Communities

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.

The Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, Poltava Ensemble of Song, Music and Dance is a 50-member Ukrainian Ensemble based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Poltava Ensemble’s roots in Saskatchewan’s cultural scene began in 1922 with the formation of a children’s string orchestra and since that time the Ensemble has grown to include dancers, singers and musicians. The Poltava Dancers, directed by Lisa Wanner, is a male and female adult ensemble whose dancers have a high level of technical training in Ukrainian dance, ballet and folk dance. The Poltava Orchestra, under the direction of Cade Eastwood, brings to life the rich heritage of Ukrainian folk music, whether it accompanies the dancers or is featured as a performing entity unto itself.

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.

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."