Share and Intimate Evening with One of Canada's Finest Singer Songwriters

See Stephen Fearing Up Close and Personal at Horizon Stage on Friday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.

It has been 20 years since songsmith, Stephen Fearing, released his self-titled debut CD. Over the following two decades, he has built up a loyal national and international audience. Like most contemporary songwriter/performers, Stephen is not bound by any particular musical genre or category. The recent release of his eighth solo album, The Man Who Married Music: The Best of Stephen Fearing, highlights his exploration of various musical forms, as does his continued participation in the highly successful Canadian roots/rock super-trio, Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. Now, Edmonton and area music-lovers have the opportunity to spend an intimate evening with Stephen Fearing at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove on Friday, March 12.

Born in 1963 in Vancouver, Stephen spent most of his boyhood and teenage years in Dublin. There, he picked up the guitar and the Irish and English musical traditions that have informed his music ever since. After a short stint in the U.S. Midwest, he returned to Canada, and is now long-established as a regular and popular fixture on the folk club and festival circuit in North America and the U.K.

Stephen mixes powerful lyrics, creative arrangements and brilliant guitar playing to create a sound and style that is distinctly his own. He has been nominated for numerous Junos, with his album Yellowjacket winning Solo Roots & Traditional Album of the Year in 2007. He also has a West Coast Music Award, a Hamilton Music Award, and a Canadian Folk Music Award on his shelf. A founding member of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, Stephen has collaborated with many other artists including Richard Thompson, Sarah McLachlan, Tom Wilson, Colin Linden and Suzie Vinnick.

Appearing with Stephen at Horizon Stage will be Irish singer songwriter and poet Andy White. Socially aware in a way that comes naturally to someone who grew up in Belfast during the 70s and 80s, Andy’s writing incorporates and transcends the boundaries of his native land. With 14 albums to his credit he has also collaborated with many artists including Peter Gabriel and Sinéad O’Connor.

www.stephenfearing.com & www.andywhite.com

Experience the Magic at Horizon Stage

Illusionists Ted and Marion Outerbridge will dazzle audiences in Spruce Grove on February 20 and 21.

In Ted and Marion Outerbridge’s Magical Moments in Time, comedy meets mind-bending illusions, making for a uniquely bewitching and hilarious program of entertainment. Ted and Marion don’t just play the spotlight, they come to life in it – and then share it with audience members, inviting them to experience the magic up close and personal on stage. Whether it’s Ted changing places with Marion in a split second, reading people’s minds, or traveling back in time in a giant alarm clock, the Outerbridges hold their audiences spellbound. Now, Edmonton and area magic-lovers have the opportunity to experience Magical Moments in Time at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove on Saturday, February 20 and Sunday, February 21.

Performing professionally since 1982, Ted Outerbridge has delighted audiences in over 100 Canadian cities and on the other side of the Atlantic. He has done everything from materializing Fortune 500 executives onstage, to consulting for Cirque du Soleil, to creating the magic for Kathleen Turner and Christopher Reeve in the movie, Switching Channels. Ted has made over 75 television appearances and produced his own TV special, Magic With Ted Outerbridge. He has performed numerous times at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, for Princess Cruises, and at the SkyDome in Toronto. Acclaimed for his innovative style, Ted Outerbridge has won the Stage Magician of the Year award from the Academy of Magical Arts and the Tom Auburn Award for magical excellence for the Society for American Magicians.

Marion Outerbridge is an illusionist, dancer, choreographer and actress who speaks five languages fluently. She studied dance in Holland and Moscow and has performed all over the world. In 1999, Marion joined the Ted Outerbridge Magician Extraordinaire show and the rest is, as they say, history. She has continued to dance and act, appearing in numerous Canadian and international productions. Marion made her film debut in The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis. She has since appeared in several other feature films including 2001, A Space Travesty with Leslie Nielson.

Don’t miss your opportunity to be amazed and awed by the tremendous talents of Ted and Marion Outerbridge. The 7:30 p.m. performance of Magical Moments in Time on February 20 will be a full-length, jam-packed, illusion-studded production. The 2 p.m. Family Matinee on Sunday will be a 50-min long family-friendly abridgement of Magical Moments in Time that is perfect for younger audiences. Saturday tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students and seniors. Sunday matinee tickets are just $15 for all ages. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster and the Horizon Stage Box Office. Call 780-962-8995 or visit the Box Office in person at 315 Jespersen Avenue to purchase yours today. www.tedouterbridge.com

Third Arrogant Worms Concert Added

Evening concerts on April 23 and 24 are sold out

2 p.m. matinee added on April 24.

In 1991 something magnificent happened in Kingston, Ontario. Sensing a desperate public need for musical comedy, Mike McCormick, Chris Patterson and Trevor Strong formed the Arrogant Worms. They began as a comedy troupe, performing songs and sketches. As their live show developed, the songs delighted the audience. The sketches -- not so much. Skipping ahead to 2010, the Arrogant Worms have sold more than 150,000 copies of their 12 albums and performed on three continents. They have sung with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the Winspear Centre and in front of seven sold-out audiences at Horizon Stage. Now, with their April 23 and 24 evening concerts in Spruce Grove sold out 3 months in advance, Horizon Stage has booked these wild and wacky guys for a third performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 24.

Arrogant Worms’ songs show up in school lesson plans, in textbooks, and even played on the Space Shuttle. On earth or in space, everyone digs them. Their live shows are fast, furious and family friendly. Their wit is quick, their satire biting, and their musicianship second to none. The Arrogant Worms’ appeal has earned them fans from kids to parents to grandparents to Carrie Fisher and Meg Ryan. In 2003 the Canadian Arts Presenters Association recognized them as Touring Act of the Year and they are still going strong. They recently received a Peter Gzowski Award for donating their time and talent to promote literacy in Canada.

The Arrogant Worms provide tuneful and silly escapism for everyone who needs it. And if you think you don't need it, then they think you're wrong. Get your tickets to their 2 p.m. matinee performance at Horizon Stage on Saturday, April 24 before that show sells out too. They cost $35 for adults and $30 for students and seniors and can be purchased by calling the Horizon Stage Box Office at 780-962-8995 or through Ticketmaster. The Arrogant Worms know what’s best for you - it’s the Arrogant Worms. www.arrogantworms.com

“Hilarious and poignant”
The Tampa Tribune

“Quirky and remarkably talented”
Tampa Expression

“These guys are too much fun for their own good”
Dirty Linen Magazine

“Certifiably demented”
The Toronto Star