Biggar & District Arts Council

Tom & Kalissa will draw on the vast catalogue of their 3 bands, as well as original compositions penned specifically for this project. You will be treated to an array of genres, like Celtic, Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Latin, Mexican, and Roots music sung in both English and Spanish to represent their respective Mexican and Chilean heritages. In addition, they will lean on folk musical idioms, such as Celtic, Roots, and Americana. Tom and Kalissa have a lovely vocal harmony blend and draw the listener in with great songs played on fiddle, guitar, and jarana (Mexican 8 string guitar). Perhaps one of the most endearing things about the couple is their relaxed and genuine stage banter, and the stories about the songs.

Mentalist and Magician Jeff Newman will mess with your head. He will influence your thoughts. He'll predict what you do before you know you're doing it. He will even read your mind. If you think this is a run-of-the-mill magic act, think again. Jeff will fool you badly, and you'll love every minute of it. For over a decade, Jeff's astounding, engaging mentalism act has made people laugh, gasp, and cheer as they take part in an unforgettable experience they've never seen before. Jeff has been seen and heard on CBC, CTV, and Global TV and has performed his award-winning shows to sell out crowds and rave reviews for cruise ships, theatres, and private events around the globe.

Saskatchewan's award-winning banjo player, Eliza Doyle, wows global audiences with her charismatic performances, clawhammer banjo skills, and refined songwriting. After playing with The Dead South (earning a Juno in 2018), her career soared. Her latest album, "Pretty Strange," features 10 live tracks recorded in Nashville on May 4th, 2022. A 20-show US tour showcases her evolution as an artist, blending catchy melodies with alt-country/folk, infused with banjo, guitar, and pedal steel. Doyle's unique take on Americana keeps listeners engaged and excited.

Prepare to be captivated by the infectious energy of Former Lovers, a dynamic prairie pop band from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Fronted by the charismatic LJ Tyson, their vibrant performances offer honest songwriting and soulful vocals that resonate deeply. With LJ at the helm, alongside Colin Klassen, Kay Wirtz, and Kolt Kimbley, Former Lovers deliver an unforgettable musical experience. Their shows across western Canada have garnered a dedicated following drawn to their catchy tunes and heartfelt lyrics. Formerly LJ Tyson and the Locals, the band's evolution into Former Lovers encapsulates their essence. Join their journey and let their irresistible sound sweep you away!

Rumour Mill, led by lifetime friends Anna Katarina and Aline Deanna, creates inclusive music that resonates globally. As songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, producers, and performers, they push genre and social norms. Their 4-piece band live show highlights songs from their recent album, What She Said, showcasing a sound akin to Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow and First Aid Kit. The show is dynamic and engaging, with rotating lead vocals, 3-part harmonies and varied instrumentation blending traditional fiddle and mandolin with electric guitar and keyboards. Rumour Mill's goal is to connect with audiences, making each performance enjoyable and relatable through humour and meaningful lyrics.

The Prairie Sons, cellist David Liam Roberts, and pianist Godwin Friesen, draw inspiration from the vast Canadian West. They met at the Glenn Gould School of Music and share a deep connection to their Prairie roots. Both awarded and featured in CBC's Hot 30 Classical Musicians Under 30, their concert program reflects their expansive perspective. The Prairie Sons' energy and innovation offer a fresh perspective on their homeland, inviting you to see the everyday as a miracle in the picturesque Canadian landscape.

Experience the hit comedy about depression & gratitude: EVERY BRILLIANT THING, by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe, starring Sarah Robertson. "You’re seven years old. Mum’s in hospital. Dad says she’s ‘done something stupid’. She finds it hard to be happy. You start a list of everything worth living for. 1. Ice Cream. 2. Rollercoasters. 3. Peeing in the lake and nobody knows... You leave the list on her pillow. You know she's read it because she's corrected your spelling." Twenty years & thousands of things later, the list takes on a life of its own. This astonishingly funny, unforgettable solo performance dives deep into mental health & the lengths we go to for those we love. Based on true & untrue stories. "Hilarious... one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see." -The Guardian

The Wardens don’t just sing about the land, they’re part of it. The Rocky Mountain-based band’s stories and songs rise from the very land they’ve protected as Canadian national park wardens. With haunting three-part harmonies and chilling tales, the band’s mountain music - blending folk, roots and western styles " reflects Canada's protected wilderness areas. Celebrating the return of wild buffalo, wrangling grizzly bears, lonely nights on the packtrail and reflecting on an environment in crisis, a performance by The Wardens has been dubbed "the quintessential mountain-culture concert experience."

