You can now add live dance to your subscription! artsPlace is thrilled to present a captivating double-bill featuring two of Edmonton's most innovative forces in movement: MfMdanceArtist and Good Women Dance Collective.

Prepare for an emotionally resonant, deeply human performance that explores lived experience, the complexities of relationships, and the extraordinary things the body can express when words fall short. This isn't a typical polished performance—it's a visually compelling and deeply honest, visceral exploration of human condition. Don't miss this unforgettable evening of boundary-pushing Alberta choreography. Experience contemporary dance at its most raw, intimate, and breathtaking.

Kaimerata Concerts have been bringing exquisite classical music by world class musicians since 2011 in an innovative, friendly, and down-to-earth fashion. Internationally acclaimed soloist and chamber musician Kai Gleusteen, director and host of Kaimerata Concerts, facilitates this mission with spontaneous and well-informed anecdotes, eliminating the traditional distance between performers on stage and the audience.

Virtuosic showpieces and romantic ballads, blazing Romani tunes and forgotten chestnuts, all brought to life with multi-instrument mastery: this is Quartetto Gelato—a popular and highly unusual classical quartet. With a performance repertoire that spans the globe and includes classical masterworks, engaging vocals, the sizzling energy of tangos, Romani and klezmer songs, this dazzling ensemble has enchanted audiences and critics worldwide with its exotic blend of musical virtuosity, artistic passion and humour.

Bringing together internationally acclaimed performers and artists from across Canada, this collaborative project features Calgary-based Mysterium Duo (Sir Antonio Peruch and Penny Sanborn on accordions), alongside the dynamic Vaughan String Quartet (Vladimir Rufino, Mattia Berrini, Fabiola Amorim, Silvia Buttiglione), with members from Edmonton and Montreal. United by a shared commitment to expressive artistry and innovation, they present a compelling exploration of contemporary and classical traditions, creating a multi-disciplinary experience that bridges sound and image.

In the fall of 2025, Rising Stars was invited to Sedona, AZ as part of an arts exchange, subsequently winning a prestigious award from Sister Cities International in Washington. Susanne Ruberg-Gordon hosted the concert, which featured Vasylisa Nikolenko along with Alumni violinist Jacques Forestier and two wonderful string players from Arizona. Now it’s Canmore’s turn to host! Internationally acclaimed powerhouse cellist and Rising Stars Alumna Luka Coetzee joins three fantastic young musicians, local Canmore pianists Vasylisa Nikolenko and Rowan Dial, and Arizona-based violinist Jayden Yoneyama, for an unforgettable concert experience.

ChamberFest West, Calgary’s Chamber Music Festival, returns to artsPlace to once again present a thrilling music program of the highest international standards. Roman Rabinovich and long-time collaborator Orion Weiss join together for a duo piano program centered on Rachmaninoff’s Suites for Two Pianos.

"Rarely has a chamber performance moved its audience so completely" - Calgary Herald

As Duo Cordelia, violinist Vanessa Marcoux and pianist Marie-Christine Poirier invite you into an unexpected musical landscape, where classical compositions mingle with fresh repertoire, playful improvisation, and unconventional technique. Both graduates of the Université de Montréal and individually recognized as talented musicians, the two have been curating captivating performances together for almost a decade. Their 2024 album “Cendres” was honoured with an Opus Award for Album of the Year. With concerts of “stunning virtuosity and spectacular originality”, Duo Cordelia are making a name for themselves across Canada.

True to their name, Solidaridad Tango reflect all of the vibrancy of a dance and culture steeped in passion and resilience. From the first rich slide of bow on string, you find yourself transported into an invigorating interplay of Latin-inspired rhythms. In 2021, Sri Lankan-Canadian violinist Aparna Halpé first brought together a group of talented women to showcase tango-inspired performance. The resulting conversation between violin, bandoneon and piano is enhanced by poetry and vocals that run the gamut from wistful to fiery. Be warned… time spent with the music of Solidaridad Tango just might spark a desire for more.

