Experience the Music and Culture of Canada’s North

New North Collective Celebrate and Explore Their Traditional and Contemporary Roots at Horizon Stage on October 12

New North Collective is an ensemble of performing artists from Yukon and Northwest Territories who explore, create, and celebrate the music of Northern Canada. The current collective is made up of spoken word artist/bassist Pat Braden and composer/performer Carmen Braden from NWT; singer/songwriter Diyet from the Kluane First Nation, guitarist/songwriter Graeme Peters, and percussionist Robert Van Lieshout from Yukon; and guest artist, Leanne Goose, from Inuvik who is currently studying at MacEwan University. New North Collective are excited to be touring “Southern” Canada and to be performing at Horizon Stage on Friday, October 12 at 7:30 p.m.

The New North Collective came into being in 2015 after its members performed together in various configurations at multiple events and festivals. Everyone has successful individual music careers so they bring a diversity of styles, language, and experience to the collective. Together, they explore their ideas of north - from the land to the people; from the traditional to the contemporary. Their shared music takes an in-depth look at being a northern person and a northern artist with the impact of geography and community on the art they create collaboratively. Diverse and skillful, they cover a multitude of genres including jazz, folk, new music, spoken word, and rock.

Pat Braden previously performed at Horizon Stage in 2011. He is a soft-spoken storyteller and songwriter who weaves text with musical elements to paint exquisitely beautiful images of the northern land and its people. Pat studied at Grant MacEwan Community College and returned to Yellowknife in 1984 to perform with northern artists and bands both in the studio and on territorial and national stages.

Carmen Braden’s vocal, instrumental, and electroacoustic music is greatly tied to her soundscape. She draws from her environment by examining natural phenomena through sonic, visual, sensual and scientific ways of understanding. Her creative research has led her into deep study of ice on Great Slave Lake, as well as raven calls, bedrock, and different qualities of light. Carmen often collaborates with artists who work in other mediums like dance, theatre, film, and story-telling.

Diyet was born in a tent and was brought up on the ancestral lands of her people in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Coming from a family rooted in traditions but tempered with a good sense of adventurous hippie attitudes, she creates a musical presence that is as diverse as her Southern Tutchone, Tlingit, Japanese and Scottish heritage. She acquired a degree in music and is a published songwriter in Vancouver. When the pull of the North was too strong, she packed her bags, and her husband (co-performer Robert Van Lieshout) and moved back. Robert and Diyet also perform together in the band Diyet and the Love Soldiers. 

Graeme Peters is the lead member of Yukon's rock band Speed Control.  He has years of training in classical piano, attended the University of Toronto's prestigious Jazz Program, co-wrote a rock opera, and is a highly sought after touring and studio musician. Graeme has recorded and played with Tanya Tagaq and Canadian jazz greats Ingrid Jensen and Terry Promane. He was a member of the Peters Drury Trio when they performed at Horizon Stage 2002.

Leanne Goose is from Canada's Western Arctic town, Inuvik, Northwest Territories. An eclectic entertainer, Leanne wears many hats: singer/songwriter, musician, producer, arts and cultural manager, and storyteller. Her music is a combination of storytelling set to folk/country-blues and influences of her Inuvialuit and Dene culture. Her style is a reflection of the land and people she calls home; big, bold and ready for adventure.

Specifically designed to discard stereotypes and push boundaries, New North Collective’s multi-media show is simultaneously crowd-pleasing and thought-provoking. Experience all that is New North Collective at Horizon Stage on Friday, October 12 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 Ticketpro.ca.

Lisa Brokop Presents: Legendary Ladies of Country

Canadian Country Star Will Perform Her New Tribute Show at Horizon Stage on September 28 and October 1

Hot on the heels of The Patsy Cline Project, comes Lisa Brokop’s brand new show, Legendary Ladies of Country! This presentation features songs from many of the greatest female country singers of our time including Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker, and Emmylou Harris. Lisa will tell stories about what these songs have meant to her and the influences that these ladies have had on her career. And, Lisa’s fans will enjoy hearing a few of her own hits as well! Originally scheduled for one show on Friday, September 28, tickets have sold so well (Friday is almost sold out) that Horizon Stage has added a second Legendary Ladies of Country performance on Monday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m.

In a day and age when many artists flicker for a moment before fading out of the spotlight, Lisa Brokop has spent over 20 remarkable years singing, songwriting and performing. What’s the secret to her success?  “I love what I do,” she says. “Every note I sing, whether in the studio or from the stage, is true.  It hasn’t always been an easy road. There have been many curves, bumps and detours.  But really, it is the love of the music that motivates each step I take in the business. It keeps me moving forward.  And I think fans feel and appreciate that love.”

Lisa’s love affair with performing began when she was very young. Even as a baby, it was clear that she was special—she was singing before she could talk! Growing up in suburban Vancouver, she joined her mother and brother on stage when she was seven, performing everything from polkas to Kenny Rogers’ classics. By age 12 Lisa was sitting in with other Vancouver bands, going professional at age 15 when she joined a touring band. A year later she began her solo career, releasing “Daddy Sing To Me”, the first successful single from her independent debut album, My Love, in 1991.

At the age of 19, Lisa landed the lead female role in the feature film Harmony Cats. The movie, in which she played a country singer who leaves home in search of a big break in Nashville, proved to be prophetic. Shortly after filming wrapped, and on the strength of her very first Nashville showcase, Lisa was signed to Capitol Records.

Lisa has had a string of hits including “Give Me a Ring Sometime”, “Take That”, “How Do I Let Go”, “Better off Broken”. “Let it Burn”, and “Love Me If You Can”.  She has earned multiple CCMA Awards, including two for Independent Song of the Year, and three for Independent Female Artist of the Year.  To date she has released nine albums and her songs have been recorded by Reba McEntire, Terri Clark, and Pam Tillis.

Lisa’s first tribute show, The Patsy Cline Project, sold out two performances and was a huge hit at Horizon Stage in 2016 and staff and fans are happy to welcome her back! Tickets for Legendary Ladies of Country 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 through Ticketpro.ca.