You might hear the tunes of the Misery Mountain Boys drifting from behind a rotating bookcase of a 1930’s speakeasy. Harkening back to a simpler time, the MMB’s music is infused with tongue in cheek wit, playfulness, and nostalgia. With a mix of catchy originals and contemporary songs reimagined in driving swing, the band’s performance delivers as both classic and fresh. The band offers a generous variety of sweaty jazz numbers, velvety love songs, and swingin' jump-blues, with plenty of lighthearted stories and laughs along the way.

Atim Maskikhiy (‘Dog Medicine’ in Cree) presents works of seventeen artists local to the La Ronge tri-community area in Northern Saskatchewan. The multimedia pieces represent the artists’ interpretations of the dog-human relationship as expressed through preliminary findings of a community-driven research project conducted in the community. This unique marriage of art and science allows knowledge translation to a broader audience than typical of peer-reviewed research. Highlighting the need for improved access to animal health and welfare services in northern, remote and Indigenous communities everywhere, this gallery represents a call to action for systemic change at the human-dog interface. Through their works, the artists confirm that dog-human bonds are highly valued and often critical to human life and well-being in the north, and current approaches to ‘fixing’ dog problems in communities without regular access to care ignore important contributors at the root of the issue. This exhibition is curated by Dr. Jordan Woodsworth, Director, Northern Engagement and Community Outreach, Western College of Veterinary Medicine. The artists featured in this exhibition are: Andrea Cowan, Caron Dubnick, Donna Langhorne, Hilary Johnstone, John Halkett, Larissa Muirhead, Miriam Koerner, Molly Ratt, Myles Charles, Nancy Lafleur, Terri Franks, Sammi Kopeck, Abigail Clarke, Annalisa Heppner, Jade Roberts, Jasmine Grondin, and Wendy Cleveland.

Labours of Love, Under Lamplight is an exhibition featuring art from Indigenous artists in Saskatchewan, showcasing a diverse array of experiences and interpretations of Indigenous Art. The exhibition celebrates the various practices in Indigenous art, ranging from contemporary aesthetics and materials to those rooted in familial traditions. In today's fast-paced world, the dedication and labour of love invested in art can be easily overlooked. The concept of "Labour of love" in art emphasises the extensive labour involved in the creation process, often infused with familial stories, teachings, and practices passed down through generations. These expressions of love for the practice and culture are condensed into the final artworks, representing hours of devotion and labour. We invite viewers to turn the lamplight on, consider the time and knowledge behind each piece as the artists skilfully worked with familiar and lesser-known materials, revived from their cultural heritage or passed down through mentorship within the art community. For many Indigenous artists, their love for their culture serves as a significant motivation in their artistic journey, enriching the contemporary art scene with an inherent connection to their roots. This exhibition is curated by Holly Aubichon from recent acquisitions to the SK Arts Permanent collection and features the following artists: Stacey Fayant, Marcy Friesen, Sally Milne, Brandon Roy, Cherelle Williams, Audra Blais-Boulianne, Maureen Ledoux, Russel Iron, Elaine McArthur, and Jordy Ironstar.

Omentum is a series of 10 paintings that touch on several of the major experiences faced by Indigenous people in this country within recent memory. These paintings, influenced by the works of both Norval Morrisseau and also Pablo Picasso, speak to some of the major struggles and triumphs that are part of our everyday life as Indigenous people, such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Cultural Appropriation, the legacy of Residential Schools, the Rise and Honour of the Two-Spirited in the LGBTQ, the Return of Traditional Indigenous Tattooing, the Rise in Systemic Racism Online, and, of course, the Murder of Colten Boushie. John Brady McDonald is a Nehiyawak-Métis writer, artist, historian, musician, playwright, actor and activist born and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the Mistawasis Nehiyawak. The great-great-great grandson of Chief Mistawasis of the Plains Cree, as well as the grandson of famed Métis leader Jim Brady, John’s writings and artwork have been displayed in various publications, private and permanent collections and galleries around the world, including the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.