Calgary Opera returns to artsPlace by popular demand with another concert featuring the rising young opera stars from their McPhee Artist Development Program, performing popular arias and ensembles and hidden gems from the operatic repertoire. Each season, Calgary Opera provides up to eight young singers with the opportunity to study and perform under a professional staff of teachers and performers. The program serves as a bridge between academic programs and the professional world of opera, offering the experience and practical skills necessary to succeed as a self-employed artist in a highly competitive international environment.

The beloved Rising Stars concert is back for another year! Join us for an inspiring evening featuring the next generation of Canada’s truly outstanding young classical musicians – in collaboration with internationally acclaimed pianist and Canmore resident Susanne Ruberg-Gordon. As always, you will be wowed, moved and blown away.

Grand Prize winner of the 2025 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and winner of the CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Prize, the Katarina String Quartet has quickly distinguished itself as one of North America’s most compelling young ensembles. The tightly-knit ensemble currently serves as the Graduate Resident String Quartet at The Juilliard School, where they explore all chamber music, from contemporary and canonized works to folk tunes. Known for their personable concert presentations and community leadership, they regularly perform in community centers around New York City as recipients of Juilliard’s Gluck Fellowship.

From Argentinian Tango Nuevo nightclubs, through New York jazz cellars, to rustic Romania, and to the sandy deserts of the future where spaceships land—in search of the best grooves and most beautiful sounds, which they transform as if by magic into music for just two cellos, no path is too far and no style is too foreign for the CelloFellos. The two cellists Leonard Disselhorst and Bryan Cheng are old friends and united by their desire to transcend the boundaries of traditional classical literature. After decades of concert experience and international tours as two of the most in-demand solo and chamber musicians of their generation, they decided in 2020 to subsequently also work together as a recognized duo.

The Garneau String Quartet has delighted audiences in their home of Edmonton and at festivals across Canada. From 2022-2025, the GSQ was the Quartet-in-Residence at the MacEwan University Conservatory of Music, and in the 25/26 season moved to the Winspear Centre for Music Conservatory, where they perform concert series and direct the Chamber Music Academy for Young Artists. The quartet is comprised of violinists Robert Uchida and Laura Veeze, violist Keith Hamm, and cellist Julie Hereish, all active soloists, chamber musicians, all members of your Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Praised as “highly enjoyable and immensely satisfying” by The Whole Note, JUNO-nominated Land’s End Ensemble is firmly established as one of Canada’s foremost contemporary ensembles, inviting curious audiences to reimagine the possibilities of the classical piano trio. Dedicated to presenting innovative works by today’s most compelling composers, the Ensemble has been praised by critics for their exceptional artistry.

JUNO Award-winning clarinetist Virginia MacDonald has established herself as a leading voice of her generation. Known for her lyrical and dynamic approach to the clarinet, she has been described by legendary clarinetist Doreen Ketchens as playing “like a scholar, very refined with plenty of soul.” As an in-demand bandleader, sidewoman, and composer, she maintains a busy international performance schedule across North America and Europe, regularly appearing at renowned venues such as Birdland, Smalls, Ronnie Scott’s, Le Duc des Lombards, and Dizzy’s.

Vancouver-based guitarist Madeleine Elkins writes intricate compositions at the crossroads of jazz, folk, and rock. Named by The Vancouver Sun as one of “10 Vancouver music acts to watch in 2026,” she has been described as “one of the freshest and most varied” players in the city. Elkins is carving out a bold new voice in the Canadian contemporary jazz scene, regularly touring Western Canada. Her current focus as a bandleader is her trio, featuring William Chernoff on bass and Kevin Romain on drums.

Emilie-Claire Barlow is one of the most respected and distinctive voices on the Canadian jazz scene. A seasoned singer, arranger and producer, she has built an international career anchored by fourteen albums, including La plus belle saison, a heartfelt tribute to the Québec repertoire, co-produced with pianist and arranger François Richard. The recipient of a Félix and two JUNO Awards, Barlow has garnered over 500 million streams and performed on stages around the world. Joyful and passionate, with a charming sense of humour, she brings to her music a sense of playfulness, sophistication, a love of language, and a voice of unforgettable beauty.

