she was a scholarship recipient studying with world renowned accordionist, Joseph Macerollo. Alongside this demanding, and what she considers priceless training, Linda was also studying voice with Carolyn Leslie. She feels extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to study and be associated with these two remarkable musicians.
Early in her musical career, Linda was a successful competitor in the accordion world, participating in several profile music festivals across Canada and the United States. She was also a featured soloist on CJRT's Classical Live Radio Spotlight recorded at the University of Toronto's Walter Hall. She managed to include singing in between this demanding schedule, where she began to establish herself in Toronto's Top 40 and R&B scene. Linda was involved in two very different musical worlds. The experiences though, never conflicted, infact, she applied her training and knowledge from one into the other, and oddly enough, she couldn't imagine one without the other.
Highlights in her career include vocal and accordion sessions for TV, film, and other artist's CDs. Currently, Linda is working on her own original material, co-written and produced by "Open Mike's" keyboardist, Tony Padalino. She describes the music as being R&B/soul/contemporary. Linda has also recently released an accordion album,entitled 'Serenita', containing traditional Italian standards, along with four originals written and arranged by Tony Padalino. Linda feels extremely lucky to have this 'dual' career, and, she will continue to be involved in exciting projects in her two musical worlds.