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Enjoy Christmas Favourites From Bing to Bocelli

The Nostalgic Ken Lavigne Christmas Radio Road Show Promises Audiences Music, Magic, and Merriment

Ken Lavigne has charmed his way into the hearts of concert-goers across North America with his exciting blend of classical tenor sound and modern style. A founding member of The Canadian Tenors and co-founder of the tenor trio ROMANZA, he has been touring and recording solo since 2008. Since performing at Carnegie Hall in 2009, Lavigne has worked extensively with famed LA producer David Foster and performed for Prince Charles. Now Ken is celebrating the holidays and bringing his popular Ken Lavigne Christmas Radio Road Show to Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove on Saturday, December 10 for two performances: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Music, merriment and magic will fill the air at the Christmas Radio Road Show as Ken takes a loving look back to the great radio shows of old. You will be transported with this nostalgic and enchanting musical tour through the 1940s and golden age of radio with Ken's band and special guests Alison MacDonald and Daniel James White.  Audiences will enjoy traditional and modern Christmas tunes like “What Child Is This”, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, “Christmas in Killarney” and many more favourites, bringing you the best from Bing Crosby to Andrea Bocelli!  Let Ken’s luscious, silken honey tenor vocals and hilarious stories fill you with the joy and spirit of the holiday season!

Embrace the magic and add a little “Fa la la la la” to your life; come and see The Ken Lavigne Christmas Radio Road Show at Horizon Stage on Saturday, December 10. A limited number of seats are available for the 7:30 p.m. performances but there is still an excellent selection for the 2 p.m. matinee. Tickets are $40 for adults and $35 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave), by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online at ticketpro.ca.

The Eastern Belles Weave Sweet Harmonies with Their Magical Voices

East Coast Folk and Roots Music by three of P.E.I.’s Finest Singer-Songwriters at Horizon Stage on November 27

Sit quietly in a darkened theatre and let some of the sweetest harmonies that you have ever heard wash over you. Listen as The Eastern Belles’ stunningly beautiful voices stand powerfully alone then join together to create vocal magic. Catherine MacLellan, Ashley Condon and Meaghan Blanchard are award-winning songwriters who have toured extensively as solo acts. Each has developed her own large fan-base and helped put their home province of Prince Edward Island on the big musical map. But, when they come together as The Eastern Belles to sing and write songs, there’s a chemistry that cannot be denied. Enjoy the Eastern Belles Up Close and Personal at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove on Sunday, November 27 at 7:30 p.m.

“The Island” is where Catherine, Ashley, and Meaghan have chosen to live and create while pursuing their musical careers, and it is where the idea for them touring together was first formed. Their shared a love of old country, folk and Americana music made the collaboration a natural fit. Growing up on an island of 134,000 people produces a fishing boat-load of tales that these ladies are happy to share. An Eastern Belles concert is a night of solo and trio performances, interwoven with stories and playful banter.

Catherine MacLellan has been a perennial fixture at the top of Canada’s Roots Music charts since releasing her first album in 2004. She has received praise from both domestic and international media, won a Canadian Folk Music Award and a Juno Award. Catherine’s sweet tones weave gracefully throughout pensive lyrics that ponder relatable internal dilemmas—balancing work and family, love blooming and fading away, and evaluating one’s own personal strength.

With two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations and multiple P.E.I. Music Awards, Ashley Condon has been winning audiences over with her larger-than-life stage presence and down-to-earth charm. Raised between two potato fields, she is the grandchild of Bill Leblanc, a Canadian country music pioneer who once spent the night in jail with Hank Snow. Ashley has release two albums and is celebrated for her ability to make audiences feel as though they are sitting cozily in her living room.

Meaghan Blanchard draws a lot of her inspiration for performing and songwriting from her grandparents and the memories of the Saturday night dances at the community hall where she heard them play. It was by sitting side stage at her grandmother’s performances that she also came to know and love some of the greatest female country singers of our time; Tammy Wynette, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton are huge influences on her music even to this day. Meaghan has released three albums, won two East Coast Music Awards and six Music P.E.I. Awards.

Experience folk and roots music at its best, delivered in an intimate setting by three of the finest singer-songwriters that Eastern Canada has to offer. Don’t miss The Eastern Belles at Horizon Stage on Sunday, November 27. Tickets are just $35 for adults and $30 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave), by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online through ticketpro.ca.

Intimate and Unplugged East Coast Folk Music

Get Up Close and Personal with Séan McCann at Horizon Stage on November 19

Séan McCann’s love for Newfoundland and Labrador folk songs shot him to international fame as a founding member of Canadian super-group Great Big Sea. After 20 years with the band, millions of albums sold, countless hit songs, and record-breaking tours around the world, he realized that he had to stop. While he believes that music is meant to connect, heal, and bring happiness, Séan was slowly losing his own way, so he left the band and started over. He is now touring the country as a solo artist in intimate venues where he can sincerely connect with his audience in the way he always hoped to—face to face. Don’t miss the only Edmonton-area stop on Séan McCann’s current tour, at Horizon Stage in Spruce Grove on Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m.

In January 2014 Séan released his first post-Great Big Sea album. Produced by Joel Plaskett, Help Your Self is the sound of a man facing his demons and ultimately overcoming them. The songs helped him deal with his own issues of addiction and abuse and showed him how to find strength in pain. He found himself using music as therapy; working with people who face physical, mental, and addiction challenges.  Séan has also become a sought-after speaker; trying to help others to help themselves find light through the darkness.