Celebrate the legacy of some of Canada’s most iconic voices with Both Sides Now — an unforgettable evening honoring Joni Mitchell and her fellow Canadian singer-songwriters. From the poeticism of Mitchell’s classics like Blue and Woodstock to the heartfelt melodies of Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, and others, this concert reimagines the tapestry of Canada’s musical heritage through a modern jazz lens. Expect intimate storytelling, soaring vocals, and timeless songs that continue to shape Canadian identity.

Ukrainian-Canadian drummer and composer Tetyana Haraschuk is an original. Her commitment to values including hard work and kindness combine with her natural sensitivity and gift for storytelling and come through in her music - intricately textured, rhythmically detailed, incorporating moods ranging from delicate to aggressive, and always deeply felt.

A confluence of melodies centuries old, this concert showcases the cross-cultural fusion and modern jazz improvisation of Steinway Artist and multi-JUNO Award-winning composer David Braid. He is joined by an international quintet: YYCMUSIC award-winning Redline Trio, a cornerstone of the Calgary jazz scene featuring saxophonist Mark DeJong, bassist Steve Shepard, and Calgary drum titan Jeff Sulima, along with renowned trumpet soloist Andre Wickenheiser, and NYC drummer/percussionist David Freeman.

Leeroy Stagger is a Canadian roots rocker inspired as much by John Prine and Nick Drake as he is Tom Petty and Joe Strummer. For the past twenty years, he has been touring North America and Europe, making records and gaining a strong and dedicated following. Known for his powerful live performances and compared to the likes of Jason Isbell and Steve Earle, Stagger moves effortlessly between raucous anthems and intimate ballads. Whether he's telling stories from the back of a beat-up car or under Alberta’s wide-open skies, his music hits hard and lingers long after the final chord.

Steve Poltz is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and founding member of the indie-rock band the Rugburns. While he is known for collaborating on several songs with Jewel, including the 1996 hit "You Were Meant for Me", he has spent recent years building a reputation as a prolific live performer and crushing festivals in Canada, Australia, and the US. His work focuses on contemporary collaborations and high-energy touring, including successful runs with Danny Michel. Steve continues to capture the hearts of crowds with his unique blend of musicianship and storytelling.

Some musical meetings feel less like “collaborations” and more like conversations waiting to happen. This rare collaborative run with Steve Dawson and Joachim Cooder is exactly that: two artists sharing the stage for an entire night, swapping songs, backing each other up, and following the music wherever it leads. There’s no strict division of sets here, just an open, intuitive flow built on listening, trust, and the joy of discovery.

Canadian songwriter Zachary Lucky is unapologetically old-school country, armed with a husky, baritone voice. The Grandson of Canadian Country Music pioneer Smilin' Johnnie Lucky, Zachary often receives comparisons to songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot and Kris Kristofferson. Already hailed as a master storyteller by outlets ranging from No Depression to The Globe and Mail, Zachary is becoming a legend in his own right and has safely reserved his spot at the table of Canadian roots royalty.

JUNO award winning singer-songwriter Cara Luft is that rare artist steeped in folk and traditional roots music almost from birth, yet willing to alter the fabric, stretch the boundaries, and fearlessly bend genres and styles. A founding member of Canadian folk super-group The Wailin' Jennys and the brainchild/bandleader of Winnipeg's acclaimed powerhouse duo The Small Glories, Luft deserves her solid reputation as one of Canada’s finest live performers, armed with amazing tenacity, vision, energy and a contagious hilarity.

From the Great Northern Plains of Western Canada, Little Miss Higgins struts and serenades her way, guitar in hand, lips blazoned red, onto any stage. As if she just drove in off the back-road of another time with gravel dust and a sunset trailing behind her, this pocket-sized powerhouse plays music brewed up in old-time country blues sprinkled with a little jazz and maybe a hint of folk. Whether it's songs about passion or songs about panties, she writes about real things in a rooted and poetic way.

‘one of the hottest young prospects in traditional Irish music’ – The Irish Independent

A fresh and energetic sound of traditional Irish music, Tulua have been deeply exploring songs of their local area and other parts of Ireland, bringing the audience with them on a captivating journey of music about love, life, and everything in between.

James Keelaghan needs no introduction to western audiences. The Calgary native has been touring the west for more than three decades and has been to just about every town between Winnipeg and Victoria. Jez Lowe occupies much the same position in the UK that James does in Canada, a popular veteran singer-songwriter widely respected across the British Isles. Old friends and musical colleagues of many years, the duo has toured on both sides of the Atlantic in a fully collaborative show that has each artist performing his material with the help of the other. Think Tommy Makem & Liam Clancy.

Calgaréal is a dynamic new Canadian cross-country collective that fuses two distinct musical scenes together; that of Calgary and Montréal. The driving force behind the band is violinist Jeremy Gignoux, a former Montrealer now based in Calgary, who saw an opportunity to connect two groups of musicians with a mutual interest in traditional music and improvisation.

Irish Mythen (They/Them) is a globally acclaimed artist known for their raw vocal power, magnetic stage presence, and ability to forge deep connections with audiences. Originally from Ireland and now based in Prince Edward Island, Canada, Irish’s career highlights include a JUNO nomination, multiple awards, and performances at iconic venues like the Sydney Opera House and Glastonbury Festival. Mythen’s live shows are unforgettable—immersing audiences in a whirlwind of emotion, stories, and unparalleled artistry that leave a lasting impact. A new album is planned to be released in spring 2026!

Martin Kerr sings what you're thinking. A folk troubadour for the post-truth age, his outspoken lyrics and soaring voice are connecting with millions of listeners around the world. He blends the urgent issues of the day with deeply personal narratives, in nostalgic folk arrangements that invite you to sing along. Explosive growth on social media has seen him reach over 50 million people in just the last few months, as he's making waves with his captivating live performances. He's opened for Dermot Kennedy, Sarah McLachlan, Walk Off The Earth, Blue Rodeo, and The Strumbellas, and played festival stages across North America.

Celebrate the season with an adventurous musical trip around the world! This multi-award-winning, 3x JUNO-nominated and Billboard charting band delivers an exuberant performance featuring originals, world-music inspired classics, and seasonal favourites to warm your heart on a cold winter’s night. Since forming 10 years ago, Sultans of String have hit #1 across Canada on Top 10 national radio charts, and received multiple awards and accolades, including 3 JUNO Award nominations, and 3 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Bandleader and violinist Chris McKhool was recently awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his work in creating community through music.

For three decades Canada's legendary folk ensemble Tanglefoot carried the spirit of Canada in story and song across North America, the UK and parts of Europe. Now the band brings their signature energy and warmth to a new chapter of touring, celebrating the enduring connections between the songs, friendships and audiences that have always been at the heart of their music. Known for powerful harmonies, quick wit, and storytelling steeped in Canadian history, the band reunites Canadian Folk Music Award winners Steve Ritchie, Al Parrish, Sandra Swannell Young, and Rob Ritchie. They are joined by Rob's son, singer/multi-instrumentalist Josh Ritchie who steps into the place once held by the late Terry Young, a tribute to both family and legacy.

Stephen Fearing is a celebrated troubadour, revered for his vivid, lyrical songwriting, masterful guitar work, and a voice described as melodic and cobalt. He has released critically acclaimed albums, earned two JUNO Awards, and collaborated with legends of modern roots music. As co-founder of the Canadian roots-rock giants Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Fearing has built a legacy of genre-busting music that captures the human condition in all its messy splendour.

Like the powerful mandolinist and composer at its helm, John Reischman and the Jaybirds fashion a stylish take on bluegrass that seamlessly blends original songs and instrumentals with Appalachian old-time music for a truly unique band sound. Now in their 20th year, with seven acclaimed albums and two Juno nominations, the Jaybirds are simultaneously innovative and unadorned, sophisticated and stripped-down, happily old-fashioned and 21st-century contemporary.

There is something undeniably captivating about acclaimed Canadian songwriter Kellie Loder. A gifted storyteller and entertainer, Loder commands a voice that radiates both warmth and power. Their songs are built on honest, vulnerable lyrics that feel deeply personal, resonating through heartfelt ballads, playful charm, and exhilarating live performances. Described as “a multi-genre marvel,” Loder blends Americana, folk, and indie pop, crafting a sound that reflects both the rugged spirit and emotional depth of their Newfoundland and Labrador roots.