Séan’s journey to find his own peace, love, and happiness continues through his music. His newest work, You Know I Love You, is a happy collection of songs sung by a man intent on sharing his joy directly with you. His world has changed. Today the only thing left between Séan’s music and those who wish to share it, is a cellphone or a computer. Despite how small social media has made the world, and how it has included all of us into the same conversation with a simple hashtag, the basic human quest for a connection to something real is too difficult to fit in just 140 characters. Luckily, through the years of technological advancement and subsequent social change, two universal energies remain constant— Music and Love.

Connect with Séan McCann Up Close and Personal at Horizon Stage on November 19. Tickets are just $35 for adults and $30 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave), by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online through ticketpro.ca.

“It truly is a joy to see Séan McCann live, [where] he can interact directly with his fans like he never could at a show with 10,000 people.” – The Review

Jake’s Gift is Deeply Moving and Profoundly Personal

Multi-Award Winning Play about the Legacy of Remembrance Returns to Horizon Stage on November 18

Jake’s Gift is a multi-award winning Canadian play about a World War II veteran’s reluctant return to Normandy, France, for the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day landings. While revisiting the shores of Juno beach, Jake encounters Isabelle, a precocious 10-year-old from the local village. Isabelle’s inquisitive nature and charm challenge the old soldier to confront some long-ignored ghosts – most notably the war-time death of his eldest brother, Chester, a once promising young musician. Jake’s Gift is about the legacy of remembrance and it makes the story behind one soldier’s grave deeply personal. Extend your Remembrance Day celebration and experience Jake’s Gift at Horizon Stage on Friday, November 18.

In June 2004, Julia Mackey traveled to Normandy, France, for the 60th anniversary of D-Day. It was one of the most moving and powerful experiences of her life. During that week long journey, Julia interviewed dozens of Canadian, British and American WWII veterans who had returned for the ceremonies. The stories they shared with Julia and her own life-long interest in Remembrance Day inspired the development of Jake’s Gift.  She also drew inspiration from the grave of a real Canadian soldier buried in Bény-Sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery when creating the character of Chester.

Since 2007 Jake’s Gift has played at festivals and theatres in over 220 communities across Canada, including Edmonton (2008, 2010 & 2013) and Spruce Grove (2011). They have toured internationally to Washington State, the United Kingdom, and to Normandy, France, for the 70th Anniversary of D-Day in June 2014. The 2016/17 Season marks the start of their 10th year of touring, and Juno Productions and Jake’s Gift continue to garner awards and rave reviews whether playing in small rural towns or big city centers.

Surprisingly funny and profoundly moving, Jake’s Gift pays tribute to an important part of Canadian history. Don’t miss Jake’s Gift at Horizon Stage on Friday, November 18 at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are just $35 for adults and $30 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave), by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online through ticketpro.ca


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★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Jake’s Gift.  Mark it down. Get your tickets right away.”

– Colin Maclean, Edmonton Sun

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Julia Mackey is an eminently watchable actor and her transformation

 between characters are stunning and nuanced.” – Bryan Birtles, Vue Weekly

“Jake’s Gift is as near a perfect play as I’ve ever seen.”

– Jackie Flanagan, Alberta Views Magazine

They’re Not Your Average Classical Trio

Joe Trio Promises to Play Classical, Popular, Jazz, and Rock Tunes at Horizon Stage November 15

Joe Trio never wants to be thought of as an ‘average’ classical trio. They strive for diversity, versatility, humour, and unpredictability in everything that they do and their live concerts are no exception. Their repertoire consists of the classics – from Haydn to Shostakovich - new works by contemporary composers, and their own arrangements of popular, jazz, and rock tunes. And they're not afraid to mix together so many styles of music into a single piece that it makes your head spin. More than virtuosi, the Trio's members are fantastic performers who engage the audience in a way few classical musicians can. Witty, charming, and tremendously talented, Joe Trio leaves their audiences with a new appreciation for classical music. Enjoy Joe Trio’s classical concert with a twist at Horizon Stage on Tuesday, November 15.

Trio members Cameron Wilson (violin), Charles Inkman (cello) and Allen Stiles (piano) are all accomplished musicians from the Vancouver area. Since forming Joe Trio in 1989 they have presented hundreds of concerts throughout Canada and the United States. They have recorded three CDs, been nominated for a West Coast Music Award, and toured BC and Alberta with CBC storyteller Stuart McLean.

Violinist Cameron Wilson is member the gypsy jazz quartet Van Django, the Hard Rubber Orchestra, Pastiche, Mariachi Del Sol, and Tambura Rasa. His cSupernatural Noir, wrote the score for the 2014 short film The Mary Contest, and was recently commissioned by Chicago’s Lyrebird Ensemble to write a jazz inspired work for flute and harp.
ompositions and arrangements have been performed by symphony orchestras and ensembles across North America. Cameron co-wrote the film noir opera

Charles Inkman has been playing cello since he was eight. He has a Bachelor of Music Degree in performance from the University of British Columbia, is a long-standing member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and teaches at the VSO School of Music. He is also the music director and conductor for the North Shore Chamber Orchestra. Charles has recorded for movies and television, performed in Broadway musicals, and played with John Denver, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Brian Wilson.
Allen Stiles plays with the contemporary music ensemble Standing Wave and is a founding member of The Little Chamber Music Series That Could Society. He holds a Masters Degree in piano performance from UBC. Allen currently teaches at the Langley and Richmond schools of music and the the Douglas College Community School.

Spend an unpredictable, fun, and music-filled evening with Joe Trio at Horizon Stage on November 15 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 for adults and $30 for students and seniors and may be purchased at the City Hall Ticket Centre (315 Jespersen Ave), by phone at 780-962-8995 or 1-888-655-9090, and online through ticktpro.ca.