Oktopus stands as a major voice in Canada’s world-music scene, with nearly 350 performances at home and abroad. The octet, dedicated to klezmer music, sets itself apart with a distinctive approach blending classical, Québécois, and jazz influences. The group is bringing a thrilling concert which explores how folk traditions have inspired the great classical composers, where classical and folk traditions stand on equal footing, intertwined in touching and virtuosic arrangements. Sometimes festive, sometimes reflective, the music draws tears caught between laughter and emotion, guided by klezmer’s lively dances and ornamentations.

Shane Pendergast has folk music in his blood. Hailing from a long lineage of storytellers and musicians in Prince Edward Island, he is keeping the Maritime folk tradition alive with his honest and insightful compositions. From the intimate halls of PEI to celebrated folk festivals across the globe, he has cemented his reputation as one of Atlantic Canada’s finest folk troubadours. Through evocative storytelling and intricate guitar stylings, Pendergast captures the essence of life in the Maritimes, weaving themes of community, history, and nature into every song.

With a ship’s-horn power voice and irresistible stage presence, 2024 Eurovision winner Nani Vazana breathes life into the endangered Ladino language through soulful vocals, flamenco-inspired melodies, and raw, contemporary storytelling. Described by BBC Radio as “a voice that transports you from ancient markets to modern jazz clubs in one breath”, she captures the spirit of the nearly lost language and propels it into the future with lyrics celebrating migration, gender and female empowerment. As a singer, composer, trombonist and pianist, Vazana invites the listeners into a world that is both timeless and modern.

Burnstick is a Canadian folk music duo forged from passion and unfiltered emotion — where two voices become one powerful musical force. Anchored by the resonant Weissenborn lap slide guitars of Plains-Cree guitarist Jason Burnstick and the rich, poetic songwriting and harmonies of francophone-Métis vocalist Nadia Burnstick, their sound is at once cinematic and intimate. Drawing from a decade of life lived fully — as partners in both art and life — their music carries stories of love, loss, belonging, and the sacred ties that shape who we are.

Canmore Folk Festival veteran, David Francey is a Scottish-born Canadian carpenter-turned-songwriter, who has become known as “one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers” (Toronto Star). A truly authentic folk singer, Francey is a documentarian of the working person who never imagined earning a living from his music. But when he was in his 40s, his wife, artist Beth Girdler, encouraged him to share his songs and sing in public. The reaction was instant. His first album Torn Screen Door came out in 1999 and was a hit in Canada. Since then, David has released thirteen albums, won four Juno Awards, and has had his songs covered by such artists as The Del McCoury Band, The Rankin Family, James Keelaghan and Tracy Grammer.

McCarthy, Sutton & Byrne is a brand new Irish/Newfoundland trad fusion band that unites three acclaimed musicians whose roots lie on opposite shores of the Atlantic Ocean, yet whose music finds a natural meeting place in the traditions of Ireland and Newfoundland. The trio features Benny McCarthy (button accordion, founding member of the iconic Irish band Danú), Billy Sutton (fiddle, mandolin & vocals, a versatile performer from St. John’s, Newfoundland, known for his work with The Fables and a member of Danú since 2020), and Tony Byrne (guitar & vocals, one of Ireland’s most in-demand accompanists and long-time guitarist with Danú).

The 2025 Canadian Folk Music Award Winners for Best New/Emerging Artist, Maggie’s Wake is a high-energy Canadian band that blends the timeless roots of traditional Celtic-inspired folk with the spirit of jazz, Americana, and classic country. Fronted by award-winning musicians Tara Dunphy and Lindsay Schindler, the band draws on their heritage while forging new ground, their sound both deeply rooted and wholly original. With a passion for celebrating the rich history of folk music in a modern voice, Maggie’s Wake continues to carve out an inspiring space in the contemporary folk music landscape.

artsPlace favourite, East Coast songwriter Lennie Gallant has released 16 award-winning albums and earned recognition from the JUNOs, ECMAs, and Les Prix Éloizes. He has recently released his new album, Shelter From the Storms, which has received rave reviews and sold out shows across Canada. The album reflects on the turbulent times we live in while celebrating the human ability to navigate through hardship with community, love and laughter. Lennie was honoured as the 2026 Canadian Folk Music Awards Solo Artist of The Year for this album, which was also named one of the Top Ten Folk Albums of 2025 by a Roots Music critics poll and members of the Canadian music industry.

Wielding a sound that would turn classical music scholars to stone, these four folk innovators are reimagining the Western string quartet. By inviting back voices previously regarded as too ugly for “polite society,” Medusa tempts us to redefine what is beautiful. Marta Solek and Saskia Tomkins resurrect the Suka (the Płosk fidel), and the Nyckelharpa - both are near-forgotten traditional folk fiddles with disreputable connotations that were rejected for centuries in their home countries of Poland and Sweden.

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Royal Wood has established himself as a true musical talent. Since being proclaimed “Songwriter of the Year” by iTunes, Wood has continued to evolve and hone his musical craft while maintaining a unique identity. His eighth full-length studio album, 2022's What Tomorrow Brings, was up “For Your Consideration” for BEST FOLK ALBUM at the 2024 Grammys. His new album DEAR JOHN is a letter to himself. It is a message and a gift to the child within that began his journey in music all those years ago from a true, genuine, exciting, and connected vision. It is both classic Royal and an explosion of contemporary boundary breaking art at the same time.

Ndidi Onukwulu, professionally known as Ndidi O, is an award-winning contemporary Roots & Blues singer-songwriter. A two-time JUNO award nominee and the 2019 Western Canadian Music Awards winner for Blues Artist of the Year, for nearly two decades she has carved out an adventurous career that deftly moves between soul, blues, contemporary roots, folk and Americana. A force of nature from the wilds of British Columbia where she grew up, Ndidi is the daughter of a Nigerian father and a German mother. She represents a distinctly Canadian experience – standing astride lines blurred between contrasting cultures and heritages. Her music, like her lineage, explores the globe while keeping ‘home’ at the centre of it all.

Both in his own right as a solo artist and as an integral member of Leeroy Stagger’s potent alt. country outfit, the Rebeltone Sound, Ryland Moranz spends considerable time traversing the highways and byways of Canada, the US, and Europe, reflecting on personal growth and empathetically noting all around him, absorbing the images, stories, events, and experiences of the road as he goes. Populated by real and imagined heroes and villains, the everyday and the extraordinary, the trials of life and matters of the heart, Ryland’s compositions span bygone days, the here and now, and what may yet be to come, both for himself and for us all. His latest release is a lyrically poetic, sonically earthy album of gritty roots rockers and moving, nostalgic balladry, propelled by Ryland’s clawhammer banjo, electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, mandola and harmonica, and intoned in a characterful voice recalling a young Steve Earle.

Guy Davis is a two-time, back-to-back Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues, a musician, actor, author, and songwriter. His storytelling is painful, deep, and real, an earthy contrast to modern-day commercial music, meant to create thought, underlined by gentle tones from his guitar or banjo fingerpicking. Guy has won “Keeping The Blues Alive” Award, and was nominated by The Blues Foundation for Best Acoustic Album of the Year, Best Acoustic Artist of the Year, and Best Instrumentalist. In fact, he's been nominated nearly two dozen times by the Blues Foundation.

Chick & Chang returns to artsPlace for another evening of soaring sister harmonies and singer-songwriter storytelling.

Sue and Diana Chick are both lifelong storytellers and performers. As songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, they have always loved to share with any willing listening ear. Candice and Julie Chang entwine their voices together in a way that only siblings can, creating unique harmonies that ring with beauty and power.

A manifestation of pure joy, The Three Sisters weave three distinct voices of Bow Valley singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Heather Jean Jordan, Irene Poole, and Ji Won Baxter into a single, luminous sound. Local favourites, they have graced stages including artsPlace, the Canmore Folk Music Festival, and Winter Warm Up, earning a warm and devoted following in the valley.